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Saigon (1948 film)

Saigon
Saigonlakeladd.jpg
Directed by Leslie Fenton
Produced by P.J. Wolfson
Written by
  • Julian Zimet
  • Arthur Sheekman
  • P.J. Wolfson
Starring
Music by Robert Emmett Dolan
Cinematography John F. Seitz
Edited by William Shea
Production
company
Paramount Pictures
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • March 31, 1948 (1948-03-31) (U.S.)
Running time
93 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $2,250,000 (US rentals)
1,365,485 admissions (France)

Saigon is a 1948 American film noir crime film directed by Leslie Fenton starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. in their fourth and final film together. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was one of the last films Veronica Lake made under her contract with the studio. Ladd and Lake made four films together; This Gun for Hire and The Glass Key, both in 1942, The Blue Dahlia in 1946 and Saigon. While the earlier films all proved to be big box office successes, Saigon did not do as well financially. Ladd continued to remain one of Paramount's top male stars, while Lake's career was in decline. By the end of 1948 her contract with Paramount had expired and the studio chose not to renew it.

For Ladd, Saigon was one of a series of globe-trotting adventure tales he made, starting with Two Years Before the Mast (1946) and Calcutta (1947).

World War II has ended and Major Larry Briggs (Alan Ladd) finds out that his friend Captain Mike Perry (Douglas Dick) has only two months to live due to a head injury. Larry and Sergeant Pete Rocco (Wally Cassell) are determined to show Mike a good time before he dies. For a $10,000 fee, Larry takes a flying job working for Alex Maris (Morris Carnovsky) a profiteer. Everything is set until Maris' secretary Susan Cleaver (Veronica Lake) shows up to board the aircraft. Mike falls for Susan and Larry convinces her to play along but she has fallen in love with Larry.

The first flight is disrupted by Maris arriving a half-hour late with the police right behind. Larry takes off but is forced to make an emergency landing after both engines fail. After checking into a small hotel, the Americans find Police Lieutenant Keon (Luther Adler) shadowing them who he believes are smugglers.


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