The Whip Hand is a 1951 American film directed by William Cameron Menzies and starring Carla Balenda and Elliott Reid.[3]

The Whip Hand
original US half-sheet film poster
Directed by	William Cameron Menzies Stuart Gilmore (fill-in)[1]
Written by	George Bricker Frank L. Moss Curt Siodmak (uncredited)[1]
Story by	Roy Hamilton
Produced by	Lewis Rachmil
Starring	Carla Balenda Elliott Reid
Cinematography	Nicholas Musuraca
Edited by	Robert Golden
Music by	Paul Sawtell
Production company	RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	October 24, 1951 (1951-10-24) (US)[1]
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$376,000[2]

Plot

Journalist Matt Corbin (Elliott Reid) is traveling through Wisconsin on a fishing trip and comes across a nearly deserted town where the few inhabitants left are secretive and hostile. A shifty lodge owner named Steve Loomis (Raymond Burr) warns Matt away, claiming all the fish died off mysteriously years ago. The story just makes Matt more curious, and his investigations soon uncover a Kremlin plot to poison the American water supply. Now he just needs to get back to the city alive.

Cast

• Carla Balenda as Janet Keller
• Elliott Reid as Matt Corbin
• Edgar Barrier as Dr. Edward Keller
• Raymond Burr as Steve Loomis
• Otto Waldis as Dr. Wilhelm Bucholtz
• Michael Steele as Chick
• Lurene Tuttle as Molly Loomis
• Peter Brocco as Nate Garr
• Lewis Martin as Peterson
• Frank Darien as Luther Adams
• Olive Carey as Mabel Turner

Production

In July 1949, RKO purchased the screen story written by Roy Hamilton. The film was originally set in New England, and was titled The Man He Found; the term "the whip hand" comes from horse racing, and is a metaphor for having the advantage or upper hand.[1] In the original story the villains were escaped German Nazis involved in a plot to hide Adolf Hitler, portrayed by Bobby Watson. When Howard Hughes viewed the completed film in November 1950, he announced that Nazis were no longer villains, Communists were, and ordered portions of the film reshot.[4][1] Wheeler W. Dixon writes that "The Whip Hand compels the viewer's attention through the sheer visual frenzy of its violent, aggressive camera work, coupled with its nightmarish, forced-perspective sets, which seems to overpower both the view and the film's protagonists."[5]

Location shooting took place in Big Bear Lake as well as at RKO's ranch in Encino.

Reception

The film lost an estimated $225,000.[2][1]

References

External links

• The Whip Hand at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Whip Hand at IMDb