Suddenly

2313. Suddenly (1954-usa). With frank sinatra, sterling hayden, james gleason, nancy gates. The setting Of this stark and chilling drama is a small california town called “suddenly.” things usually are awfully quiet in suddenly, as they are in most such burgs. Only this day is extra special. The president Of the united states is scheduled to arrive in town by train and the residents Of suddenly all are aflutter. Among them are elderly retired secret serviceman pop benson, his daughter-in-law ellen and grandson pidge. Enter john baron and his two psycho- cronies. Baron is a prOfessional assassin who has been hired to do the unthinkable; blow away the president! While secret servicemen check security al the train station, baron and his bunch take up residence in the benson household. Its ideal location will afford the killer a bird’s-eye-view Of his prey as he disembarks from the train. The tension slowly mounts as baron holds the bensons captive and sets his sights on the president. Other characters come into play, most notably town sheriff tod shaw. As the minutes tick by you know that some are destined to live and others are sure to meet grim fates. The sum Of it all is an edge-Of-your-seat thriller that remains just as enthralling on the tenth viewing as the first. Frank sinatra gives one Of his all-time best performances as baron while sterling hayden impresses as sheriff shaw and character actor james gleason is his usual likably crafty self as pop benson. Released after his academy award winning performance in “from here to eternity” and before his academy award nomination for “the man with the golden arm,” sinatra was obviously on a roll. The film was pulled from distribution after the kennedy assassination as loo close for comfort. 77 minutes. Drama