The Killer is Loose (1956) Starring Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey. Directed by Budd Boetticher. Screenplay by Harold Medford. Based on the novelette The Killer Is Loose by John and Ward Hawkins in The Saturday Evening Post (13 Jun 1953). Producer: Robert L. Jacks Run time: 73 minutes. Black and White. USA Drama, Police, Suspense, Film Noir
In 1953, when Twentieth-Century Fox bought the rights to John and Ward Hawkins’ story The Killer is Loose, they intended to have Orson Welles and Victor Mature star with plans to start shooting in October. Those plans went awry, as that film was never made. In 1954, Robert Goldstein and Robert L. Jacks purchased the rights from 20th Century for their independent production company Crown Productions. Rather than Orson Welles, Wendell Corey got the lead and Joseph Cotton got the role originally meant for Mature.
