Step By Step (1946)

Directed by Phil Rosen; produced by Sid Rogell

Young Evelyn Smith (Anne Jeffreys) has an important new job that she obtained with the aid of a harmless fib. Former U.S. marine Johnny Christopher (Lawrence Tierney) is back from the war and ready for some fun. Neither thought they would be framed for murder and on the run, while simultaneously trying to track down the real culprits in a spy-ring set up to aid fugitive Nazis. The stage is set for car-chases, gun-play, fist-fights, and a little romance.

Step By Step is a lively, low-budget action adventure which was probably rated at the time as a B-movie but is a cut above that grade, though certainly not on the A-list. Its plot makes one think that the Bowery Boys are going to be bursting through a door any moment, while the dialogue is more reminiscent of lighter Bogart fare, such as All Through the Night.

The performances are pretty good. Jeffreys, despite being only twenty-three, was nearing the end of her time as a leading lady, though her career in entertainment would carry her into her nineties and the twenty-first century. Tierney plays against type here: he’s a tough guy, but light-hearted, carefree and not looking for trouble. In spite of having played the lead role in the bio-pic Dillinger (in which Jeffreys co-starred), his name follows the title in Step By Step, which adds to the impression that the film is a small one. The pair work well together, perhaps due to their previous collaboration.

The other actors are also better than the average ‘B’ cast. The villains include Jason Robards, father of his namesake, the latter better known today than his parent, who in turn became Jason Robards Senior only in retrospect. The elder Robards had a long career on the stage before making his first movie in 1921.

 

He and other players do very well, especially George Cleveland, as a former marine and sea captain who now runs a motel, and takes the young heroes’ innocence on faith.

The plot is straightforward: a gang of former Nazis seek a list of their comrades, now underground and plotting a return. This list was hidden by an American operator and inadvertently picked up by Tierney.

There are alternately silly and smart bits to the script: a U.S. senator, engaged on top-secret counterintelligence work, engages a secretary he doesn’t know because she says that she had worked for a friend of his. The Hardy Boys would be more security-conscious than that. On the other hand, a good clue is found when someone’s shorthand notes are overlooked by the villains.

The direction is snappy; the short running-time (62 minutes) a tribute to it: the number of adventures and escapes the protagonists go through would fill a longer movie, though the pace keeps Step By Step from dragging. There are some good fight-scenes, including one in which Christopher uses his infantry training. The number of films in which soldiers battle like street brawlers has made me wonder what sort of instruction Hollywood thought armies received.

Not ridiculous enough to offend an accepting audience, and fast-paced enough to breeze over boredom, Step By Step is an enjoyable adventure tale with likeable characters, good performances and an adequate script, making for a fun time at the pictures.