bkoganbing The Desperate Search that Howard Keel is on is for his children whom he has custody of for six weeks every summer as per the court agreement with ex-wife Patricia Medina. The two kids, Lee Aaker and Linda Lowell, survive a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness and are on their own in the woods. As was the custom in those bygone days of the big studios you had someone under contract you kept them working. In Keel's case they had no big musical property for him at the moment so he was put into this B film which could have used color to accentuate the nice rural settings the film was shot in. Desperate Search had the action alternate between the kids and their struggle to survive and the search and rescue operation which Keel and Medina are both part of as they are both pilots. In the former young Lee Aaker stands out as he tries to keep himself and his perpetually whining and crying sister safe and moving from the wreck to where he thinks dad might be searching. Through most their scenes the two children are playing tag with a hungry mountain lion and the most frightening scene in the film is little Linda Lowell wading into a river to escape the mountain lion.Medina is a competitive sort by nature and her competitiveness carried over into the marriage which caused the breakup. Keel's second wife is supportive Jane Greer who is not a pilot and she and Medina almost get to scrapping the way Alexis and Crystal used to on Dynasty.Desperate Search moves at a nice pace and the cinematography and editing is really first rate. A few more production values and this could have been an A feature.

Michael_Elliott Desperate Search (1952)** 1/2 (out of 4)Interesting drama from MGM about father (Howard Keel) and his new wife (Jane Greer) who must search the wilderness after a plane crashes with the man's two children. Things get a little testy as his ex-wife and the mother (Patricia Medina) of the children shows up and causes more harm that good. The introduction by Robert Osbourne mentioned that MGM was trying to cut out their multi-million dollar pictures and try their hand at smaller productions and this here is one of them. The film isn't a complete success but it's certainly a lot better than its reputation would have you believe. I think the obviously small budget hurts the film somewhat as there's a lot of action that we never get to see. This includes the actual plane crash, which in most disaster type pictures would have been the film's highlight. Instead, we briefly see the plane on fire and that's pretty much it. Another minor problem is a few goofs including, after the crash, the two kids being shown without a cut and their hair and clothes appear like they just stepped out of a trailer and not out of a plane crash. With that said, the film still offers some pretty intense scenes especially when the children come under attack by a mountain lion. There are at least three of these scenes and each on is pretty intense. Another plus is that Keel and Greer are very good in their roles. This isn't the type of picture you'd expect to see them in but both do good jobs. Medina easily steals the film as the ex-wife who never overplays the part yet still manages to be very believable and actually turns out to be one of the most hated villains in a film like this. Keenan Wynn does a good job in his part as does Lee Acker as the 9-year-old son. I don't normally bash child actors but Linda Lowell plays his younger sister and I must say she gives one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a child. The screenplay has her mostly crying and screaming, which is fine but unfortunately the child couldn't cry and it's obvious the director just had her screaming to make up for this. Here scenes are all pretty bad when trying to "act" like she's crying and it becomes very obnoxious. The limited budget doesn't give us too much footage in the wilderness but at 71-minutes the film goes by pretty quickly and manages to be entertaining despite a few problems.

aimless-46 Hollywood movies made for a few years after the Second World War often had hidden political or sociological agendas. In some cases it was the studios trying to promote or to demonstrate a commitment to old-fashioned values. In other cases it was simply the perception of the marketing people that audiences wanted a return to the pre-war days. The extensive mobilization required to win the war had let the genie out of the bottle of women's occupational choices. Women had served in the military, become military and civilian pilots, and replaced men in most factory jobs. When the men returned home they reclaimed most of their jobs but the myth of a woman's inability to work productively outside the home had been exploded. For many, a big issue was how to undo this damage. "Desperate Search" (1952) tapped into this anxiety. The story revolves around two very young children, 9 year-old Don Heldon (Lee Acker) and his 7 year-old sister Janet (Linda Lowell) who are the only survivors of a small plane crash deep in the wilderness. Acker will look familiar to baby boomers as he went on to play Rusty in "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" and Russel in the first season of "Spin and Marty". Their father Vince (Howard Keel) and mother Nora (Patricia Medina) are rival pilots who fly search missions for the missing plane (the two are divorced). Although in black and white there is a lot of beautiful scenery. The editors have some difficultly matching the second unit stuff to the in-studio flying sequences and special effects. One particularly amusing shot shows Vince's plane in a very steep dive on what is supposed to be a gliding approach to land on a small lake. But if you suspend disbelief a few times you can get into the peril of the children, the anxiety of the searchers, and the relief of everyone when they are reunited. At first glance the film seems conflicted in its portrayal of women (as was the country at that time), but in final analysis it comes down squarely on the side of traditional roles. Elaine Stewart (one of Hollywood's all-time most beautiful actresses) plays a stewardess and Medina a pilot; but Stewart is killed in her occupation and Medina hinders the search by questioning the wisdom of her ex-husband. And at the end Medina's co-pilot (Keenan Wynn) has her pretty much convinced that she should become more traditional; in the husband supporting (but still very brave) model of Vince's new wife Julie (Jane Greer).The traditional agenda is even more obvious with the children. Don is only slightly older but plays the protective big brother to an extreme. Poor Janet is almost constantly (and I mean constantly) crying and whining. The resourceful Don keeps his little sister safe while he takes the steps that will lead to their rescue. A little bit of this would have gone a long way but it is run into the ground. Also note that it is a growth experience for the boy but the girl is simply anxious to get back to her dolls.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Neil Doyle HOWARD KEEL was MGM's robust baritone who would still be making big musicals for his home studio--but DESPERATE SEARCH was designed to keep the actor busy when there were no musical assignments ready for him. It's strictly a programmer for the bottom half of a double bill, running only one hour and thirteen minutes.Keel acquits himself well--strong and earnest--as the pilot who is part of a search organized to find his two children missing in a plane crash. His ex-wife, PATRICIA MEDINA, is on hand to stir up a little love rivalry over his affections. JANE GREER is the current wife, anxious that the organizers listen to her husband's idea of where to look for the downed plane. KEENAN WYNN is Keel's pilot friend.The children are shown stranded in the wilds of British Columbia with a cougar lurking nearby adding danger to their already dire situation. LEE AAKER plays the sturdy and resourceful youngster with the sister who is hysterical most of the time--something that could have been toned down a bit for my taste.An interesting trifle with nice work from Keel, Greer and Medina.