Suddenly (1954): Cast & Plot
Suddenly is a 1954 crime thriller directed by Lewis Allen, starring Sterling Hayden as Sheriff Tod Shaw, James Gleason and Nancy Gates. It runs 1 hour 17 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 17m (77 min)
- Director
- Lewis Allen
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Libra Productions Inc.
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Suddenly About?
The premise of Suddenly without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A cold‑blooded thriller set in a quiet small town where Sheriff Tod Shaw’s failed attempts to court widowed pacifist Ellen Benson—who despises guns—are shattered by sudden violence. When the U.S. President stops in town, hired assassin John Baron sees the Benson home as the perfect ambush site, dragging the community into chaos.
Suddenly Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- hitman
- attempted assassination
- small town
- electrocution
- villain as protagonist
- u.s. secret service
- psychopathic killer
- based on short story
- family held hostage
- held at gunpoint
- boy
- mother son relationship
+38 more Show fewer
- war widow
- world war two veteran
- murder
- revolver
- toy gun
- ex secret service agent
- impersonating an fbi agent
- shot in the arm
- bolt action rifle
- police officer shot
- cap pistol
- electric shock
- gunshot wound
- shot in the stomach
- child uses a gun
- child hostage
- overprotective mother
- 8 year old boy
- psychopath
- sheriff
- sniper rifle
- impersonation
- faking a heart attack
- state police
- telegrapher
- woman shoots a man
- single mother
- suitor
- character repeats someone else's dialogue
- reference to a u.s. president
- ambush
- view from a window
- wounded man
- police officer wounded by gunshot
- trying to fix a tv
- hostage taker
- man courts a widow
- gunshot to the arm
Suddenly Cast & Characters
Sterling Hayden leads the cast as Sheriff Tod Shaw, with James Gleason as Peter 'Pop' Benson and Nancy Gates as Ellen Benson. Directed by Lewis Allen; 19 actors are credited in all.
- Director Lewis Allen
-
Sterling Hayden as Sheriff Tod Shaw -
James Gleason as Peter 'Pop' Benson - Nancy Gates as Ellen Benson
- Kim Charney as Peter 'Pidge' Benson III
Also Starring in Suddenly
· 15 more- Frank Sinatra John Baron
- Willis Bouchey Secret Service Detail Chief Dan Carney
- James O'Hara Jud Hobson
- Paul Frees Benny Conklin
- Dan White Burg (uncredited)
- Charles Wagenheim Iz Kaplan (uncredited)
- Roy Engel Driver Asking Slim for Directions (uncredited)
- Charles Smith Bebop
- Ted Stanhope Driver Asking Tod for Directions (uncredited)
- Richard Collier Ed Hawkins (uncredited)
- Paul Wexler Slim Adams
- John Beradino Trooper (uncredited)
- Clark Howat Haggerty
- Kem Dibbs Wilson
- Christopher Dark Bart Wheeler
More from Lewis Allen
More films directed by Lewis Allen: Whirlpool, Another Time, Another Place, Illegal and A Bullet for Joey.
Suddenly Plot Summary
What happens in Suddenly from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In the tense setup of Suddenly, a train carrying the president is due to make a stop in the small town of Suddenly, California. Under the guise of an FBI detail checking security ahead of the president’s arrival, three men descend on the Benson household, where Ellen, a war widow with a protective instinct, her young son Peter “Pidge” Benson, and her father-in-law Pop Benson wait. The house sits high on a hill overlooking the station, a vantage point that would give a would-be marksman a clear shot at the president. But the supposed agents prove to be hired assassins led by the coldly ambitious John Baron John Baron, who take the family hostage and seize control of the home with ruthless efficiency.
Full summary
The whole story of Suddenly, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Suddenly?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who plays the ruthless assassin leader John Baron in the film?
Cars in Suddenly
22 cars on screen, including the 1952 Nash Ambassador and the 1954 Nash Ambassador.
-
1952 Nash Ambassador Important role -
1954 Nash Ambassador Important role -
1954 Buick Super Minor role -
1946 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Minor role
Suddenly Also Known As
17 alternative titles, including “Plötzlich” and “Váratlan”.
- Also known as
-
- Plötzlich
- Váratlan
- Attentatorn
- Sucedió en Suddenly
- Repentinamente
- Yo aprendí a matar
- Conciencias negras
- Tappaja
- Je dois tuer
- Der Attentäter
- Gangsters in agguato
- De repente
+5 more Show fewer
- Meu Ofício É Matar
- סאדנלי
- 突然
- Nagle
- By i alarm
Seen Suddenly?
Movies Like Suddenly
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Sudden Fury, Terribly Happy and Suddenly.
Suddenly FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Suddenly, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Suddenly?
Suddenly runs 1 hour 17 minutes (77 minutes).
When was Suddenly released?
Suddenly was released on September 17, 1954.
Who directed Suddenly?
Suddenly was directed by Lewis Allen.
More films by Lewis Allen Who is in the cast of Suddenly?
Suddenly stars Sterling Hayden as Sheriff Tod Shaw, James Gleason as Peter 'Pop' Benson and Nancy Gates as Ellen Benson, among 19 credited actors.
Does Suddenly have a post-credit scene?
No. Suddenly has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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