Not Wanted

Not Wanted is a 1949 American drama film directed by Elmer Clifton and an un-credited Ida Lupino and starring Sally Forrest, Keefe Brasselle and Leo Penn.^[1]

Not Wanted
Directed by	Elmer Clifton Ida Lupino (uncredited)
Screenplay by	Paul Jarrico Ida Lupino
Story by	Paul Jarrico Malvin Wald
Produced by	Anson Bond Ida Lupino
Starring	Sally Forrest Keefe Brasselle Leo Penn
Cinematography	Henry Freulich
Edited by	William H. Ziegler
Music by	Leith Stevens
Production company	Emerald Productions
Distributed by	Film Classics
Release date	June 24, 1949 (1949-06-24)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

A few days after shooting started, Clifton suffered a heart attack. Lupino stepped in to direct the film (which she co-wrote and co-produced) without taking credit (this was the last film that Clifton worked on but not his final overall effort, as two films of his would be released after his death on October 15, 1949).^[2] The film's sets were designed by the art director Charles D. Hall. Shooting took place at the Universal Studios.

Plot

A young woman is attracted to a travelling musician while feeling stifled at how her parents treat her. She abandons her home town to follow him but he has decided to move on to chase his dream career. After he has left, she finds out that she is pregnant and faces a decision over what to do about her impending baby. She gives the child away after giving birth but finds herself feeling guilty to the point where she snatches a child from a stroller. In the meantime, her employer at the gas station has fallen in love with her.

Cast

• Sally Forrest as Sally Kelton
• Keefe Brasselle as Drew Baxter
• Leo Penn as Steve Ryan
• Dorothy Adams as Mrs. Aggie Kelton
• Wheaton Chambers as Mr. Kelton
• Rita Lupino as Joan
• Audrey Farr as Nancy
• Carole Donne as Jane
• Ruth Clifford as Mrs. Elizabeth Stone
• Ruthelma Stevens as Miss James
• Virginia Mullen as Mrs. Banning, Infant's mother
• Marie Harmon as Irene
• Roger Anderson as Bill Aikens
• Gregg Barton as Patrolman
• Charles Seel as Dr. Williams
• Lawrence Dobkin as Assistant District Attorney
• Patrick Whyte as Reverend Culbertson

Critical reception

The film has been received positively by modern critics. It holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews.^[3]

Richard Brody of The New Yorker in a glowing review lauded the film and Lupino's direction, writing,

Lupino displays a documentary avidity for the details of work and play. She conveys Sally’s unworldly, impractical passion with tender, intimate closeups and an intense, effects-driven subjectivity—a hallucinatory sequence in a hospital is a masterpiece of low-budget Expressionism. An incongruous yet majestic chase scene, highlighting a photogenic array of Los Angeles locations, projects the intimate melodrama onto the world stage.^[4]