Suddenly (1954)

Suddenly (1954)

• Wine Pairing: Seyval Blanc
• Overview: Directed by Lewis Allen and starring Frank Sinatra as John Baron, this film follows a ruthless assassin who takes a family hostage in a small California town with the intention of assassinating the President of the United States. Sterling Hayden plays Sheriff Tod Shaw, who tries to thwart the assassination plot. The film is known for its intense suspense and dramatic twists.
• Why Seyval Blanc: The crisp acidity and citrus notes of Seyval Blanc complement the tense atmosphere and sharp dialogue of the film. 
• Wine Pairing: 2020 Bogati Seyval Blanc

 

The film “Suddenly” (1954) is not in the public domain. Here is a trailer of the film.  You can view the film through various media platforms or here.  Check out the director and actors in the film through IMDb. The film is based on a short story "Active Duty" by Richard Sale, which was published in the Blue Book magazine [Vol. 77 No. 1, May 1943]. There is a remake: Suddenly (2013) with Ray Liotta.

The film depicts a ruthless assassin with the intention of assassinating the President of the United States. Presidential travel has often been a time of heightened risk for assassination attempts. Here are some notable examples:

• Abraham Lincoln: Before his assassination in 1865, Lincoln survived an earlier attempt on his life in 1861 while traveling to his inauguration. A plot to kill him in Baltimore was foiled, and he had to travel secretly to Washington, D.C..

• William Howard Taft: In 1909, while traveling to meet Mexican President Porfirio Diaz in El Paso, Texas, a gunman was apprehended just three feet away from Taft and Diaz.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt: In 1933, while traveling in Miami, Florida, an assassination attempt was made on Roosevelt by Giuseppe Zangara. Although Roosevelt was unharmed, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed.

• John F. Kennedy: The most infamous assassination occurred on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, while Kennedy was traveling in a motorcade. He was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald.

• Ronald Reagan: On March 30, 1981, Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Reagan was traveling to give a speech at the hotel.

• Donald Trump: In 2024, Trump survived two assassination attempts during his travels. The first attempt occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the second at his Florida golf course.

These incidents highlight the dangers faced by U.S. Presidents during travel and the importance of stringent security measures to protect them.

Check out the articles and papers below for more information related to assassinations and attempts of toward U.S. presidents: 

• Long List of Presidents Who Have Been Shot or Shot At 
• Violence Against US Politicians and Diplomats Fast Facts
• Assassination of American Presidents: An Analysis of the Literature (preview of this dissertation)
• Conspiracy in Presidential Assassinations
• Impeachment and Assassination
• Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
• James Garfield Assassination
• William McKinley Assassination Papers
• JFK Assassination Reports and Records

 

If you are new to wine, here is a wine 101 Beginners Guide to start with. To be more wine savvy, check out this list of wine descriptions. Here is a list of wines from dry to sweet and description of each type of grape.  Here is a cool visual - the periodic table of wine. Check out this tip that shows the serving size to pour wine based on alcohol content. You can sharpen your palate through a Wine Tasting Challenge. 

 

Check out this very brief history of cinema. You can also explore this history of film timeline for more detail on the various eras of film history. Learn more about the Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code), including reviewing the code restrictions. If you love classic films and want to see them on the big screen you need to visit the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, CA. They only play classics, including silent films, and have a Wurlitzer Organ that is raised and played for the audience between films.   In addition to watching stories unfold on the silver screen, there was a time (1935-55) where you could listen to a weekly broadcast where an hour-long adaptation of a popular film or even Broadway play, often starring the members of the original cast. This radio show was called the Lux Radio Theatre.

 

For each episode, we curate film clips and music for the film that is featured. For this episode, we posted the black and white, and the colorized version of the film in the Suddenly (1954) playlist on the Booby Trap Podcast YouTube channel. We also created a Suddenly (1954) music playlist, featuring Frank Sinatra, available through the Booby Trap Podcast Spotify profile.

 

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Intro/Outro Music: Hitchcock by melodyayresgriffiths

Booby Trap quote from film “Suddenly” (1954)