He Walked by Night (1948)

Director:

Alfred L. Werker
(more)

Writers:

Crane Wilbur (story)
Crane Wilbur (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

9 August 1949 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Savage! ... Searing! ... True!

Plot:

This film-noir piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for a resourceful criminal who shoots and kills a cop.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Criminal | Electronics | Murderer | Murder

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Richard Basehart	...	Roy Martin / Roy Morgan
Scott Brady	...	Sgt. Marty Brennan
Roy Roberts	...	Capt. Breen
Whit Bissell	...	Paul Reeves
James Cardwell	...	Sgt. Chuck Jones (as Jimmy Cardwell)
Jack Webb	...	Lee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Adams	...	Housewife (uncredited)
Jane Adams	...	Nurse Scanion (uncredited)
Jack Bailey	...	Witness in pajamas and robe (uncredited)
Alma Beltran	...	Miss Montalvo (liquor store proprietor) (uncredited)
Robert Bice	...	Detective with Capt. Breen (uncredited)
Chief Bradley	...	Chief Bradley (uncredited)
Frank Cady	...	Pete Hammond, Suspect (uncredited)
George Chan	...	Chinese suspect (uncredited)
Garrett Craig	...	Patrolman (uncredited)
John Dehner	...	Assistant Bureau Chief (uncredited)
Ann Doran	...	Dispatcher (uncredited)
Rex Downing	...	Young hoodlum (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	...	Patrolman (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Freddie (Bureau of Records and Identification) (uncredited)
Kay Garrett	...	Doctor (uncredited)
George Goodman	...	Punchy (fighter suspect) (uncredited)
Tim Graham	...	Uniformed sergeant (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Suspect (uncredited)
Reed Hadley	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Harry Harvey	...	Liquor store proprietor (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Dunning, TV Customer (uncredited)
Virginia Hunter	...	Miss Smith (liquor store proprietor) (uncredited)
Felice Ingersoll	...	Records clerk (uncredited)
Anthony Jochim	...	Spanish-speaking detective (uncredited)
Stan Johnson	...	Artist (uncredited)
Louise Kane	...	Mrs. Robert Rawlins (uncredited)
Tommy Kelly	...	Young hoodlum aka Redhead (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Mailman (uncredited)
Charles Lang	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Lyle Latell	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Rory Mallinson	...	Detective with Harry (uncredited)
Doyle Manor	...	Detective (uncredited)
Dick Mason	...	Mailman (uncredited)
Billy Mauch	...	Young hoodlum aka Handsome (uncredited)
John McGuire	...	Officer Robert Rawlins (uncredited)
Charles Meredith	...	Hollywood Police Official (uncredited)
Carlotta Monti	...	Miss Montavio (liquor store customer) (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Detective (uncredited)
James Nolan	...	Harry (detective) (uncredited)
John Parrish	...	Liquor store proprietor (uncredited)
Steve Pendleton	...	Detective (uncredited)
John Perri	...	Young hoodlum (uncredited)
Ruth Robinson	...	Mrs. Johnson (liquor store proprietor) (uncredited)
Paul Scardon	...	Liquor store proprietor (uncredited)
Earl Spainard	...	Liquor store proprietor (uncredited)
Florence Stephens	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Bernie Suss	...	Business suspect (uncredited)
Kenneth Tobey	...	Detective questioning Pete (uncredited)
Wally Vernon	...	Postman (uncredited)
Harlan Warde	...	Police Operator 27 (uncredited)
Mary Ware	...	Reeves' secretary (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Detective (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Prison inmate (uncredited)
Marty Wynn	...	LAPD sergeant (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred L. Werker		(as Alfred Werker)
Anthony Mann		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Crane Wilbur		(story)
Crane Wilbur		(screenplay) and
John C. Higgins		(screenplay)
Harry Essex		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Bryan Foy	....	producer
Robert Kane	....	producer (as Robert T. Kane)

Original Music by
Leonid Raab

Cinematography by
John Alton		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Alfred DeGaetano		(as Alfred De Gaetano)

Art Direction by
Edward L. Ilou		(as Edward Ilou)

Set Decoration by
Armor Marlowe
Clarence Steensen		(as Clarence Steenson)

Makeup Department
Joe Stinton	....	makeup artist
Ern Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
James T. Vaughn	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Howard W. Koch	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Leon Becker	....	sound (as Leon S. Becker)
Hugh McDowell Jr.	....	sound (as Hugh McDowell)

Special Effects by
George J. Teague	....	photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
George Hommel	....	still photographer (uncredited)
E. Truman Joiner	....	key grip (uncredited)
Lester Shorr	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Irving Friedman	....	musical director

Other crew
Jack Rabin	....	special art effects (as Jack R. Rabin)
Stewart Stern	....	dialogue director
Marty Wynn	....	technical advisor (as Sergeant Marty Wynn)
Arnold Laven	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Bryan Foy Productions

Distributors

• Eagle-Lion Films (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Eagle-Lion Distributors Limited (1948) (UK) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classics (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Roan Group, The (1993) (USA) (DVD)
• Lumivision (2000) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• BFS Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• BFS Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Brentwood Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (TV)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Broadway Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Kino International (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Punto Zero (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• St. Clair Entertainment Group (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  audio restoration
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

The L.A. Investigator (USA) (working title)
Twenty-Nine Clues (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1952) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #13565) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bryan Foy Productions

Trivia:

This film served as something of a template for "Dragnet," which debuted on radio the following year, right down to the "this is the city" style opening narration, and the fact that a disclaimer appears at the beginning informing the audience that the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Goofs:

Continuity: After examining the bullet casings, Lee tells Capt. Breen that the same gun was used to shoot Officer Rawlins and Detective Jones. But Roy actually used a revolver to kill Rawlins and a .45 automatic to shoot Jones.

Quotes:

Narrator: And so the tedious quest went on. Sergeant Brennan wore out his shoes and his patience going from police station to police station, checking photos until his eyes were blurry, for policework is not all glamor and excitement and glory. There are days and days of routine...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Definitely the progenitor of Dragnet

As related on http://www.adam-12.com/webb.htm ...

- quote -

In 1949, Jack landed the role of Lt. Lee Jones in the film

"He walked by Night." After meeting LAPD Sgt. Marty Wynn,

a technical advisor for the show, Jack got the idea to develop

Dragnet after being invited to review LAPD case files.

- end quote -

Several elements associated with _Dragnet_ appear already in _He Walked_: not only the stolid narration but also the devotion of time to routine and even futile work, the interviewing of oddballs, the explication of technology, and the incidental chit-chat about the family.

One interesting point is that we never get to find out the killer's motive: even at the expense of the audience's aesthetic satisfaction, the killer's point of view is denied to us. The only lessons we can learn from the movie are the lessons that the police learn.