Dark City (1950)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

Ketti Frings (adaptation)
Larry Marcus (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

17 October 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Gamblers who "took" an out-of-town sucker in a crooked poker game feel shadowy vengeance closing in on them.

Plot Keywords:

Decoy | Bookie | Brother | Revenge | Reunion

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Danny Haley / Richard Branton
Lizabeth Scott	...	Fran Garland
Viveca Lindfors	...	Victoria Winant
Dean Jagger	...	Capt. Garvey
Don DeFore	...	Arthur Winant
Jack Webb	...	Augie
Ed Begley	...	Barney
Harry Morgan	...	Soldier (as Henry Morgan)
Walter Sande	...	Swede
Mark Keuning	...	Billy Winant
Mike Mazurki	...	Sidney Winant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Civilian detective (uncredited)
John Bishop	...	Det. Fielding (uncredited)
John Breen	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Walter Burke	...	George, the Bartender (uncredited)
Hamilton Camp	...	Bobby (boy) (uncredited)
Jack Carroll	...	Sol (pianist) (uncredited)
Bill Cartledge	...	Bellhop (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Sally Corner	...	Blackjack Player (uncredited)
Charles Dayton	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee	...	Detective (uncredited)
Bob Evans	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sam Finn	...	Bettor (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Motel Manager (uncredited)
Greta Granstedt	...	Margie (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Boxer in Framed Photo (uncredited)
Marcoreta Hellman	...	Craps Player (uncredited)
Stan Johnson	...	Room Clerk (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Warren Mace	...	Bettor (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Joan Morgan	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Jay Morley	...	Capt. MacDonald (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Policeman at Raid (uncredited)
Ralph Peters	...	Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
Ben Pollack	...	Bettor (uncredited)
Stanley Prager	...	Sammy (uncredited)
Dewey Robinson	...	Gambler at Crap Table (uncredited)
Franz Roehn	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Kasey Rogers	...	Stewardess (uncredited)
Edward Rose	...	Shoeshine boy (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Dealer at Crap Table (uncredited)
James R. Scott	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Owen Tyree	...	Desk clerk (uncredited)
Otto Waldis	...	Benowski (uncredited)

Directed by
William Dieterle

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ketti Frings		adaptation
Larry Marcus		screenplay
Larry Marcus		story "No Escape"
John Meredyth Lucas		writer

Produced by
Hal B. Wallis	....	producer (as Hal Wallis)

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
Victor Milner

Film Editing by
Warren Low

Art Direction by
Franz Bachelin
Hans Dreier

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Emile Kuri

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Hedy Mjorud	....	hair stylist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist
William Woods	....	makeup artist (as Bill Wood)

Production Management
Richard Blaydon	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard McWhorter	....	assistant director
Gerd Oswald	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Don McKay	....	sound
Walter Oberst	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Paul K. Lerpae	....	special effects assistant camera (uncredited)
Dewey Wrigley	....	transparencies (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mal Bulloch	....	still photographer (as Malcolm Bullock)
Earl Crowell	....	gaffer
Charles Sickler	....	grip
Haskell B. Boggs	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Franz Waxman	....	musical director

Other crew
Lupe Hall	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park Observatory, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Quotes:

Danny Haley: We are under arrest?
Capt. Garvey: No, guys like you seldom get arrested. You get killed first.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Has Anybody Here Seen Canada? A History of Canadian Movies 1939-1953 (1979) (TV)

Soundtrack:

IF I DIDN'T HAVE YOU

Heston's star turn top-notch, but story isn't

Heston does a marvelous job is in his first star turn. Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, and Ed Begley lend impeccable supporting work. Don De Fore is re-teamed with Lizabeth Scott for the first time since You Came Along. Scott (Dead Reckoning, Strange Love of Martha Ivers, I Walk Alone, Stolen Face) is one of my all-time favorite femme fatales. Dieterle's direction is fast-paced and interesting throughout. Unfortunately, the whole turns out to be less than the sum of its parts.

The problem is in the inconsistent and unimaginative script. It's really a pedestrian tale of revenge with a miscast Mike Mazurki -- not a true film noir as it is normally billed. The parade of musical interludes is annoying. The chemistry between Scott and Heston doesn't work. And, the ending is a real letdown.

Chalk this one up as a well-acted and well-directed misfire.