Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay)
Victor Trivas (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Plot:

Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon wants to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law. But Dixon's vicious nature will get the better of him.

Plot Keywords:

Racketeer | Cover Up | New York City | Sucker | Taxi Driver

Cast

Dana Andrews	...	Det. Mark Dixon
Gene Tierney	...	Morgan Taylor
Gary Merrill	...	Tommy Scalise
Bert Freed	...	Det. Paul Klein
Tom Tully	...	Jiggs Taylor
Karl Malden	...	Lt. Thomas
Ruth Donnelly	...	Martha
Craig Stevens	...	Ken Paine
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Detective at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
Don Appell	...	Willie Bender (uncredited)
Tony Barr	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
Eddie Borden	...	Pool Hall Patron (uncredited)
Neville Brand	...	Steve, Scalise Hood (uncredited)
Barry Brooks	...	Thug (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Railroad Baggage Clerk (uncredited)
Oleg Cassini	...	Oleg the Fashion Designer (uncredited)
John Close	...	Hanson (uncredited)
Tom Coleman	...	Detective at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper	...	Police Desk Sergeant Murphy (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	Scalise Hoodlum (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Man at Dice Table / Passerby (uncredited)
Bob Evans	...	Sweatshirt (uncredited)
Charles Flynn	...	Policeman Schwartz (uncredited)
Robert Foulk	...	Fenney (uncredited)
Anthony George	...	Scalise Hoodlum (uncredited)
Joseph Granby	...	Fat Man (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Detective at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
Kathleen Hughes	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Lou Krugman	...	Mike Williams (uncredited)
Louise Lane	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Louise Lorimer	...	Mrs. Jackson (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Joe, Scalise Hood (uncredited)
Ian MacDonald	...	Detective Casey (uncredited)
John Marshall	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
John McGuire	...	Detective Gertessen (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Harrington (uncredited)
Eda Reiss Merin	...	Mrs. Shirley Klein (uncredited)
Grayce Mills	...	Mrs. Tribaum, Paine's Landlady (uncredited)
Lou Nova	...	Ernie, Scalise Hood (uncredited)
Peggy O'Connor	...	Model (uncredited)
Robert Patten	...	Medical Examiner (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Policeman (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Pool Hall Patron (uncredited)
Stephen Roberts	...	Gilruth (uncredited)
Lester Sharpe	...	Friedman, Morgan's Employer (uncredited)
Robert F. Simon	...	Insp. Nicholas Foley (uncredited)
Wanda Smith	...	Model (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Passerby (uncredited)
Clarence Straight	...	Detective (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Police Radio Dispatcher #79 (voice) (uncredited)
Shirley Tegge	...	Model (uncredited)
Larry Thompson	...	Riley (uncredited)
John Trebach	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Phil Tully	...	Det. Ted Benson, 16th Precinct (uncredited)
Harry von Zell	...	Mr. Morrison (uncredited)
Duke Watson	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Chili Williams	...	Teddy (uncredited)
Mack Williams	...	Jerry Morris, Attorney (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Detective (uncredited)
David Wolfe	...	Sid Kramer, Scalise Hood (uncredited)

Directed by
Otto Preminger

Writing credits
Ben Hecht		(screenplay)
Victor Trivas		(adaptation) and
Frank P. Rosenberg		(adaptation) and
Robert E. Kent		(adaptation)
William L. Stuart		(novel)

Produced by
Otto Preminger	....	producer
Frank P. Rosenberg	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Cyril J. Mockridge		(as Cyril Mockridge)

Cinematography by
Joseph LaShelle		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Louis R. Loeffler		(as Louis Loeffler)

Art Direction by
J. Russell Spencer
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Oleg Cassini

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Marie Walter	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Sam Wurtzel	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Henry Weinberger	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Alfred Bruzlin	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Don Anderson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Cliff Maupin	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director (as Charles LeMaire)

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Kathleen Fagan	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century - Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1955) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1962) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Koch Media (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Germany:12 | UK:12 | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #14458) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Robert F. Simon's film debut.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the car Dixon is riding in pulls onto (and off) the garage elevator on the way to Scalise's hide-out, the camera shakes violently for a few seconds.

Quotes:

Morgan Taylor: It's a wonderful day. No job. Everybody against me. My poor dad sitting in a cell... and it's a wonderful day. Isn't that amazing?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

Terriffic film noir

If all "film noirs" were this good, we would have a lot more of them. If someone were to ask me what is one I would tell them to go see this movie as a perfect example. This a 50 year old movie that doesn't feel old. In other words, nothing sounds corny and stupid as others of the time. Dana Andrews had a real hard edge on his shoulder much different than in The Best Years Of Our Lives. Without giving anything away, I recommend seeing this movie "cold" like I did and be thoroughly entertained.