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:

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on April 2, 1951 with Dana Andrews reprising his film role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Although Preminger places and moves his camera with great skill in this film, his camera is set up on Dana Andrews right in-between him and suspect Craig Stevens. Stevens' first punch misses Andrews chin by at least a foot.

Quotes:

Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon: Maybe I'd better show you my hand, dream boy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Trip to Swadades (2008)

It's no "Laura" but it's good, gritty film noir...

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS deserves to be a better known film directed by Otto Preminger, the man who gave the world LAURA. And this time, he's got the same co-stars: DANA ANDREWS and GENE TIERNEY. It must be said that Tierney here is under-used in what amounts to more of a supporting role while the spotlight goes to Andrews.

He plays a tough, hardened cop used to dealing with a bunch of thugs in too vigorous a way until one night he accidentally kills a man in the process of arresting him. When suspicion falls on a cab driver (TOM TULLY), he goes along with the investigation into the murder but starts to feel guilt because he's in love with the cabbie's daughter (GENE TIERNEY). Tierney, by the way, looks a little too elegant for the girl she's playing here and doesn't seem to fit into the squalid background elements of the story.

The story takes a grim turn as the investigation goes deeper and it's discovered that the murdered man had a silver plate in his head from his service as a war hero. By the end, it turns into a morality tale with Andrews developing a conscience over his crime.

It's fascinating as film noir with capable performances from a strong supporting cast. A good entry in the field of noir, forcefully directed by Preminger and nicely played by Andrews and Tierney, despite the slight miscasting of her character.