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The Racket (1951) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   726 votes
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Director:
John Cromwell
(more)
Writers:
William Wister Haines (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Racket on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1951 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Film-Noir | Drama more
Tagline:
YOU'LL LEARN WHO PAYS OFF WHO -- AND WHY! (original print ad - all caps) more
Plot:
The big national crime syndicate has moved into town, partnering up with local crime boss Nick Scanlon... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Corruption Is Everywhere more (26 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Robert Mitchum ... Captain Thomas McQuigg
Lizabeth Scott ... Irene Hayes

Robert Ryan ... Nick Scanlon
William Talman ... Officer Bob Johnson
Ray Collins ... Dist. Atty. Mortimer X. Welsh
Joyce Mackenzie ... Mary McQuigg (as Joyce MacKenzie)
Robert Hutton ... Dave Ames ('City Press' cub reporter)
Virginia Huston ... Lucy Johnson

William Conrad ... Det. Sgt. Turk
Walter Sande ... Precinct Sgt. Jim Delaney
Les Tremayne ... Harry Craig (Crime Commission chief investigator)
Don Porter ... R.G. Connolly (ward boss)
Walter Baldwin ... Booking Sgt. Sullivan
Brett King ... Joe Scanlon
Richard Karlan ... Breeze Enright (round-faced Scanlon henchman)
Tito Vuolo ... Tony, Nick's Barber
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Alden ... Sergeant (uncredited)
Gregg Barton ... Rookie cop (uncredited)
Don Beddoe ... Mitchell - Member of Craig's office (uncredited)
Kate Belmont ... Operator (uncredited)
Robert Bice ... Police Dispatcher (uncredited)
Matthew Boulton ... Simpson (Nick's butler) (uncredited)
Barry Brooks ... Cameron (uncredited)
Howland Chamberlain ... Roy Higgins (stool pigeon) (uncredited)
Claudia Constant ... Girl (uncredited)
John Daheim ... Mannick - Nick's Driver / Henchman (uncredited)
Don Dillaway ... Harris - Member of Craig's team (uncredited)
Art Dupuis ... Police Car Driver (uncredited)
Jane Easton ... Operator (uncredited)

Pat Flaherty ... Policeman, Car 43 (uncredited)
William Forrest ... Head of Crime Commission (uncredited)
Jack Gargan ... Lewis (uncredited)
Dick Gordon ... Pedestrian (uncredited)
Bret Hamilton ... Reporter (uncredited)
Jayne Hazard ... Girl (uncredited)
Curtis Jarrett ... Policeman (uncredited)
Howard Joslin ... Sgt. Werker (uncredited)
Hazel Keener ... Secretary (uncredited)
Mike Lally ... Sergeant (uncredited)
Harry Lauter ... Officer Mosley (uncredited)
Ronald Lee ... Elevator boy (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton ... Police Doctor (uncredited)
Frank Marlowe ... Pedestrian with morning newspaper (uncredited)
Thomas Martin ... Governor's Butler (uncredited)
Allen Mathews ... Pedestrian (uncredited)
Harriet Matthews ... Librarian (uncredited)
John McGuire ... Policeman in Locker Room (uncredited)
Ralph Montgomery ... Pedestrian (uncredited)
Al Murphy ... Newsboy (uncredited)
William J. O'Brien ... Counterman / Short Order Cook (uncredited)
Eddie Parker ... Garage Roof Thug (uncredited)
Ralph Peters ... Davis (crooked bondsman) (uncredited)
Howard Petrie ... The Governor (uncredited)
Joey Ray ... Reporter (uncredited)
Walter Reed ... Policeman at Roll Call & in Locker Room (uncredited)
Richard Reeves ... Leo - Driver / Scanlon Henchman (uncredited)

Stephen Roberts ... Schmidt, Police Car Driver (uncredited)
Jack Shea ... Night Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Miles Shepard ... Policeman (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock ... Pedestrian (uncredited)
George Sherwood ... Douglas (uncredited)
Milburn Stone ... Member of Craig's team (uncredited)
Duke Taylor ... Policeman (uncredited)
Herb Vigran ... Paradise Club manager (uncredited)
Max Wagner ... Durko (ugly henchman) (uncredited)
Bud Wolfe ... Detective with Johnson at the Paradise Club (uncredited)
Sally Yarnell ... Brunette police operator (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Cromwell 
Mel Ferrer (uncredited)
Tay Garnett (uncredited)
Nicholas Ray (uncredited)
Sherman Todd (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
William Wister Haines (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay)

Bartlett Cormack (play)

Produced by
Edmund Grainger .... producer
 
Original Music by
C. Bakaleinikoff (uncredited)
Paul Sawtell (uncredited)
Roy Webb (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
George E. Diskant (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Sherman Todd 
 
Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino 
Jack Okey 
 
Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera 
William Stevens 
 
Costume Design by
Michael Woulfe (gowns)
 
Makeup Department
Mel Berns .... makeup artist
Larry Germain .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Cliff P. Broughton .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James E. Casey .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Frank McWhorter .... sound
Clem Portman .... sound
 
Stunts
John Daheim .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff .... musical director
 
Other crew
Howard Hughes .... presenter
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
88 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #15253) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | West Germany:16 | Sweden:15
Company:
RKO Radio Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film's director John Cromwell was in the Broadway play "The Racket" which opened on November 27, 1927. He starred as McQuigg, the role played in the film by Robert Mitchum. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Nick Scanlon's car is a 1949 Chrysler Crown Imperial limo. In the crash scene, an older 1942 model was used. The '49 side trim has been added, but the different front end reveals the switch. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Smallville: Noir (#6.20)" (2007) more
Soundtrack:
A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening more

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User Comments

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Corruption Is Everywhere, 14 September 2008
7/10
Author: robert-temple-1 from United Kingdom

Howard Hughes produced this film, and he knew a thing or two about the power of big money and racketeering. So it was natural for him to want to make a noir thriller about it. In the capable directorial hands of old pro John Cromwell, this is an excellent study of the octopus tentacles of crime syndicates and how a handful of people struggle against them, many getting hurt in the process. William Talman plays a stalwart and honest cop, so you can imagine what happens to him. The hero is Robert Mitchum, as the only incorruptible police captain on the police force in 'the city'. The main baddie in town is psycho crime boss Robert Ryan, just as menacing and ruthless as ever, except that he gets carried away by his passion for murder and out of impatience even kills someone himself, whereas crime bosses are meant to sit back and have this kind of thing done for them, like asking in the barber and the manicurist. Lizabeth Scott is the sultry gal caught up in it all, trying to decide whether to follow her cynical streak or go honest. Her part is not big enough to do her justice, but she does her usual good job. The best thing in the film is the powerful confrontational scene between Mitchum and Ryan, where they face each other down, and we see that Ryan is even taller than Mitchum (I always wondered!) What fireworks that brings! Always ominous and in the background is 'the Old Man', whom we never see, and who is the boss of bosses. Of course, nothing ever happens to him, and The Racket goes on as before, after this particular story is played out. This is a potent tale, well worth watching. The only thing missing is Gloria Grahame.

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