The Racket (1951)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Cromwell
(more)

Writers:

William Wister Haines (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 December 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

YOU'LL LEARN WHO PAYS OFF WHO -- AND WHY! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

The big national crime syndicate has moved into town, partnering up with local crime boss Nick Scanlon...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Corruption | Election | Singer | Fall From Height

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Nov. 10

1:30 PM

TCM

Cast

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)

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

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (France) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

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

Trivia:

In May 1950, Samuel Fuller was assigned to work on the film's screenplay and was considered as a possible director.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Smallville: Noir (#6.20)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening

Nasty Robert Ryan Elevates This Film Noir

A deep cast of well-known actors highlights this film noir effort. Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Lizabeth Scott, William Talman, Ray Collins, Don Porter and William Conrad are all familiar names, especially to film noir buffs.

Ryan lifts this from an average classic-era crime film to above-average with a convincingly nasty character. He plays a no-compromise hood who lives by the code of violence. You have a problem? Violence, not brains, is the answer, according to Ryan's character "Nick Scanlon."

The film is fast-moving despite not having a lot of action scenes. All the characters are good, not just Ryan's, and the dialog is excellent in spots. The photography is nothing special, at least not as dramatic as most noirs, but it's a solid crime film, thanks to this cast. I would rate this a bit higher but I didn't care for the ending.