City That Never Sleeps (1953)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

John H. Auer

Writer:

Steve Fisher (written by)

Release Date:

12 June 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

...from the Honky Tonks to the penthouses...the creeps, the hoods, the killers come out to war with the city!

Plot:

During one crowded night, a Chicago cop is tempted into crime.

Plot Keywords:

Stockings | Murder | Beautiful Woman | Dead Woman On Ground | High Heels

Cast

Gig Young	...	Johnny Kelly
Mala Powers	...	Sally 'Angel Face' Connors
William Talman	...	Hayes Stewart
Edward Arnold	...	Penrod Biddel
Chill Wills	...	Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
Marie Windsor	...	Lydia Biddel
Paula Raymond	...	Kathy Kelly
Otto Hulett	...	Sgt. John 'Pop' Kelly Sr.
Wally Cassell	...	Gregg Warren
Ron Hagerthy	...	Stubby Kelly
James Andelin	...	Lt. Parker
Tom Poston	...	Detective (as Thomas Poston)
Bunny Kacher	...	Agnes DuBois
Philip L. Boddy	...	Maitre d'Hotel
Thomas Jones	...	Fancy Dan

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1954) | Finland:(Banned) (1954-1958) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16316) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Quotes:

Sally 'Angel Face' Connors: When I first came to this town I was gonna be - oh, there were a lot of things I was gonna do. Become famous. But Chicago's the big melting pot, and I got melted, but good.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hollywood Ending (2002)

Last Part Saves The Film

I almost canned this tape after 50 minutes because it was just too slow-moving and had no characters to care about. However, the last 30 minutes were very good, not only because the action picked up but because of the realistic nature of it. Also, the film noir cinematography really picks up that last half hour. In the end, I was glad I watched it.

However, to be honest, I wouldn't look at it again. The villain, William Tallman (who, for some reason, gets no billing on the video box), shoots people who get in his way, with one exception, and is a no- nonsense guy. In other words, he's a killer portrayed realistically. The cops in here are either corrupt or rogue heroes such as we saw two decades later with the "Dirty Harry" series.

Sidenote: Despite all the corrupt cops shown in the movie, the filmmakers must have felt they needed to cover themselves so, at the end of the film you see the words "The first line of defense!" in lauding police.