Down Three Dark Streets (1954)

Director:

Arnold Laven

Writers:

Gordon Gordon (screenplay) &
Mildred Gordon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 September 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Down This Street Raced Dead-End Violence... Down This One Stretched Excitement Taut As Silk!

Plot:

When FBI Agent Zack Stewart is killed, Agent John Ripley takes over the three cases he was working on...

Plot Keywords:

FBI Agent | FBI | Police FBI Cooperation | Stolen Car Racket | Subway

Cast

Broderick Crawford	...	FBI Agent John 'Rip' Ripley
Ruth Roman	...	Kate Martell
Martha Hyer	...	Connie Anderson
Marisa Pavan	...	Julie Angelino
Max Showalter	...	Dave Millson (as Casey Adams)
Kenneth Tobey	...	FBI Agent Zack Stewart
Gene Reynolds	...	Vince Angelino
William Johnstone	...	FBI Chief Frank Pace
Harlan Warde	...	FBI Agent Greg Barker
Jay Adler	...	Uncle Max Charles Martell
Claude Akins	...	Matty Pavelich
Suzanne Alexander	...	Brenda Ralles
Myra Marsh	...	Mrs. Downes
Joe Bassett	...	Joe Walpo aka Joe Allen

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Sign, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Edward Small Productions

Good Premise-- Plodding Execution

Moderately interesting programmer made at a time when police procedure was popular on both the big and little screens. The influence of TV's Dragnet is apparent in the stentorian voice-over and the rather feeble attempts at quirky citizen humor. An FBI agent is killed in the line of duty. His chief Broderick Crawford determines that the killer is tied into one of three cases he's investigating. But which one. The narrative follows his sorting through the cases, all the while both he and we wonder which one will lead to the culprit. It's a good premise, but director Laven does little to develop the potential.

Movie gains a lot from location photography in and around a burgeoning LA. The final scene makes effective use of that city's landmark "Hollywood" sign, the only film I know to do that. There's a fine performance from Ruth Roman as a beleaguered mother whose child is under threat of kidnap, along with an unusually restrained Crawford as the head agent, a role I suspect recommended him for for the lead in the following year's hit series Highway Patrol. Note the rather gratuitous cheesecake scenes from Roman and the bosomy Martha Hyer. After all, the movies had to do something to get people away from the novelty of their television sets. Nothing special here. Just an easy way to pass a spare 90 or so minutes.