The Garment Jungle (1957)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Lester Velie (articles) and
Harry Kleiner (writer)

Release Date:

25 April 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

The whole naked truth about the rackets in New York's garment center!

Plot Keywords:

New York | Beautiful Woman | Gangster | Based On Article

Cast

Lee J. Cobb	...	Walter Mitchell
Kerwin Mathews	...	Alan Mitchell
Gia Scala	...	Theresa Renata
Richard Boone	...	Artie Ravidge
Valerie French	...	Lee Hackett
Robert Loggia	...	Tulio Renata
Joseph Wiseman	...	George Kovan
Harold J. Stone	...	Tony
Adam Williams	...	Ox
Wesley Addy	...	Mr. Paul
Willis Bouchey	...	Dave Bronson
Robert Ellenstein	...	Fred Kenner
Celia Lovsky	...	Tulio's mother

Also Known As:

Garment Center (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:(Banned) (1957) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Robert Aldrich was fired as director and replaced by Vincent Sherman with two weeks left before completion. Sherman received sole screen credit.

Good cast with good tale

This is a over looked little gem here. The cast is excellent from top to bottom, even the weak link here Kerwin Mathews is better than most of his other roles in films. Lee J. Cobb tackles his role with gusto and scores a home run as the tough hardheaded father/boss.The always excellent Richard Boone shines as the ruthless mob enforcer. Lots of Broadway stage talent on display here. Robert Loggia makes the most of his role in his film debut, Joseph Wiseman's character reminds one of his role as Charley Gennini in Detective Story. Valerie French who did as many Broadway plays as movies is effective in her minor role. The always reliable Harold J. Stone as the shop foreman (Harold grew up in Yiddish theatre and made his Broadway debut in 1939). Even the smaller roles have nice surprises. The wonderful character actor Willis Bouchey (a stable of John Ford in his films, best remembered for his president of the court-martial in Sergeant Rutledge )as a union president. Celia Lovsky (the ex wife of Peter Lorre, and character actress in over 200 TV shows, 40 films),is wasted as the Grandmother. Don't blink or you will miss Joanna Barnes (only one year away from playing the memorable WASP Gloria Upson in Auntie Mame) in her film debut. She only has two lines,but she is so close she is almost kissing the camera. And some very familiar acting thugs doing their nasty business with flair.... And last but not least we come to Gia Scala as the feisty Italian Theresa Renata (Gia was half Sicilian from her father and 1/2 Irish , who left Italy for New york City to eventually study with Stella Adler and the Actors Studio) Gia shows so much promise here. Everyone knows her for Anna in The Guns of Navarone, and she was very good in a handful of other roles in the 50s. Sadly Gia took to the bottle after her The Guns of Navarone role and her career nosedived quickly. ( Well after all she was half Irish) One only has to see how badly her looks and talent had eroded in her 3rd to last acting role in the TV show "Tarzan" with Ron Ely. Toward the end of the show,she has scenes where she is not even looking toward the camera,perhaps having to do a voice over,(unable to remember her lines) and the ending is strange ,like she did not even show up for filming and they had to patch together a ending to the show, with no Gia on the set. (Gia died of a overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills suicide in 1972 after unsuccessful attempts in 1958, when her Mother died, and 1971 ,after learning her ex husband married Barbara Anderson less than a year after their divorce ) A sad end to a very promising career. Speaking of Tarzan, that's Eve Brent as the Receptionist, the future Jane in two Gordon Scott "Tarzan" films.

The Garment Jungle is rare film , but well worth the effort to track it down.