Down Three Dark Streets

This Edward Small Production delivers a high quality Broderick Crawford vehicle directed by Arnold Laven. A crime drama done in documentary style; a 1954 vintage thriller starring Crawford as FBI Agent John Ripley. When fellow agent Zack Stewart(Kenneth Tobey)is murdered, the three cases he was currently working on were assigned to Ripley. Nothing is going to get in the way of Ripley seeking to identify his colleague's killer and bring him to justice. While on the investigation, he stumbles onto an extortion case that involves a crafty widow, Kate Martell(Ruth Roman), who may just be linked to Stewart's death and the cases he was working on. A very strong supporting cast in this 85 minute black and white feature. Notable other players: Martha Hyer, Max Showalter, Gene Reynolds and Claude Akins.

source: Down Three Dark Streets

***SPOILERS*** Pretty good FBI crime drama with Broaderick Crawford as FBI Agent John "Rip" Ripley on the trail of an on the loose killer who murdered his friend and fellow FBI Agent Zack Stewart, Kenneth Tobey. Finding out that the late Agent Stewart was involved in three separate cases it becomes evident that somehow one of the cases he was working on had to involved the man who murdered him. Agent Ripley soon comes to the conclusion that the case involving the extortion of widow Kate Martell, Ruth Roman, is the one that lead to Agent Stewart's murder and may possibly be connected in the two other cases he was involved in; A car robbery ring and the murder of a gas station attendant, William Schallert, on the Nevada Californian border! Using Mrs. Martell as bait Agent Ripley has her play along with her extortionist who want her to pay him off with the $10,000.00 of insurance money she got when her husband was killed in a fatal car accident. If Mrs. Martell doesn't comply he threatens to murder her nine year old daughter Vickie, Dede Grinor. It takes both good old fashion police work as well as the most up to date state of the art, circa 1954, police science to finally track down the both killer/extortionist. In the process of doing that Agent Riply also solves the two other cases,the car robbery ring and murder of the gas station attendant, as well. Even though they had nothing at all to do with both Agent Stewart and Brenda Rolles' (Suzanne Alexander), who knew who Stewarts killer was, murders. ***SPOILER ALERT*** The films ending was a real hum dingier with the killer finally revealing himself as he appears out of the blue right under the famous Hollywood sign. It's there where he instructed Mrs. Martell to leave the extortion money. It was also there where Agent Ripley, without Mrs. Mantell knowledge, and his fellow FBI agents and the local police set a trap for him! P.S Interesting cast of unknowns who went on to bigger and better things later on in their film careers. Both Kenneth Tobey-who also stared in the sci-fi classic "The Thing" back in 1951-and Max Showalter were to make within two years, in 1955 & 1956, the classic bad sci-fi movie epics that were immortalized on TV-on shows like Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000-in "It Came Form Beneath the Sea" and "The Indestructible Man". The murdered gas station attendant William Schallert was to later play the befuddled and out of touch, to what his zany daughter was doing, father of Patty Duke in the aptly named "Patty Duke Show". And the beefy and booming voiced Claud Akins was to finally make it all the way to top, as President of the United States, playing President Teddy Roosevelt in the 1992, two years before his untimely death of cancer, Sherlock Holmes movie "Incident at Victoria Falls".

Despite a better than average B-Movie cast, "Down Three Dark Streets" is a fairly formulaic crime movie with FBI man Broderick Crawford investigating the murder of his partner, Kenneth Tobey. He doesn't have a prime suspect but there's a link to the three cases Tobey was working on, each with a well-known actress, (Ruth Roman, Martha Hyer, Marisa Pavan), at the centre. It's one of those documentary-like investigative pictures in which a sonorous narrator informs us of what's happening. As the bottom half of a double-bill it's perfectly watchable and both Roman and Hyer are actually quite good. There's also some good location shooting in and around Los Angeles but it's not memorable and Arnold Laven's direction is uninspired.

An ingenious and intriguing mystery thriller, capably acted and very effectively directed. Superb locations and richly atmospheric photography give the movie the unmistakable style of a first-class film noir – an impression that is enhanced by a superb array of supporting characters including a viciously callous thug (forcefully played by Claude Akins), a thwarted Romeo (Casey Adams), a loyal "B" girl (Martha Hyer), a seedy "uncle" (Jay Adler), and a crazy inventor (Milton Parsons). The identity of the real killer is effectively but realistically disguised. (That really is his voice on the telephone. See if you can pick it!) Despite the pat-on-the-back off-screen commentary, production values are excellent. Arnold Laven's direction is both tight yet controlled, his use of natural locations both highly suspenseful and imaginative. It's a real surprise to discover there is no DVD for this Edward Small production that was originally released through United Artists.

Before J. Edgar Hoover stopped fogging mirrors in 1972 you would not see a film that did not show the Federal Bureau Of Investigation as less than dedicated and perfect. Stripping the man's paranoia away from him, Hoover did bring a certain order and professionalism to the FBI and when they stuck to crime and criminals as opposed to just amassing files on the world they did a good job. Like any other law enforcement agency when one of their own is killed in the line of duty everything stops until the perpetrator is caught. Down These Dark Streets is one of the few films you'll see where someone who is a detective will be shown having more than one case. Indeed that is the crux of this plot. Which one of three cases did agent Kenneth Tobey get killed over by a sniper's bullet? His supervisor Broderick Crawford takes over and the three cases are a case of an organized car theft ring where young Gene Reynolds is about to take a fall in federal prison because he won't rat out the leaders. Maybe it's notorious fugitive Joe Bassett who is armed and dangerous and who already killed a gas station attendant who rather stupidly called the FBI before Bassett was clear from his station. Or there's Ruth Roman who is being extorted for an insurance settlement by a stranger threatening her child on the phone. Crawford takes on all three cases and systematically solves them and eliminates a lot of suspects. He's as thorough a professional as all big screen FBI men were at the time. Take note of Martha Hyer who plays Joe Bassett's kept moll. Martha was one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the screen and here she shows some real acting chops in her scenes with Crawford. Down Three Dark Streets is a crisp and competent police drama with a great ensemble cast. Definitely a must for noir fans.

The film revolves around three unrelated cases taken on by FBI agent Brodrick Crawford who provides a dull performance in this routine product. The film itself is just okay and some scenes are just poorly done. For example,the scene where Ruth Roman goes to the park at midnight to meet the extortionist. The whole scene is poorly done lacking in any tension or fear. Overall the film has too much narration and just not enough suspense. Ms. Roman gives a good performance with what she is given to work with. The Gordons who wrote the screenplay and the novel did much better a little late on with 1962's "Experiment In Terror." Of course they had Blake Edward's directing instead of the unexceptional Arnold Laven. Laven did make a couple of decent films (See The Rack and Slaughter on 10th Ave), however this is not one of them.

I enjoyed this early 1950s crime/drama and appreciate the nice job TCM did in restoring the print. The transfer looked outstanding; sharp with excellent contrast. The movie features some fine photography and lighting. This was one of those semi-documentaries popular among crime stories in the late '40s/early '50s. It usually plugged one of the U.S. law enforcement agencies. Here, it was the FBI and we followed a couple of agents as they tried to tie in several cases in the Los Angeles area. Sometimes these movies were labeled "crime dramas" and sometimes "film noirs." This movie contains a lot of both elements. Along the way, we see a lot of familiar faces, especially if you grew up watching a lot of television in the '50s and '60s. You may not know all the names, but you'll know the faces. Names you probably know, however, are Broderick Crawford, Ruth Roman and Martha Hyer. There are three of the half-dozen or so actor who all play a significant part of this story. Crawford is an FBI agent and lower-key one than you might expect. He's not the gruff lawman of "Highway Patrol" or the loudmouth politician of "All The King's Men." Here, he's gentle with people all the while being an effective FBI guy. Ruth Roman, as "Kate Martel." plays one of several key female roles, as either crime victim or gangster-girlfriend. Ruth plays a role similar to one Lee Remick played in about 10 years later in a film called "Experiment In Terror." Marilyn Monroe-wannabe Martha Hyer is a hoot as a sexy blonde playing a thug's girlfriend, or should I say "moll." She has some great lines, calling the cops "you dirty crumbs" and the like. Her character is pure film noir. Marisa Pavan is interesting as the blind "Julie Angelino" and so is a young Claude Akins as a boxer-criminal. Jay Adler, Kenneth Tobey and others all have those familiar TV faces. Movie buffs will get a kick out of the climactic scene, which takes place at the foot of the "Hollywood" sign on top of a hill. That nostalgia, along with the very cool automobiles of the period, make this a good trip down "memory lane." Unfortunately, this is one of those classic movies that never made it to VHS or DVD. Hopefully, someone will put it in a DVD classics box-set some day. It's a good film and deserves a DVD of its own.

FBI story about Brodrick Crawford working three cases at once trying to find a killer who may also be an extortionist. First there's the criminal on the run who kills a gas station attendant. His va-va-voom semi floozie moll played by Martha Hyer is entertaining, Second story is an innocent caught up in a hot car ring afraid to squeal and his adroitly played blind wife, Marisa Pivan & finally single mom Ruth Roman who is being squeezed out of her dead husbands $10,000 life insurance payout under death threat of her young child. Crawford is intense & thorough yet soft & human toward victims. The film moves along briskly, never lags..very economical pace & direction. Lots of L.A. exteriors, good storyline and interwoven plots/characters. I found this exciting & suspenseful & was fooled by who the villain actually was due to red herrings so the final revelation was a part of the overall thrill, the climax taking place in Hollywood hills (is that vacant lot at the ice-cream truck scene the same one used in Strangers When We Meet where Kirk Douglas & Kim Novak rendevoux)? I never heard of this film, glad NETFLIX obtained it for instant streaming an was well worth the watch. Definitely check it out.

By 1954 the "Police Procedural" had so Taken Over Film-Noir that Few Crime Films from the 1950's managed to Maintain that Pure Noir Ambiance/Style. No Matter how often they put "Dark" in the Title. They Almost All Contain Dated, Corny Narration that Glorified Law-Enforcement and Government Agencies to the Point of Cringe Inducement. Touting these Uncanny, almost Super-Hero Ability of said Agencies to Uncover Criminals and the Message was a Heavy-Handed "Crime Does Not Pay". After the Initial Stroking Wears Off We can Get Down to the "Nitty-Gritty", or at Least as Gritty as the Eisenhower Era Optimism would Allow. Here there are Three Gorgeous Women, Martha Hyer, Ruth Roman, and Marisa Pavan. To the Film's Credit its Not Shy about Slipping in a Number of Underwear Shots and other ways of Glorifying the Female. Marisa Pavan is a Blind Wife of an Incarcerated Criminal and uses Her Handicap to Help the FBI Considerably. Martha Hyer is an Acid-Tongued Dame that is Devoted to a Killer but that doesn't Stop Her from Flirting with Every Pair of Pants in Sight. The Voluptuous Ruth Roman is the Most Central to the Three-Way Plot and Plays a Widow with a Young Daughter with an Insurance Settlement that is Blackmailed. Broderick Crawford is an FBI Agent Juggling the Three Cases in an Unusually Restrained Performance. The Direction is Lackluster, but the Script is Sharp and the Three Women Propel the Plot through some Interesting Intrigue and a Suspenseful Conclusion. No Where Near Pure Film-Noir, although some will Insist on Shoehorning it into the Genre. No Need, it's a Fine "Police Procedural", Leave it at That.