PLOT
A convict agrees to help a narcotics agent—the one who put him behind bars—bring down a drug dealing operation. But to pull it off, they must both go undercover. On the way, they meet the feisty and friendly Terry who wants to change her life.
REVIEW
Bad movies are easy to review, and so are good ones. However, those in between are much tougher. Take “Johnny Stool Pigeon” for instance. It is competently made, with a plot that holds up, a good cast, and some very solid acting. And yet, it never really manages to pull the viewer in.
The feeling I got was that the producer knew he had a mediocre script on his hands and thought let’s shoot this like a film noir, it’ll make it unique. And, in a sense, it is. Because while it has the lighting and moody vibes of the genre, the focus of the story is on drug trafficking, which is very unusual in a film noir. But that’s not enough to make this stand out.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s entertaining—and, like I said, it’s very well made. But it’s the type of film you quickly forget you ever watched.
The one thing that might leave a lasting impression is the acting. Everyone is good here, but I particularly enjoyed Dan Duryea (despite his voice which doesn’t feel right for this type of character) and Tony Curtis. This was the latter’s second credited role in a feature. Here he plays a mute killer and nails it in every single scene.
I don’t have much else to say about this one, I’m afraid.
If you want to make an opinion for yourself, the movie is available on YouTube (see below). But, honestly, your time might be better spent watching something else.
But maybe you’ve seen it already? What did you think of it?
Which is your favorite film noir?
Tell us in the comments.
TRIVIA NOTES
As a kid, director William Castle became entranced by a play starring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. He befriended the actor who later recommended him for the position of assistant manager. This eventually led him to Hollywood where he became known for directing B-movies and keeping them under budget. Some of his credits include “House on Haunted Hill,” “The tingler,” “13 ghosts,” and “Mr. Sardonicus.” He is, however, best remembered for his production work on films such as Orson Welles’ “The lady from Shanghai” (where he was credited as an associate producer) and more famously Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s baby.”
This was Aaron Rosenberg’s first job as a producer, after starting as a football player. He would go on to work on some more successful films, such as “Man without a star,” “To Hell and back,” “Winchester ‘73,” “The man from the Alamo,” and “The far country.” His biggest hit was the 1962 version of “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Marlon Brando and Richard Harris.
Howard Duff was a western and film noir lead in the 40s and 50s. His credits include “Red canyon,” “Calamity Jane and Sam Bass,” and “Spy hunt.” He is perhaps best known for his television work, and in particular for starring in Felony squad. He also played the main character in the short-lived Dante, was a regular on Flamingo Road, and guest starred in numerous other shows—such as The Twilight Zone, Burke’s law, Batman, The Virginian, The streets of San Francisco, Charlie’s angels, Magnum P.I., Dallas, and Midnight caller.
Stardom came to Shelley Winters when she co-starred in “A double life” with Ronald Colman. She went on to play in some classics such as “The great Gatsby,” “The night of the hunter,” and “The diary of Anne Frank” (which won her an award for best supporting actress). Other credits include “Winchester ‘73,” “A place in the Sun,” “Phone call from a stranger,” “I died a thousand times,” Kubrick’s “Lolita,” “The Poseidon adventure,” Polanski’s “The tenant,” and “The Delta Force” starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin.
Dan Duryea is best known for his many roles as a villain, though he also occasionally played the lead—like in the single season of China Smith. Film credits include “Ministry of fear,” “Along came Jones,” “Scarlett Street,” “Black Bart,” “Winchester ‘73,” “The flight of the Phoenix,” and “The hills run red.” He also had a recurring role on Peyton Place during the 1967-68 season and guest starred in many television shows, such as Wagon train, Laramie, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Rawhide, Route 66, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Virginian.
Tony Curtis (here credited as Anthony) became a popular actor a decade later when he co-starred with Burt Lancaster in the film noir “Sweet smell of success.” He became associated with comedies after appearing in “Some like it hot” (with Marilyn Monroe) and “Operation Petticoat” (with Cary Grant). Another highlight of his career was playing a slave in “Spartacus” with Kirk Douglas as the lead character. He is perhaps best remembered today as Danny Wilde, an American millionaire he played on the British classic The persuaders! He was married to Janet Leigh and was the father of actresses Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Ted J. Kent was a prolific film editor whose career spanned five decades. His credits include “The invisible man” (James Whale’s 1933 classic), “Bride of Frankenstein” (from the same director), “The Sun never sets,” “The wolf man,” “Hellzapoppin,” “Time out of mind,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “Operation Petticoat,” and “Father Goose” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1964.
CREDITS
Directed by William Castle.
Screenplay by Robert L. Richards, from a story by Henry Jordan.
Produced by Aaron Rosenberg.
Music by Milton Schwarzwald.
Cinematography by Maury Gertsman.
Edited by Ted J. Kent.
Starring Howard Duff as George Morton, Shelley Winters as Terry Stewart, Dan Duryea as Johnny Evans, Anthony Curtis as Joey Hyatt, John McIntire as Nick Avery, Gar Moore as Sam Harrison, Leif Erickson as Pringle, Barry Kelley as McCandles, Hugh Reilly as Charlie, Wally Maher as T.H. Benson.
Produced by Universal-International.
Distributed by Universal-International.
Released on April 20, 1949.
Running time: 75 minutes.
Genre: Film noir.
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Text (c) 2024 by Alex S. Garcia.
Header image: screenshot of the film’s title card.
Film poster courtesy of Heritage Auction.