''A Dangerous Profession'' is a 1949 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

directed by

Ted Tetzlaff Dale H. "Ted" Tetzlaff (3 June 1903, Los Angeles, California – 7 January 1995, Sausalito, California) was an Academy Award-nominated Hollywood cinematographer active in the 1930s and 1940s. Career Tetzlaff was particularly favored by the ...

, written by

Warren Duff Warren Duff (May 17, 1904 – August 5, 1973) was a film and television writer and producer. As a writer, Duff wrote for films including, ''Fashions of 1934'', ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), ''Experiment Perilous'' (1944), '' Step Liv ...

and Martin Rackin, and starring

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

Ella Raines Ella Wallace Raines (August 6, 1920 – May 30, 1988) was an American film and television actress. Early life Raines was born Ella Wallace Raines on August 6, 1920, in Fall City, Washington. She studied drama at the University of Washingto ...

, and

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

.Everett Aaker, ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company, 2013 p 143-144 The supporting cast features

Jim Backus James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom '' Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in ''Rebel Without a Cause ...

. It was one of a series of thrillers Raft made in the late 1940s, with decreasing commercial results.

Plot

The story begins as Police Lt. Nick Ferrone (

) explains what

bail bondsmen Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries, ...

do and tells the viewers the setting is Los Angeles. One such man is Vince Kane (George Raft), a former police detective who worked with Ferrone. When one of his customers, Claude Brackett ( Bill Williams), is murdered, Kane decides to investigate. He has two reasons for investigating: the curiosity of a former cop and it seems that he has fallen in love with Brackett's widow Lucy, an old flame.

Cast

as Vince Kane *

as Lucy Brackett *

as Joe Farley * Bill Williams as Claude Brackett *

as Police Lt. Nick Ferrone *

Roland Winters Roland Winters (born Roland Winternitz; November 22, 1904 – October 22, 1989)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 287. was an Ame ...

as Jerry McKay * Betty Underwood as Elaine Storm *

Robert Gist Robert Marion Gist (October 1, 1917 – May 21, 1998) was an American actor and film director. Life and career Gist was reared around the stockyards of Chicago, Illinois, during the Great Depression. Reform school-bound after injuring an ...

as Roy Collins, aka Max Gibney * David Bauer as Matthew Dawson (as David Wolfe)

Production

It was the fourth movie George Raft made for RKO following World War II, following ''

Johnny Angel ''Johnny Angel'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Steve Fisher (adapted by Frank Gruber) from the 1944 novel ''Mr. Angel Comes Aboard'' by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie stars George Raft, Claire Trevor ...

'', (aka ''The Big Jump'', and ''Hounded''); ''

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

''; and ''

Race Street ''Race Street'' is a 1948 American crime film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin. The drama features George Raft, William Bendix and Marilyn Maxwell. It was one of several collaborations between Raft and Marin. Plot When his bookie pal Hal is k ...

''. The film was an original script by Warren Duff and Martin Rackin called ''The Bail Bond Story''. It was originally sought by

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

's company. Later

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

optioned it for his company but he allowed the option to expire. Eventually the script was bought by RKO who got George Raft to star. Raft was meant to star in ''

The Big Steal ''The Big Steal'' is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir reteaming ''Out of the Past'' stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser. Plot ...

'' but had been held up making ''Hounded'', (aka ''The Big Jump'', but released as ''

'', and so was replaced by Robert Mitchum; RKO gave him this film instead. Pat O'Brien signed to co star and filming was pushed back to enable O'Brien to appear in a stage production of ''What Price Glory?'' directed by John Ford and so that Raft could go to Europe. In February 1949 Howard Hughes announced that

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan-American film director. He is known for directing ''Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and '' All Quiet on the Weste ...

would direct and Raft would star alongside O'Brien and

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films. Russell moved from th ...

. However, in the end

directed. Filming started in May 1949.

Jean Wallace Jean Wallace (born Jean Walasek or Wallasek; October 12, 1923 – February 14, 1990) was an American television and film actress. Early life Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois to John T. Walaszek and Mary A. Walaszek (''née'' Sharkey). ...

played the female lead but was fired after four days. She was replaced by

, who was flown out from England. The film's title was changed to ''A Dangerous Profession'' in September.

Reception

Pat O'Brien later called the film "a dog".

Box Office

Raft's three previous films for RKO were profitable but this film recorded a loss of $280,000.Richard B. Jewell, ''Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures'', Uni of California, 2016

Critical

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' gave the film a mixed review, and wrote, "Laconic and familiarly tough are the words for Raft's performance as the torch-bearing bail bonds-man. Ella Raines is decorative if little else as the object of his affections; Pat O'Brien contributes a standard portrayal as his hard business partner; James Backus is professional as a tenacious detective lieutenant and Bill Williams is adequate in the brief role of the embezzler. ''A Dangerous Profession'', in short, proves that the bail-bond business can be dangerous and that it also can be the basis for an exceedingly ordinary adventure."''The New York times''
Film review, "''A Dangerous Profession'', With George Raft Playing a Bail Bondsman", December 12, 1949. Last accessed: January 18, 2008.

References

External links

* * * *
''A Dangerous Profession''
at BFI {{DEFAULTSORT:Dangerous Profession, A 1949 films 1949 crime films American mystery films American black-and-white films Film noir RKO Pictures films Films directed by Ted Tetzlaff Films scored by Friedrich Hollaender 1949 mystery films American crime films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films