''Black Tuesday'' is a 1954 American crime drama

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 Hugo Fregonese and starring

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

, Peter Graves and Jean Parker. The supporting cast features

Milburn Stone Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the CBS Western series ''Gunsmoke''. Early life Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone and the forme ...

, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly and Russell Johnson.

Plot

A violent con, Vincent Canelli, escapes prison on the night of his execution. With the help of a phony newspaper reporter and Canelli's girlfriend, the con takes along five hostages, including a priest. Another inmate, Peter Manning, is taken along because Canelli wants the money Manning hid before going to jail. Manning is injured badly in the escape and leaves a bloody trail. The gang ends up at a hideout where they're surrounded by police. Canelli threatens to kill hostages if he's not given safe passage and murders a kidnapped prison guard to make his point. Manning is horrified and ends up killing Canelli, then giving up himself and the others to police.

Cast

as Canelli * Jean Parker as Hatti * Peter Graves as Manning *

as Father Slocum * Warren Stevens as Joey Stewart * Sylvia Findley as Ellen Norris * Jack Kelly as Carson * James Bell as John Norris * Vic Perrin as Dr. Hart * Russell Johnson as Howard Sloane

Reception

'' The New York Times'' gave the film a positive review, writing, "...it's good to have a reminder that Hollywood still holds top priority in the gangster melodrama field. Take ''Black Tuesday'', which accompanied the Palace's new stage bill yesterday, with Edward G. Robinson playing his old, snariing, savage self. We hastily add that this medium-budget United Artists offering, produced by Robert Goldstein, by no means reprises the sterling tradition of those cops-and-killers yarns about our urban jungles of the roaring Twenties, when the Robinsons, Cagneys and Munis cut their fangs. However, purely on a surface level, the new entry can snuggle up to them quite respectably ... In contrast to Mr. Robinson's wholesale sputtering, the supporting cast of comparatively unfamiliar faces are brought, one by one, into impersonal but perceptive focus. And most of them shine convincingly." Film historian and critic Alain Silver said of the film, "When society at large is threatened, the psychopaths presented tend to be of the most violent ilk, as if to justify social repression by exaggerating the threat. Edward G. Robinson as gangster Vincent Canelli in Black Tuesday... exhibits a sadistic bent rivaled only by

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

in '' White Heat''."Silver, Alain and Elizabeth Ward. ''Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style'', Overlook TP, 1993. .

References

External links

* * * * {{Hugo Fregonese Films directed by Hugo Fregonese 1954 films American crime thriller films American black-and-white films Film noir United Artists films Films scored by Paul Dunlap 1950s crime thriller films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films