''City of Silent Men'' is a 1942 American
crime film
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
directed by
William Nigh
William Nigh (October 12, 1881 – November 27, 1955) was an American film director, writer, and actor. His film work sometimes lists him as either "Will Nigh" or "William Nye".
Biography
Nigh was born Emil Kreuske''Silent Film Necrology'', ...
and written by
Joseph Hoffman
Joseph Hoffman (1909–1997) was an American screenwriter.Shelley p.228
Biography
Hoffman began his career with a bang as a screenwriter in the mid-1930s and was installed as a junior screenwriter at 20th Century Fox. He is credited with wri ...
. The film stars
Frank Albertson
Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and '' Psycho'' (1960).
Early life
Albertson was a native of Fergus Falls ...
,
June Lang
June Lang (born Winifred June Vlasek, May 5, 1917 – May 16, 2005) was an American film actress.
Early life
Born Winifred June Vlasek in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Edith and Clarence Vlasek, After the family moved to Los An ...
,
Jan Wiley
Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon.
Film
Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...
, Richard Clarke,
William Gould and
Emmett Lynn
Emmett Earl Lynn (February 14, 1897 – October 20, 1958) was an American actor of the stage and screen.
Early life
Lynn was born in Muscatine, Iowa. When he was nine years old, Lynn became a song plugger in Denver, Colorado. From that ...
. The film was released on October 12, 1942, by
Producers Releasing Corporation
Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...
.
Plot
Cast
*
Frank Albertson
Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and '' Psycho'' (1960).
Early life
Albertson was a native of Fergus Falls ...
as Gil Davis
*
June Lang
June Lang (born Winifred June Vlasek, May 5, 1917 – May 16, 2005) was an American film actress.
Early life
Born Winifred June Vlasek in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Edith and Clarence Vlasek, After the family moved to Los An ...
as Helen Hendricks
*
Jan Wiley
Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon.
Film
Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...
as Jane Muller
*Richard Clarke as Jerry Hendricks
*
William Gould as Mayor Hendricks
*
Emmett Lynn
Emmett Earl Lynn (February 14, 1897 – October 20, 1958) was an American actor of the stage and screen.
Early life
Lynn was born in Muscatine, Iowa. When he was nine years old, Lynn became a song plugger in Denver, Colorado. From that ...
as Jeb Parker
*
Dick Curtis
Richard Dye (May 11, 1902January 3, 1952), known professionally as Dick Curtis, was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.
Early years
Curtis was born in Newport, Kentucky, the son of Frank Dye ...
as Frank Muller
*
Barton Hepburn
Barton Hepburn (February 28, 1906 – October 9, 1955) was an American actor who specialized in drama and comedy.
Early life
Hepburn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was heir to a New York banking fortune. He was a son of Charles Fi ...
as Frank
*Frank Jaquet as Judge
*
Frank Ferguson
Frank S. Ferguson (December 25, 1906 – September 12, 1978) was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television.
Background
Ferguson was the younger of two children of W. Thomas Ferguson, a native Scottish ...
as Fred Bernard
*Richard Bailey as Liptine
*
Jack Baxley
Andrew Jackson Baxley (July 4, 1884 – December 10, 1950) was an American character actor of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in over 100 films over his career, many in unnamed, un-credited roles. Occasionally he would receive small, named roles ...
as Police Chief
*William Kellogg as Police Captain
*Charles Jordan as Gordon
*Pat Gleason as Manners
References
External links
*
{{William Nigh
1942 films
1940s English-language films
American crime films
1942 crime films
Producers Releasing Corporation films
Films directed by William Nigh
American black-and-white films
1940s American films