''Shoot to Kill'', also known as ''Police Reporter'', is a 1947 American film noir directed by

William Berke William A. Berke (born October 3, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – died February 15, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a ...

and starring Robert Kent,

Luana Walters Luana Walters (July 22, 1912 – May 19, 1963) was an American motion picture actress from Los Angeles, California. Biography Walters was an expert horsewoman, which led to her discovery as an actress at a rodeo in Palm Springs, California. ...

, Edmund MacDonald and Russell Wade.

Plot

Pursued by police cars, a fleeing motor vehicle crashes off the side of the road. The survivor relates the events that preceded the chase in flashback format. A former gangster is framed by a corrupt district attorney. With his wife and an investigative reporter, he gathers proof of his innocence in hopes of clearing his name.

Cast

Russell Wade Russell Wade (June 22, 1917 – December 9, 2006) was an American actor. Life and career Russell Wade was born on June 21, 1917, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He signed an RKO contract in 1942. Having appeared in 80 films, his last one was ' ...

as investigative reporter George "Mitch" Mitchell *

(billed as Susan Walters) as Marian Langdon - Logan's wife * Edmund MacDonald as the corrupt Asst. DA, Lawrence Dale * Robert Kent (billed as Douglas Blackley) as former gangster "Dixie" Logan aka Judge Joel Conroy *

Vince Barnett Vince Barnett (July 4, 1902 – August 10, 1977) was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975. Early years Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...

as Charlie Gill - Janitor *

Nestor Paiva Nestor Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American actor of Portuguese descent. He is most famous for his recurring role of Teo Gonzales the innkeeper in Walt Disney's Spanish Western series ''Zorro'' and its feature film ''The ...

as Gus Miller - Gangster *

Charles Trowbridge Charles Silas Richard Trowbridge (January 10, 1882 – October 30, 1967) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1915 and 1958. Biography Trowbridge was born in Veracruz, Mexico, where his father served in the ...

as District Attorney John Forsythe * Harry Brown as Jim Forman - Paid witness * Ted Hecht as Al Collins - Paid witness *

Harry Cheshire Harry V. Cheshire (August 16, 1891 – June 16, 1968), originally from Emporia, Kansas, was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films, mostly playing small roles. He was also a stage actor and performed on a St. Louis radio ...

as Mike Blake - Gangster * Robert Riordan as Ed Carter * Joe Devlin as Smokey, Man Tailing Dale * Eddie Foster as Bingo, Man Tailing Dale * Frank O'Connor as Deputy Clem Sparks * Sammy Stein as Blackie *

Gene Rodgers Gene Rodgers (March 5, 1910, New York City – October 23, 1987, New York City) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He is best known for being the pianist on Coleman Hawkins' famous 1939 recording of " Body and Soul". Early life ...

as Piano Player

Reception

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 d ...

'' panned the film, writing: "Screeching tires and the barking of guns are the chief sound effects in ''Shoot to Kill'', an all-around amateurish job of movie-making which found its way into the Rialto yesterday. An outfit called Screen Guild Productions is responsible for this dilly about an assistant district attorney who double-crosses all his racketeer pals and winds up his career on a slab in the morgue. William Berke as the director-producer did not get anything resembling a performance, much less characterization, out of his players, chief of whom are Russell Wade, Susan Walters, Edmund MacDonald and Douglas Blackley."''The New York Times''
film review, May 17, 1947. Accessed: July 13, 2013.

Soundtrack

appears on screen performing two of his own compositions: "Ballad of the Bayou" and "Rajah's Blues." The film's score was provided by

Darrell Calker Darrell Wallace Calker (February 18, 1905 – February 20, 1964) was an American composer and arranger who worked on films and animated cartoons. Early life and education Calker was born in Washington, D.C. to Morris H. and Lugenia E. (Lily) Wallac ...

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoot to Kill 1947 films 1947 crime drama films American black-and-white films American crime drama films American crime thriller films 1940s English-language films Film noir Films directed by William A. Berke Lippert Pictures films 1940s American films