''The Big Shot'' (1942) is an 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 ' ...

crime drama film starring

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 ...

as a crime boss and

Irene Manning Irene Manning (born Inez Harvuot, July 17, 1912 – May 28, 2004) was an American actress and singer. Biography Manning was born as Inez Harvuot on July 17, 1912 in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of five siblings. Both of her parents were singers. Her fa ...

as the woman he falls in love with. Having finally reached stardom with such projects as '' The Maltese Falcon'' (1941), this would be the last film in which former supporting player Bogart would portray a gangster for

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

. (He would play a gangster one last time in his penultimate film, '' The Desperate Hours'', distributed by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

). Although ''The Big Shot'' entered production after ''

Across the Pacific ''Across the Pacific'' is a 1942 American spy film set on the eve of the entry of the United States into World War II. It was directed first by John Huston, then by Vincent Sherman after Huston joined the United States Army Signal Corps. It sta ...

'', it was released nearly three months earlier. Considered one of Bogart's lesser-known works, contemporary reviews of ''The Big Shot'' describe it as an unexceptional throwback to his earlier gangster films, most likely trying to take advantage of the success of crime drama '' High Sierra'' (1941). It was released on DVD for the first time by

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

early in 2015.The Big Shot at Warner Archive
/ref>

Plot summary

Three-time loser Duke Berne is dying in a prison hospital, conveying the story in flashback how he ended up there. After being released from prison previously, he tries to go straight, but is tempted to join a holdup gang led by lawyer Martin Fleming. Fleming's wife, Lorna, was once Duke's girlfriend, and says she still loves him and merely married Fleming for his money, and she keeps him out of a planned robbery, but Duke is falsely identified as one of the gang by a witness. Fleming is forced to defend Duke after the latter threatens to expose his criminal activities to the authorities. Fleming gets a young, naive associate, George Anderson, to provide an alibi for Duke while testifying in court, but George's girlfriend Ruth Carter takes the stand to testify he was with her instead of him when the robbery took place, a deliberate frame-up planned by Fleming after he found out from a member of the gang that Duke spent time with Lorna. Duke is sentenced to life in prison, with George also sentenced to a year in jail for committing perjury. Duke manages to escape from prison with the help of another inmate, Dancer. George witnesses the breakout and tries to persuade Duke to give himself up, but Duke refuses and knocks him out. During the breakout, Dancer stabs and seriously wounds a prison guard, and is shot dead while trying to escape. Duke, however, manages to escape and is met outside the prison by Lorna in her car, and they both drive to an isolated and snowbound mountain lodge. Back in the prison, George is accused of trying to escape and stabbing the prison guard by the prison warden. The warden is informed by a phone call that the guard has died from his injuries, and George is charged with murder. Fleming finds out from an associate of Duke's where he and Lorna are in hiding and tips off the police. While listening to a radio at the mountain lodge, Duke hears that George is to be tried for a murder, and decides to help George by telling the warden who really killed the prison guard. Leaving their hideout by car, Duke and Lorna are ambushed and chased by police. Duke manages to give them the slip, but Lorna is killed by a gunshot. Duke makes his way to Fleming's home and holds him up by gunpoint while phoning the warden to explain that Fleming was responsible for arranging the robbery that led to Duke's false imprisonment. Fleming manages to pull a gun on Duke and shoot him while making the call, injuring him severely, but Duke shoots Fleming back, killing him. Duke finishes his story that clears George of trying to escape from prison and killing the prison guard, with George, Ruth, and the warden at his bedside. They leave as Duke wishes to be alone in his final moments while he tries to smoke one last cigarette, and asks a male nurse present to open the blinds to let in some daylight. As the daylight comes through, Duke drops the cigarette to the floor and dies.

Cast

as Joseph "Duke" Berne *

as Lorna Fleming *

Richard Travis Richard Charles Travis, (born Dickson Cornelius Savage; 6 April 1884 – 25 July 1918) was a New Zealand soldier who fought during the First World War and was posthumously decorated with the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry ...

as George Anderson *

Susan Peters Susan Peters (born Suzanne Carnahan; July 3, 1921 – October 23, 1952) was an American actress who appeared in over twenty films over the course of her decade-long career. Though she began her career in uncredited and ingénue roles, she woul ...

as Ruth Carter *

Stanley Ridges Stanley Charles Ridges (17 July 1890 – 22 April 1951) was an English-born, American actor who made more than 100 appearances in theatre and movies from 1917 to 1951. After his American film debut in '' Success'' (1923), he appeared in films ...

as Martin T. Fleming *

Minor Watson Minor Watson (December 22, 1889 – July 28, 1965) was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included '' Boys Town'' (1938), ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942), ''Kings Row'' (1942), '' Guada ...

as Warden George Booth * Chick Chandler as Frank "Dancer" Smith *

Joe Downing Joe Downing (June 26, 1903 in New York City, New York – October 16, 1975 in Canoga Park, California) was an American stage, TV and B-movie actor who made more than 70 appearances. Downing's early acting experience included work with the Thea ...

as Frenchy (as Joseph Downing) *

Howard Da Silva Howard Da Silva (born Howard Silverblatt, May 4, 1909 – February 16, 1986) was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in mo ...

as Sandor *

Murray Alper Murray Alper (January 11, 1904 – November 16, 1984) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous television series, films, and Broadway productions. Biography Born in New York City in 1904, Alper worked on Broadway from 1927 to 1940 in a nu ...

as Quinto *

Roland Drew Roland Drew (born Walter Goss; August 4, 1900 – March 17, 1988) was an American actor. Biography Born in 1900 in New York City, Drew made his first film in 1926 and continued to work until the 1940s. Noted primarily as Dolores del Río' ...

as Faye *

John Ridgely John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits. Early years Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...

as Tim * Joe King as Prosecutor Toohey (as Joseph King) * John Hamilton as Judge *

Virginia Brissac Virginia Brissac (June 11, 1883 – July 26, 1979) was a popular American stage actress who headlined theatre companies from Vancouver to San Diego during the heyday of West Coast Stock in the early 1900s. An ingénue and leading lady known for ...

as Mrs. Booth * William Edmunds as Sarto *

Virginia Sale Virginia Sale (May 20, 1899 – August 23, 1992) was an American character actress whose career spanned six decades, during most of which she played older women, even when she was in her twenties. Over the 46 years she was active as an actr ...

as Mrs. Miggs *

Ken Christy Robert Kenneth Christy (November 23, 1894 – July 23, 1962) was an American television, film, and radio character actor. Early life Born Robert Kenneth Christy, he was the second of three children of Alice Christy and Olivier B. Christy. ...

as Kat *Wallace Scott as Rusty

Box Office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $939,000 domestically and $844,000 foreign.

References

External links

* * * * * 1942 films American crime drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Lewis Seiler Films scored by Adolph Deutsch Warner Bros. films 1942 crime drama films 1940s American films {{1940s-crime-drama-film-stub