''The Hoodlum'' is a 1951 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 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

Max Nosseck Max Nosseck (19 September 1902 – 29 September 1972) was a German film director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Nosseck was born in Nakel, then in Prussia, but now in Poland. Nosseck established himself as a director in the German Film Industr ...

and starring

Lawrence Tierney Lawrence James Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over 50 years. His roles mirrored his ...

Allene Roberts Emma Allene Roberts (September 1, 1928 – May 9, 2019) was an American actress. Early years Born in Fairfield, Alabama, Roberts was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Roberts. In 1941, she won the "America's Most Charming Child" contest ...

, Marjorie Riordan and

Lisa Golm Lisa Golm ( Luise Schmertzler; 10 April 1891 – 6 January 1964) was a German actress who emigrated to America and appeared in a number of Hollywood films as a character actress. Golm made her first screen appearance in the 1939 film ''Con ...

Plot

Vincent Lubeck (

) is an habitual criminal from childhood, who has recently been released from prison on parole. He would not have gotten out had it not been for the pleas of his elderly mother. He gets a job working at his brother Johnny's gas station. He seduces Rosa, his brother's fiancee who hopes to reform him but can't resist his determined advances, which he makes in part to show her it's not so easy to be good in a bad world. Vincent becomes interested in the armored car that makes regular stops at the bank across the street. He romances Eileen, a beautiful independent-minded secretary at the bank, after the police detective who arrested him last time says she's out of his league. At first he's just interested in the challenge, but realizing she knows a lot about the bank's inner workings, he starts pumping her for information. She finds him fascinating, but is a lot tougher than Rosa. Vincent begins to plan a

bank robbery Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank branch or teller, as opposed to other bank- ...

, and to recruit men he knows from prison to pull the job with him. He shared a cell with a master bank job planner, and listened carefully to the man when he talked about how to make such an operation work. Rosa comes to Vincent (who has lost interest in her), begging him to marry her—he refuses, and she jumps off the roof to her death. The

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

reveals she was pregnant, which Vincent's mother finds out about. Vincent comes up with a plan involving a fake funeral procession, allowing the gang to get past a police blockade. With the money in hand (leaving several dead guards behind), the other heisters turn on the ill-tempered domineering Vincent, whose arrogance and inability to understand other people's points of view and anticipate their reactions, prevent him from spotting the betrayal and heading it off. He's the only surviving member of the gang the police know about, due to his connection with the gas station, so they get away clean, to rob another day, splitting the money evenly between them. Vincent told them that as the planner, he deserved the biggest cut, but he ends up with nothing but a bump on his head, and an

all-points bulletin An all-points bulletin (APB) is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message.Reiter, E. (1970). Police strive to provide protection machines lend valuable assista ...

out on him. In desperation, with no resources, he turns to Eileen, but she produces a small handgun, and orders him to leave, fearing he'll implicate her. His mother, now regretting her intervention on her son's behalf, curses him on her deathbed. Johnny, knowing now what happened to Rosa, takes him at gunpoint to a local dump (the film opens with a flash forward of them driving there)--but can't bring himself to kill Vincent. The police, who somehow managed to follow them there undetected, end up finishing the job.

Cast

as Vincent Lubeck *

as Rosa * Marjorie Riordan as Eileen *

as Mrs. Lubeck * Edward Tierney as Johnny Lubeck * Stuart Randall as Police Lt. Burdick *

Angela Stevens Angela Stevens (born Ann Evelyn Allen, May 8, 1925 – March 17, 2016) was an American film actress and singer. Biography Stevens was born in Eagle Rock, California. She appeared in several Three Stooges films, such as '' He Cooked His Goose'', ...

as Christie Lang * John De Simone as Marty Connell *

Tom Hubbard Tom Hubbard (born 1950) was the first librarian of the Scottish Poetry Library and is the author, editor or co-editor of over thirty academic and literary works. Biography Tom Hubbard was born in Kirkcaldy. After obtaining first class honour ...

as Police Sgt. Schmidt *

Eddie Foster Edward Cunningham Foster (February 13, 1887 – January 15, 1937) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1910 to 1923 for the New York Highlanders, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, ...

as Mickey Sessions * O.Z. Whitehead as Mr. Breckenridge *

Richard Barron Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima) is a Canadian translator who specializes in the writings of Longchenpa. He has served as an interpreter for many lamas from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including his first teacher, Kalu Rinpoche. He c ...

as Eddie Bright * Rudy Rama as Harry Hill * Raymond Bond as Old Man (uncredited) * James Conaty as Parole Officer W.D. Allen (uncredited) * Bill Coontz as Gang Member (uncredited) * Russell Custer as Police Officer (uncredited) * Rudy Germane as Guard (uncredited) * William H. O'Brien as Morgue Attendant (uncredited) *

Gene Roth Eugene Oliver Edgar Stutenroth (January 8, 1903 – July 19, 1976), known profesionally as Gene Roth, was an American film actor and film manager. Early years Roth was born in Redfield, South Dakota. He was the son of a German father and ...

as Prison Warden Stevens (uncredited)

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Dennis Schwartz generally liked the film due to the work of actor Lawrence Tierney, writing, "''The Hoodlum'' is a gangster film which passes for film noir because of the protagonist's dark nature, lack of loyalty and violent anti-social behavior ... The cheaply made film tells an old story and adds nothing fresh, but it was presented with force. Aside from Lawrence Tierney's finely tuned, menacing performance, and Lisa Golm's Oscar-worthy deathbed scene, the acting was sub par. It was Tierney's performance that kept the film alive in the tradition of the old-fashioned gangsters like those portrayed by Cagney and

Robinson Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...

."Schwartz, Dennis
''Ozus' World Movie Reviews''. film review, April 15, 2005. Accessed: July 16, 2013.

References

External links

* * * * *
''The Hoodlum''
at Film Noir of the Week by author and professor

Wheeler Winston Dixon Wheeler Winston Dixon (born March 12, 1950) is an American filmmaker and scholar. He is an expert on film history, theory and criticism.Bill Goodykoontz, December 23, 2012, USA TodayDefining Tarantino Accessed Aug. 25, 2013, Quote = "...long, invo ...