''Tough Assignment'' is a 1949 American crime film directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

and starring Don Barry, Marjorie Steele and Steve Brodie. It is regarded as a film noir.Spicer p.421

Plot

A Los Angeles reporter and his photographer wife investigate a criminal gang trying to establish a cartel over beef supplies to the city's butcher shops.

Cast

* Don Barry as Dan Reilly * Marjorie Steele as Margie Reilly * Steve Brodie as Boss Morgan * Marc Lawrence as Vince *

Ben Welden Ben Welden (born Benjamin Weinblatt; June 12, 1901 – October 17, 1997) was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters in various movies and television shows. Early years Welden was born in Toledo, Oh ...

as Sniffy *

Sid Melton Sidney Meltzer (May 22, 1917 – November 2, 2011), known professionally as Sid Melton, was an American actor. He played the roles of incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the CBS sitcom '' Green Acres'' and Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor ...

as Herman * John L. Cason as Joe * Frank Richards as Steve *

Fred Kohler Jr. Fred Kohler Jr. (July 8, 1911 – January 7, 1993) was an American actor who performed in a number of Westerns such as '' The Pecos Kid'' and ''Toll of the Desert''. He played nearly 130 film and television roles between 1929 and 1978. Kohler' ...

as Grant, Head Rancher * Michael Whalen as Hutchison * Edit Angold as Mrs. Schultz *

Leander De Cordova Leander de Cordova (5 December 1877 – 19 September 1969) was a Jamaican-born American actor and film director. He was the brother of Rudolph de Cordova. He was the son of Altamont de Cordova and Katherine Lewis. He was also the grandnep ...

as Mr. Schultz *

Stanley Andrews Stanley Andrews (born Stanley Martin Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first ...

as Chief Investigator Patterson *

Stanley Price Stanley Price (December 31, 1892July 13, 1955) was an American film supporting actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1922 and 1956. He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild. Career Price was an actor whose artistic career sp ...

as Al Foster *

Iris Adrian Iris Adrian Hostetter (May 29, 1912 – September 17, 1994) was an American stage, film actress and dancer. Life and career Adrian was an only child, born in Los Angeles, California, to Florence (née Van Every) and Adrian Earl Hostetter, who ...

as Gloria * Hugh Simpson as Ted * Gayle Kellogg as Jack Lowery

References

Bibliography

* Spicer, Andrew. ''Historical Dictionary of Film Noir''. Scarecrow Press, 2010. * Marshall, Wendy L. ''William Beaudine: From Silents to Television''. Scarecrow Press, 2005.

External links

* 1949 films American crime films American black-and-white films 1949 crime films Films directed by William Beaudine Films scored by Albert Glasser Lippert Pictures films Films set in Los Angeles 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-crime-film-stub