''Hell on Frisco Bay'' is a 1956 American CinemaScope film noir crime film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson and

Joanne Dru Joanne Dru (born Joan Letitia LaCock;Known as Joan Lacock in th1930 United States census/ref> January 31, 1922 – September 10, 1996) was an American film and television actress, known for such films as '' Red River'', ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbo ...

. It was made for Ladd's own production company, Jaguar. The film featured an early Hollywood appearance by Australian actor Rod Taylor. His part was written especially by Martin Rackin, who worked with Taylor on ''

Long John Silver Long John Silver is a Character (arts), fictional character and the main antagonist in the novel ''Treasure Island'' (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular cult ...

'' (1954).

Plot

After five years in San Quentin prison, former policeman Steve Rollins is released. Unjustly convicted of manslaughter in an arrested man's death, Steve is met by a friend from the force, Dan Bianco, and by wife Marcia, whom he shuns because she has been unfaithful to him. Steve goes to the San Francisco waterfront looking for a fisherman named Rogani who supposedly has proof that can clear his name. The docks are run by racketeer Victor Amato, who is forcing out dock leader Lou Flaschetti. Two thugs who work for the mobster, Lye and Hammy, come to confront Steve, warning him not to take this any further. Marcia tries to explain to Steve that she was lonely while he was in prison and cheated on him just once. He is reluctant to trust her. Rogani and Flaschetti, meantime, both end up dead. Steve manages to get valuable information from Amato's mild-mannered nephew, Mario, and when the henchman Hammy opens fire, Steve's cop friend Bianco kills him. Lye is told by Amato to murder Mario, even though the boy is the mob boss's blood relative. Lye reluctantly follows orders, but when he discovers that Amato has, behind his back, made a pass at Kay Stanley, an actress Lye is in love with, then slapped her after being rejected, Lye is enraged. And so is Amato's long-suffering wife, Anna, who tells Steve where to find him. With the cops closing in and others after him, Amato has decided to leave the country. In a showdown, Amato gets the better of Lye, then attempts to flee on a speedboat. Steve swims to the boat and fights with Amato on board. The boat crashes into a lighthouse. Amato, dazed and defeated, is taken into custody. Steve, his reputation restored, considers going back to police work and also giving Marcia a second chance.

Cast

* Alan Ladd as Steve Rollins * Edward G. Robinson as Victor Amato *

as Marcia Rollins *

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom '' My Three Sons'' Demarest, ...

as Dan Bianco * Paul Stewart as Joe Lye * Perry Lopez as Mario Amato *

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian/American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

as Kay Stanley *

Renata Vanni Renata Vanni (October 12, 1909 – February 19, 2004) was an Italian-born American film actress.Pitts p.99 She was better known for the films ''Pay or Die'', ''A Patch of Blue'' and ''Lady in White''. Filmography * '' El Paso'' (1949) as Lupit ...

as Anna Amato * Nestor Paiva as Louis Fiaschetti * Stanley Adams as Hammy *

Willis Bouchey Willis Ben Bouchey (May 24, 1907 – September 27, 1977) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows. He was born in Vernon, Michigan, but raised by his mother and stepfather in Washington state. ...

as Police Lt. Paul Neville * Peter Hansen as Detective Connors (as Peter Henson) * Anthony Caruso as Sebastian Pasmonick * George J. Lewis as Father Larocca * Peter J. Votrian as George Pasmonick (as Peter Votrian) * Rod Taylor as John Brodie Evans (as Rodney Taylor) * Tina Carver as Bessie Coster

Production notes

The film was based on the novel ''The Darkest Hour'' by William P. McGivern. Film rights were bought by Alan Ladd's Jaguar Productions in August 1954 as a vehicle for Ladd. The movie was financed by Warner Bros, which had just made '' Drum Beat'' with Ladd. The novel was serialized in '' Collier's'' magazine (April 15-May 13, 1955). Ladd had wanted James Cagney to co-star but Edward G. Robinson was cast instead. Robinson was in what he called "the B picture phase of my career as a movie star – or former movie star if that's a better way of putting it, or has-been if that's still a better way." It was due to his greylisting. Robinson was unhappy being billed second to Ladd and dubbed the film "''Hell in Beverly Hills''. Ladd hired Frank Tuttle to direct; Tuttle had cast Ladd in ''

This Gun for Hire ''This Gun for Hire'' is a 1942 American film noir crime film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Veronica Lake, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, and Alan Ladd. It is based on the 1936 novel ''A Gun for Sale'' by Graham Gr ...

'', the movie that made him a star. Production Dates: April 4—mid-May, 1955. Much of the film was shot on location throughout

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Extensive shooting was done in and around the Fisherman's Wharf and San Francisco Bay. Stuntman

Louis Tomei Luigi Gilbert "Louis" Tomei (February 17, 1910 in Portland, Oregon – May 15, 1955 in Los Angeles) was an American racecar driver active during the 1930s and 1940s, and a stuntman active during the 1940s and 1950s. Indy 500 results S ...

was doubling for Robinson in a fight scene on a motorboat that marked the climax of the movie. He was hurled against a metal fitting on the boat and received a severe head injury. He died in hospital later that night. Tomei was a former racing driver who had competed in the Indianapolis 500 in the 30s and 40s.

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, reviewing the film for ''

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 ...

'', wrote that "thanks to Edward G. Robinson, who wears his role as snugly as he wears his shoes, and to some sardonic dialogue written for him" the film was "two or three cuts above the quality of the run of pictures in this hackneyed genre."

References

External links