''The Turning Point'' is a 1952 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 combin ...

directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...

and starring

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...

and

Alexis Smith Margaret Alexis Fitzsimmons-Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Awar ...

. It was inspired by the Kefauver Committee's hearings dealing with organized crime.

Plot

John Conroy is a Special Prosecutor, given extraordinary powers to break up the crime syndicate in a large midwestern town; his investigation will focus on Neil Eichelberger and his criminal operation. A local journalist, Jerry McKibbon, is sympathetic to this but feels Conroy isn't experienced enough to handle the task. Matt Conroy, John Conroy's father, is a local policeman and is assigned to be his chief investigator. McKibbon discovers that Matt Conroy is a crooked cop who works for Eichelberger. McKibbon demands that Matt break with the mobster or he'll inform his son, John Conroy, of the duplicity. To vindicate himself, it is decided that Matt Conroy will procure a damning file from the D.A.'s office that Eichelberger has requested, but he will retain a copy. Even before this double-cross is exposed, Eichelberger decides to have Matt Conroy murdered in order to instill fear in his operation and show that Eichelberger is in control of the situation, since John Conroy's investigation is more serious than expected. Matt Conroy is killed during a phony robbery, and his assassin, Monty LaRue, is immediately killed in turn. John Conroy's investigation is systematically uncovering Eichelberger's crimes, and in anticipation of having their books subpoenaed, Eichelberger has the building housing them burned. He has callous disregard for the people renting there, and all are killed. An expose of Matt Conroy's murder reveals that Eichelberger had LaRue killed also. His widow Carmelina LaRue can prove this, and contacts McKibbon in order to exact revenge, but is chased away by Eichelberger's henchmen. Since McKibbon is the only one that can identify Carmelina LaRue, her husband's murderer, Roy Ackerman, demands that McKibbon be killed, but Eichelberger refuses. Ackerman hires a hit man himself, and McKibbon is lured to a boxing match where he can be shot. Meanwhile, Carmelina manages to reach John Conroy and her testimony is sufficient, along with already acquired information, to topple Eichelberger. The hired gun shoots McKibbon, and as he lies dying, Eichelberger and his crew are arrested. McKibbon dies before John Conroy can arrive. John Conroy's epitaph for McKibbon is something McKibbon himself has previously said: "Sometimes someone has to pay an exorbitant price to uphold the majesty of the law."

Cast

as Jerry McKibbon *

as John Conroy *

as Amanda Waycross *

Tom Tully Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for hi ...

as Matt Conroy * Ed Begley as Neil Eichelberger * Danny Dayton as Roy Ackerman *

Adele Longmire Adele Longmire (June 27, 1918 - January 15, 2008) was an American actress. Early years Longmire was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She began acting when she had small parts in productions at St. Joseph's Academy convent school there. Following ...

as Carmelina LaRue *

Ray Teal Ray Elgin Teal (January 12, 1902 – April 2, 1976) was an American actor.The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Teal's birth date as January 12, 1908. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the televis ...

as Clint, Police Captain * Ted de Corsia as Eamon Harrigan * Don Porter as Joe Silbray *

Howard Freeman Howard Freeman (December 9, 1899 – December 11, 1967) was an American actor of the early 20th century, and film and television actor of the 1940s through the 1960s. Biography Freeman was born in Helena, Montana, and began working as ...

as Fogel * Neville Brand as Red *

Carolyn Jones Carolyn Sue Jones (April 28, 1930 – August 3, 1983) was an American actress of television and film. Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy ...

(uncredited) as Miss Lilian Smith

Production

Several locations of historical interest in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

can be seen in this film. The original Angel's Flight

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

is part of one scene. The Hotel Belmont can also be seen. Other buildings that can be seen are the San Fernando Building in the Bank District and a Metropolitan Water District building at 3rd and Broadway. Actress

made her motion picture debut in the film.

Radio adaptation

''The Turning Point'' was presented on ''Broadway Playhouse'' May 13, 1953. The 30-minute adaptation starred Dane Clark.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Turning Point, The 1952 films 1952 crime drama films 1950s political drama films American black-and-white films American crime drama films American political drama films Film noir Films about journalists Films about organized crime in the United States Films directed by William Dieterle Paramount Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films