Harrison's Reports (1949)

January 15, 1949 HARRISON'S REPORTS 11 henchmen (Bert Conway) , who offers to reveal how he was framed on payment of five thousand dollars. When Kirkwood arrives at her apartment with the money, he finds her murdered under circumstances that point to him as the killer. He hides out from the police to clear himself. Meanwhile Conway, the dead girl's brother, is egged on by Bruce to find Kirkwood and avenge his sister's death. Conway locates Kirk' wood by following Virginia Welles, Kirkwood's girlfriend. He threatens to shoot him but changes his mind when Errol convinces him that his own gang had committed the murder. Conway leads them to the gangs headquarters, where Kirkwood, after giv ing McClure a sound thrashing, compels him to reveal all to the police, a confession that results in the rounding up of the gang, and in the title being restored to Kirkwood. It was produced by Hal E. Chester and directed by Bernard Burton from an original screen play by Stanley Prager. The cast includes Taylor Holmes, Lyle Talbot, Lou Lubin and others. Morally suitable for all. "I Cheated the Law" with Tom Conway (20th Century'Fox, no tel. date set; time, 71 min.) stantial part of the action takes place in a courtroom. It has been produced and directed and acted so well that one's attention is held all the way through. But the story, although not revolting, is not pleasant, for cold-blooded murders are shown committed. The novelty of the story lies in the fact that the lawyer who had successfully defended a gangster after being taken in by him to defeat the ends of justice, sets out to have him convicted, not for the same crime, for which he could not be tried a second time, but for another crime. Tom Conway, as the lawyer, is convincing, as are Steve Brodie, as the smooth gangster, and Robert Osterloh, as his henchman. The photography is sharp and clear: — Conway, a prominent Los Angeles attorney, wins an acquittal for Brodie, accused of the murder of a night watchman at a fur warehouse. Conway had proved that the murder had been committed at 8:30 in the evening, according to the warehouse clock, at which time he (Conway) and his wife, Barbara Billingsley, had entertained Brodie as their guest. While celebrating his acquittal at a night-club party, Brodie informs Conway that he had really committed the murder at 7:30 but had set the warehouse clock forward to 8 :30, piercing it with a bullet to stop it. Conway does not upbraid Brodie for his deception, but feeling guilty of having cheated the law, and realizing that Brodie could not be tried twice for the same crime, he determines to bring him to justice for another crime. He informs his law partner, James Seay, of his intentions, and heads for San Francisco, where Brodie operated, to obtain evidence of another murder that he suspected Brodie had committed, that of Charles Wagenheim, a former henchman, who had disappeared after leaving evidence of Brodie's guilt in the first crime. By pretending to have abandoned himself to drink because of marital unhappiness, and of having sunk to the gutter, Conway wins Brodie's pity and is employed by him as a servant. Eventually, by ingratiating himself with Brodie and his cohorts, Conway is enabled to discover where Wagenheim's body was buried and, through his associate, Seay, persuades the district attorney to indict Robert Osterloh, Brodie's chief aide, even though he (Conway) knew that Osterloh had not committed the murder. As an ticipated by Conway, Brodie orders him to defend Osterloh. But through clever technique, Conway, in examining Osterloh in court, brings out Brodie's guilt. With Brodie arrested, Conway reestablished himself in the eyes of, not only justice, but also the public. It was produced by Sam Baerwits and directed by Edward L. Cahn from a screen play by Richard G. Hubler, based on a story by Mr. Baerwitz. Unobjectionable morally. "Criss Cross" with Burt Lancaster, Yvonne de Carlo and Dan Duryea (Univ.'lnt'l, no rel. date set; time, 87]/2 min.) Robert Siodmak's superb directorial skill, coupled with expert performances by the entire cast, make "Criss Cross" a superior gangster-type thriller. It is a grim, powerful melodrama and, though it is not pleasant, it holds one's interest undiminished because of the taut and absorbing way in which the action unfolds. Burt Lancaster, as the two-fisted but not-toosympathetic hero, turns in his usual effective performance, as does Dan Duryea, as the slimy villain of the piece, but the surprise of the film is Yvonne de Carlo who, though not cast in a sympathetic role, proves herself to be a very capable dramatic actress by the convincing way in which she portrays the double-dealing heroine. It is a highly melodramatic yarn, with many thrilling as well as brutal situations. The high point in the excitement is reached in the sequences depicting an armored car holdup, which Siodmak has staged in a masterful way: Lancaster returns to his Los Angeles home after a year's absence, during which he had unsuccessfully tried to forget Yvonne, his former wife. Detective Steve McNally, an old friend, warns him to stay away from her, pointing out that she was mixed up with shady characters, especially, Dan Duryea, a notorious hoodlum. Lancaster gets his job back as a guard on an armored truck and in due time starts dating Yvonne, but they constantly disagree because of Yvonne's desire to live expensively. He is shocked when she elopes with Duryea and tries to forget her. But they are thrown together again after a chance meeting, and she informs Lancaster that Duryea was mistreating her. Duryea, through his henchmen, learns of Yvonne's infidelity with Lancaster and traps them while they are together. Thinking quickly, Lancaster alibis that he had met Yvonne to discuss with her, for Duryea's benefit, the holding up of an armored payroll truck, of which he was the driver. Duryea agrees to stage the robbery and split the proceeds with Lancaster, and Yvonne is selected by them to hold the money until it is divided. Duryea, however, double-crosses Lancaster by trying to shoot him down at the time of the robbery. Lancaster, wounded seriously, is taken to the hospital and acclaimed as a hero for saving part of the payroll. Lest Lancaster talk to the police. Duryea arranges for one of his henchmen to kidnap him from the hospital. Lancaster bribes the fellow to take him to Yvonne's hideout, known only to himself. Yvonne, refusing to be saddled with the injured Lancaster, decides to abandon him and to abscond with the money. But before she can carry out her plan Duryea arrives on the scene and kills them both, only to be trapped himself by the police before making a getaway. Daniel Fuchs wrote the screen play, based upon the novel by Don Tracy. It was produced by Michael Kraike. The cast includes Richard Long, Alan Napier, Joan Miller and others. Strictly adult fare.