A BULLET FOR JOEY (1955)

Even the dependable Edward G. Robinson cannot keep this sleepy production awake for extended periods. His role is that of a Canadian Inspector. As usual, Robinson is genuine as he calmly, methodically tightens the net on criminals thanks to his undercover officers posted everywhere in Montreal. Sometimes I picked up the demeanor of the future Inspector Columbo and his quips. Other times, the role is closer to his tracking in The Stranger. This film sinks into a balance of crime scenes, police lab work, and consultation with Robinson. As the music score plays underneath, we are witness to amazing images of enlarged fingerprints, a Teletype machine, the FBI, and the Washington D.C. architecture.

George Raft garnered fame about twenty years before this film. His character's name is in the title. This movie is stifled by his wooden, one-dimensional characterization in a role that made him infamous. Ex-con Raft calls everyone Buster or Joker. Words that roll off his tongue with experience. Audrey Totter is another memorable face, but that may be because she appears in this film to be one-third Gloria Graham. She is Raft's former girl and is happy to be rid of him. With all his short-statured charm, he cannot believe it. Today, few could name the balance of the cast.

The film opens with an encounter between a hurdy-gurdy man and his money monkey. For purposes of identifying him, Raft is later shown this exact footage, but as a supposedly personally shot 8mm movie. It is obviously the same footage from the opening by United Artists' film crew. A weak moment in the editing room. Common to the era, it is a story of the Communist Party's main function. Spying and cheating. A brilliant nuclear scientist, George Dolenz, whose knowledge makes him a kidnapper's go-to man, is their target. Peter Van Eyck, smirking through the entire movie, offers Raft big money to get himself out of Spain to do the deed. Raft rounds up his old gang from around the globe, each with their own brief music theme befitting their geographic location. Against the plan, Totter is nonetheless pressured into befriending Dolenz to gain information.

While staking out a ship bound for Europe, Robinson is spotted and taken prisoner aboard the same ship. Robinson suggests that All-American Raft "do the right thing" by helping stop the plot. He ends up needing more than a raft to get back to dry land. God bless America. Totter and Dolenz get to continue their growing relationship, and judging by the wearisome countenance on Robinson's face, he will probably retire.

Note: As with most posters, this one suggests two famous cinema gangsters at odds with each other as the big draw for audiences. But Robinson was able to move on from his early signature roles, whereas Raft never strayed that far from his roots.

WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950)

Directed by Norman Foster with a coherent screenplay by Foster and Alan Campbell, along with sarcastically witty dialogue by Ross Hunter, this Universal Pictures release is a winner thanks to solid performances by the main cast. A more accurate title might have been, “Husband on the Run,” that being the character actually running throughout most of the film. The hugely respected, top-billed actress probably predestined the title. The limited budget is pretty well hidden, sending this film into the unknown B+ movie category.

Husband and enigmatic starving artist, Ross Elliot, is walking his dog late at night and witnesses, what he will soon learn, is a gangland murder. The gunman spots him and fires in Elliot’s direction with precise accuracy. However, in the dark, the murderer shoots Elliot’s backlit shadow in the head instead. That is Elliot’s good news. The bad news is that he is now the prime witness to the murder. He bolts in fear, leaving the police, his wife, and his dog trying to locate him.

Robert Keith is the quintessential police detective in a trench coat and fedora, topping off a face full of weary. Keith is frustrated with Ann Sheridan, as she seems unconcerned about her vanishing husband. He wants to provide protection for her husband, but she is anything but helpful. They sarcastically exchange humorous lines back and forth. He is confounded that there is not a single photo of Elliot in Sheridan’s possession. Her husband, being a painter, he asks if he ever did a self-portrait. Sheridan says no, he never liked himself that much. He returns later with more news, telling her he went to see her husband’s doctor. She asks, “Why, aren’t you feeling well?” His point is, her husband has a serious heart problem. A shocking detail of which she was unaware. Elliot now has two reasons to be found. How times have changed, Elliot's doctor is stumped by something called hypertension.

Enter Dennis O’Keefe as a wisecracking newspaper reporter. O’Keefe was a pro at playing charmingly persistent characters. He wants to help Sheridan find her husband for an exclusive story. Their banter is fun and natural. After helping her evade a policewoman tailing her in a taxi, he treats Sheridan to breakfast, where they serve the best waffles. “Butter in every little square,” he tells her. Perhaps the only flaw in the screenplay is a revealing detail during this scene that shifts the plot about fifteen minutes too soon. The middle section is somewhat ponderous and less intriguing. Through a series of obscure clues left by her husband, she is able to piece them together and locate him. All the while, Keith has been gluing clues together and suspects the killer.

Note: The speeding roller coaster scene at night with screaming riders and laughing animatronic figures in carnival booths can be spooky enough. Often repeated in films. The climax of Sheridan's terrifying ride on the coaster, though done in a studio with a back screen, is a nail-biter thanks to excellent editing and Sheridan making it appear authentic.