| 99 River Street | |
|---|---|
theatrical release poster
| |
| Directed by | Phil Karlson |
| Screenplay by | Robert Smith |
| Story by | George Zuckerman |
| Based on | "Crosstown" (short story, in Cosmopolitan, October 1945) by George Zuckerman |
| Produced by | Edward Small |
| Starring | John Payne Evelyn Keyes |
| Cinematography | Franz Planer |
| Edited by | Buddy Small |
| Music by | Arthur Lange Emil Newman |
Production | World Films (Edward Small Productions) |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates |
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Running time | 82-83 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
99 River Street is a 1953 film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes. It also features Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. The screenplay is by Robert Smith, based on a short story by George Zuckerman. The film was produced by Edward Small, with cinematography by Franz Planer.[2]
Ernie Driscoll is a former boxer who, after sustaining an injury in the ring severe enough to force him to give up prize-fighting, is a New York taxi driver.
His wife, Pauline, unhappy living a hard-up life, is having an affair with well-heeled jewel thief Victor Rawlins. An arrangement Rawlins made, to be paid for a batch of diamonds he has stolen, falls through; his fence indicates it is the presence of Pauline that has impeded the deal. In an effort to rekindle it, Rawlins kills Pauline and attempts to frame Driscoll for the murder.
With the help of a female acquaintance, Driscoll tries to track down Rawlins before the criminal leaves the country.
Source:[1]
Cast notes:
The rights to George Zuckerman's short story "Crosstown" were originally purchased by producer Albert Zugsmith, who sold them to Edward Small. Actress Linda Darnell was Small's first choice to play the female lead played in the film by Evelyn Keyes.[1] The film was originally known as Crosstown.[4] The name was changed two months before the film's release.[5]
The New York Times film critic gave the film a negative review, writing that the film "...is one of those tasteless melodramas peopled with unpleasant hoods, two-timing blondes and lots of sequences of what purports to be everyday life in the underworld. In this stale rehash, John Payne is a cabbie seething with dreams of what he might have been in the boxing world ... To say that this film is offensive would be kind; to point out that it induces an irritated boredom would be accurate. The defendants in this artistic felony are Robert Smith, the scenarist, and Phil Karlson, the director. It is interesting to ponder how Mr. Karlson managed to slip some objectionable scenes past the production code. Maybe it was just artistic license."[6]
Modern critics gave the film positive reviews.[7] Dave Kehr writing that "Phil Karlson directed this low-budget independent film noir in 1953, and it's an example of the kind of humble brilliance that often emerged from the American genre cinema."[8]
Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Rosenbaum cited it in some lists of best and favourite movies that they have submitted over the years.[9]
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