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99 River Street

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99 River Street
theatrical release poster
Directed byPhil Karlson
Screenplay byRobert Smith
Story byGeorge Zuckerman
Based on"Crosstown" (short story, in Cosmopolitan, October 1945) by George Zuckerman
Produced byEdward Small
StarringJohn Payne
Evelyn Keyes
CinematographyFranz Planer
Edited byBuddy Small
Music byArthur Lange
Emil Newman
Production
company
World Films (Edward Small Productions)
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • August 21, 1953 (1953-08-21) (LA)
  • October 2, 1953 (1953-10-02) (NYC)
  • October 3, 1953 (1953-10-03) (U.S.)
Running time
82-83 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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]

Plot

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Ernie Driscoll is a New York taxi driver and former boxer who retired from the ring after sustaining a severe injury. His unhappy wife Pauline is having an affair with well-heeled jewel thief Victor Rawlins. An arrangement that Rawlins made for a batch of stolen diamonds is scuttled, and his fence indicates that Pauline's presence impeded the deal. Trying to save the deal, Rawlins kills Pauline and attempts to frame Driscoll for the murder. With the help of a female acquaintance, Driscoll tries to find Rawlins before he can escape the country.

Cast

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Evelyn Keyes in the film's trailer

Production

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The rights to George Zuckerman's short story "Crosstown" were originally purchased by producer Albert Zugsmith, who sold them to Edward Small. In keeping with the source story, the film was originally known as Crosstown,[3] but the title was changed two months before the film's release.[4]

Linda Darnell was Small's first choice to play the female lead, a role that was awarded to Evelyn Keyes.[1]

Reception

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Critic Oscar Godbout of The New York Times called 99 River Street "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" and wrote: "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."[5]

In its review of the film, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "It's as plotty as a comic-strip serial ... And so action-thick that sometimes the actors seem to stumble over the plot. Also the tale follows the modern pattern of having the hero suffer and suffer while the heroine follows along to pick up the pieces and do the rescuing."[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b 99 River Street at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ 99 River Street at IMDb.
  3. ^ Staff (March 13, 1953) review Los Angeles Times
  4. ^ Muller, Eddie (April 7, 2019) Intro to the Turner Classic Movies presentation
  5. ^ Godbout, Oscar (1953-10-03). "Melodrama of Murder". The New York Times. p. 14.
  6. ^ "'99 River Street' Thick in Melodramatic Plot". Los Angeles Times. 1953-09-19. p. 9.
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