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Bodyguard (1948 film)

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Bodyguard
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Fleischer
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced bySid Rogell
Starring
CinematographyRobert De Grasse
Edited byElmo Williams
Music byPaul Sawtell
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • September 2, 1948 (1948-09-02) (United States)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Bodyguard is a 1948 American semi-documentary crime film noir directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Fred Niblo Jr.and Harry Essex. It is based on a story written by George W. George and Robert Altman. The drama features Lawrence Tierney and, in her final screen appearance, Priscilla Lane.

Premise

Mike Carter (Tierney) is forced to resign from the Los Angeles Police Department after breaking some rules and he ends up becoming a bodyguard to wealthy Eugenia Dyson (Elisabeth Risdon). Before long, Carter has been accused of murder and is being hunted down by his former fellow officers.

His file clerk and fiancée Doris Brewster (Lane) believes in his innocence, and she is instrumental in cornering the actual killer.

Cast

Critical reception

Brian Baxter of The Guardian identified Bodyguard as one of Fleischer's early RKO films that has stood the test of time.[1] Michael Barrett of PopMatters rated it 6/10 and called it "a trim little B film that’s an unpolished gem of late-'40s noir".[2]

References

  1. ^ Baxter, Brain (March 28, 2006). "Richard Fleischer". The Guardian. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  2. ^ Barrett, Michael (March 2, 2011). "'Bodyguard': A Two-Fisted B Picture -- from Robert Altman?". PopMatters. Retrieved January 31, 2015.