Johnny Stool Pigeon
| Johnny Stool Pigeon | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William Castle |
| Screenplay by | Robert L. Richards |
| Story by | Henry Jordan |
| Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg |
| Starring | Howard Duff Shelley Winters Dan Duryea |
| Cinematography | Maury Gertsman |
| Edited by | Ted J. Kent |
| Music by | Milton Schwarzwald |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Johnny Stool Pigeon is a 1949 black-and-white film noir directed by William Castle, and starring, Howard Duff, Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea.[1]
Tony Curtis, who made his movie debut that same year appearing in Criss Cross, has a non-speaking role as a mob gang member. "Stool pigeon", in gangster terminology, means a police informant.
Plot
A narcotics agent convinces a convict he helped send to Alcatraz go undercover with him to help expose a heroin drug smuggling ring. The unlikely pair travels from San Francisco to Vancouver and finally to a dude ranch in Tucson which is run by mob bosses. They end up getting help breaking the case from the gang leader's dingy blonde girlfriend (Winters), who falls for the narcotics agent during the sting.
Cast
- Howard Duff as George Morton aka Mike Doyle
- Shelley Winters as Terry Stewart
- Dan Duryea as Johnny Evans
- Tony Curtis as Joey Hyatt
- John McIntire as Nick Avery
- Gar Moore as Sa m Harrison
- Leif Erickson as Pringle
- Barry Kelley as William McCandles
- Hugh Reilly as Charlie
- Wally Maher as T.H. Benson
Production
The film was known as Contraband and Partners in Crime.[2]
Reception
Critical response
When the film was released, the film critic for The New York Times, gave the film a tepid review, writing, "Despite a serious attempt at authenticity it is merely a brisk cops-and-smugglers melodrama, which follows an obvious pattern and is fairly strong on suspense and short on originality and impressive histrionics ... Howard Duff, who has had plenty of experience as a gumshoe both on the radio and in films, is appropriately self-effacing, hard and handsome as the intrepid agent. Dan Duryea adds a surprising twist to his usual characterizations of tough hombres as the convict who turns on his own kind, and Shelley Winters gives a credible performance as the blonde moll who also gives the law a much-needed assist. But aside from a few variations their crime and punishment adventures are cast in a familiar mold."[3]
References
- ^ Johnny Stool Pigeon at IMDb .
- ^ Saga of War Deserters Due for Screen Telling; Bedoya Joins 'Black Rose' Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 22 Mar 1949: 13.
- ^ The New York Times, film review, September 23, 1949. Accessed: July 12, 2013.
