Parole, Inc.
| Parole, Inc. | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alfred Zeisler |
| Screenplay by | Sherman L. Lowe |
| Story by | Royal K. Cole Sherman L. Lowe |
| Produced by | Constantin J. David |
| Starring | Michael O'Shea Turhan Bey Evelyn Ankers Virginia Lee |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Warrenton |
| Edited by | John Faure |
| Music by | Alexander Laszlo |
Production companies | Equity Pictures Orbit Productions |
| Distributed by | Eagle-Lion films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 71 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Parole, Inc. is a 1948 American Film Noir film directed by Alfred Zeisler and featuring Michael O'Shea, Turhan Bey, Evelyn Ankers and Virginia Lee.[1]
Plot
The film opens with a scene of FBI agent Richard Hendricks (Michael O'Shea) bedridden in a hospital bed, dictating the results of his investigation for a report to the California Governor. The dictation scenes are interrupted by long flashback scenes showing how the investigation proceeded.
After a number of paroles granted to dangerous career criminals, the California Governor and State Attorney General suspected corruption in the state parole board. They called upon Hendricks to investigate and expose those involved. Hendricks decided to go undercover as an ex-convict wanting to buy a parole for a criminal partner currently in jail. He then proceeded to infiltrate the social circle of another recent parolee of dubious character, Harry Palmer, and ask him how to purchase a parole. However, the people operating the parole purchase ring were quite secretive and ready to take extreme measures to prevent their exposure.
Cast
- Michael O'Shea as Richard Hendricks
- Turhan Bey as Barney Rodescu
- Evelyn Ankers as Jojo Dumont
- Virginia Lee as Glenda Palmer
- Charles Bradstreet as Harry Palmer
- Lyle Talbot as Police Commissioner Hughes
- Michael Whalen as Kid Redmond
- Charles Williams as Titus Jones
- James Cardwell as Duke Vigili
- Paul Bryar as Charley Newton
- Noel Cravat as Blackie Olson
- Charles Jordan as Monty Cooper
Reception
Critical response
Film critic Dennis Schwartz panned the film, writing, "Alfred Zeisler (Fear) directs this uninteresting undercover police drama ... The story for this low-budget B-film from Eagle Lion studios is just about as far-fetched and ludicrous as the acting. It also lacked suspense, any surprises and the production values were shoddy. The only good thing is that it moves along at a fast clip and is over in a flash."[2]
References
- ^ Parole, Inc. at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
- ^ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, May 7, 2007. Accessed: August 5, 2013.
External links
- Parole, Inc. at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Parole, Inc. at IMDb
- Parole, Inc. at AllMovie
- Parole, Inc. at the TCM Movie Database
- Parole, Inc. is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- Parole, Inc. complete film on YouTube (public domain)