Southside 1-1000
| Southside 1-1000 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Boris Ingster |
| Screenplay by | Boris Ingster Leo Townsend |
| Story by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Gerald Mohr |
| Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
| Edited by | Christian Nyby |
| Music by | Paul Sawtell |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Southside 1-1000 is a 1950 semidocumentary-style film noir directed by Boris Ingster and featuring Don DeFore, Andrea King, George Tobias and Gerald Mohr as the off-screen narrator.[1]
Plot
Based on a true story, the US secret service goes after a gang of counterfeiters, whose engraver (Morris Ankrum) has secretly constructed his plates while in prison. A federal agent (Don DeFore) poses as the counterfeiters' contact man in order to purchase enough bills to incriminate the gang.
Cast
- Don DeFore as John Riggs/Nick Starnes
- Andrea King as Nora Craig
- George Tobias as Reggie
- Barry Kelley as Bill Evans
- Morris Ankrum as Eugene Deane
- Robert Osterloh as Albert
- Charles Cane as Harris
- Kippee Valez as Singer
- Joe Turkel as Frankie
- John Harmon as Nimble Willie
- G. Pat Collins as Hugh B. Pringle - Treasury Agent
- Douglas Spencer as Prison Chaplain
- Joan Miller as Mrs. Clara Evans
- William Forrest as Prison Warden
Production
The final fight-to-the-death scene was filmed aboard Los Angeles' "Angels Flight", a cable-car service hanging 40 feet above the ground.[2]
It was the last in a series of movies King Brothers made for Allied Artists.[3]
Reception
Film critic Craig Butler of Allmovie wrote, "Southside 1-1000 is a good pseudo-noir film told in pseudodocumentary fashion, but it also must register as a bit of a disappointment. It's functional and all the parts fit together smoothly, making it run like a fairly well-oiled machine -- but it lacks real spark. Given director Boris Ingster's impressive work on the seminal Stranger on the Third Floor, one expects something a bit more unusual or off the beaten path -- or at least distinctive. Instead, Southside looks like it could have been the work of any competent director."[4] The New York Times wrote, "In the cinema's library of routine gangster fiction, Southside 1-1000 merits a comfortable middle-class rating being neither especially exciting nor particularly dull."[5] Michael Barrett of PopMatters rated it 4/10 stars and called it "an unnecessary and forgettable entry in the genre".[2]
References
- ^ Southside 1-1000 at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- ^ a b Barrett, Michael (October 12, 2012). "'Southside 1-1000' (1950)". PopMatters. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Tim Holt Leatherneck; Directors Pick Huston; King Bros. Celebrating Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 05 Sep 1950: A11.
- ^ Butler, Craig. Allmovie by Rovi, film/DVD review, no date. Accessed: August 19, 2013.
- ^ "T-Men on Screen at the Palace". The New York Times. November 3, 1950. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
External links
- Southside 1-1000 at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Southside 1-1000 at IMDb
- Southside 1-1000 at AllMovie
- Southside 1-1000 at the TCM Movie Database
- Southside 1-1000 information site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- Southside 1-1000 film scene on YouTube
