☆ ☆ ☆
City
That Never Sleeps (1953) – J. H. Auer
It’s Chicago actually. Gig Young is a cop who is fed up with his
life – he plans to ditch his wife for a stripper, quit the force, and move to
California. In order to get the dough to
do so, he throws in with corrupt lawyer Edward Arnold, promising to “arrest”
bad magician William Talman and drive him to Indiana where he is wanted for a
more serious crime. Things do go pear-shaped
but watching over him is the “spirit of the city” Chill Wills who takes over as
his partner when his real one is home sick with an earache. Wills doesn’t prevent any crimes/murders but
he does remind Young about the importance of his job and of the police in
society. They do some helpful
things. The film is a true noir, shot on
location in high contrast black and white, showing dark alleys, a strip club,
corrupt rich guys, bitchy Marie Windsor, bad mistakes, and depressing
violence. Although the leads are a bit
ho-hum, Talman made a great noir baddie (see also Armed Car Robbery, 1950, and
The Hitch-hiker, 1953) before he graduated to Perry Mason’s nemesis (district
attorney Hamilton Burger). Worth a look.
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