711 Ocean Drive (1950)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

711 Ocean Drive (1950) – J. M. Newman

A take on the gangster film (wherein a naïve newcomer rises through the ranks to become the boss, losing his moral compass along the way) blended with elements from the “true crime” and police procedural genres.  Edmond O’Brien (with plenty of noir cred already) plays the lead role, starting as a telephone technician and then applying his knowledge of electronics to assist a “wire service” to help bookies keep up with race results.  When his boss is killed by a bookie under stress, O’Brien moves in, makes improvements, and starts raking in the cash while squeezing the bookies more.  Soon, the syndicate takes note of his West Coast operations and wants a piece of the action – O’Brien joins them but soon feels ripped off (and his burgeoning romance with the wife of one of the mobsters, Joanne Dru doesn’t make things easier for him).  By the end, both the police and the mob are after him and there is a final climax on location at the Hoover Dam.  All told, 711 Ocean Drive (the address of a Palm Springs hideaway for the gang) isn’t too original or striking but it’s a solid noir for when you want one.  O’Brien is always worth the price of admission.