Drive a Crooked Road

Last updated
Drive a Crooked Road
Drive a crooked road.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Quine
Written byRichard Quine
(adaptation)
Screenplay by Blake Edwards
Story byJames Benson Nablo
Produced byJonie Taps
Starring Mickey Rooney
Dianne Foster
CinematographyCharles Lawton Jr.
Edited byJerome Thoms
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • March 10, 1954 (1954-03-10)(United States)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Drive a Crooked Road is a 1954 American crime film noir directed by Richard Quine and starring Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster. [1] The drama's screenplay was adapted by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine from "The Wheel Man", a story by Canadian James Benson Nablo.

Contents

Plot

Mechanic and race car driver Eddie Shannon is chosen by two bank robbers to help them with a heist. The heist requires someone with his ability to "soup up" engines and drive at high speeds over treacherous roads, to avoid capture after they pull the job. To bait the driver into the dangerous scheme, one of the robbers uses his girlfriend, Barbara Mathews, to help persuade Eddie to assist with the crime—though his share of the heist would also make it possible for him to achieve his dream of racing competitively in Europe, the money alone wouldn't be sufficient inducement. Barbara increasingly feels ashamed of leading Eddie on, and develops some feelings for him. This leads to his discovery of the way he's been used, triggering a deadly confrontation at the end.

Cast

Critical reception

TV Guide called the film "A crisply done film noir with Rooney taken in by the universal emotional state that was at the root of many noir heroes' problems, loneliness." [2]

The Philadelphia Inquirer was complimentary: "Apart from being a very fair melodrama ... [the film] ... serves as a reminder that, given the right role and good direction, Mickey Rooney is a talented young actor ... The film, as well as Rooney, stands up all the way. So do all the others in Columbia's small, handpicked cast ... first honors go uncontested to the 32-year-old star for a fine, affecting, and unaffected performance." [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Snatch</i> (film) 2000 movie by Guy Ritchie

Snatch is a 2000 crime comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast and set in the London criminal underworld. The film contains two intertwined plots, one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter who finds himself under the thumb of a ruthless gangster who is ready and willing to have his subordinates carry out severe and sadistic acts of violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Quine</span> American actor (1920–1989)

Richard Quine was an American director, actor, and singer.

<i>Criss Cross</i> (film) 1949 film by Robert Siodmak

Criss Cross is a 1949 American film noir crime tragedy film starring Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea, directed by Robert Siodmak and written by Daniel Fuchs based on Don Tracy's 1934 novel of the same name. This black-and-white film was shot partly on location in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles. Miklós Rózsa scored the film's soundtrack.

<i>Babes on Broadway</i> 1941 film by Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley

Babes on Broadway is a 1941 American musical film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and directed by Busby Berkeley, with Vincente Minnelli directing Garland's big solo numbers. The film, which features Fay Bainter and Virginia Weidler, was the third in the "Backyard Musical" series about kids who put on their own show, following Babes in Arms (1939) and Strike Up the Band (1940). Songs in the film include "Babes on Broadway" by Burton Lane (music) and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg (lyrics), and "How About You?" by Lane with lyrics by Ralph Freed, the brother of producer Arthur Freed. The movie ends with a minstrel show performed by the main cast in blackface.

<i>Armored Car Robbery</i> 1950 film by Richard Fleischer

Armored Car Robbery is a 1950 American film noir starring Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, and William Talman.

<i>Quicksand</i> (1950 film) 1950 United Artists film noir directed by Irving Pichel

Quicksand is a 1950 American film noir that stars Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre and portrays a garage mechanic's descent into crime. It was directed by Irving Pichel shortly before he was included in the Hollywood blacklist. The film provided Rooney with an opportunity to play against type, performing in a role starkly different from his earlier role as the innocent "nice guy" in MGM's popular Andy Hardy film series.

<i>They Made Me a Killer</i> 1946 film by Pine-Thomas Productions

They Made Me a Killer is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by William C. Thomas, and written by Daniel Mainwaring, Winston Miller and Kae Salkow, based on story by Owen Franes. It stars Barbara Britton and Robert Lowery, and marks the final screen appearance of Lola Lane. It was made by Pine-Thomas, the B-movie unit of Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Crooked Way</i> 1949 film by Robert Florey

The Crooked Way is a 1949 American film noir starring John Payne, Sonny Tufts and Ellen Drew. Directed by Robert Florey and shot by John Alton, the film has a similar plot to another film noir, Somewhere in the Night.

Witness to Murder is a 1954 American film noir crime drama directed by Roy Rowland and starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, and Gary Merrill. While the film received moderately positive reviews, it ended up as an also-ran to Alfred Hitchcock's somewhat similar Rear Window, which opened less than a month later. The latter picture was a box-office hit.

<i>The Big Wheel</i> (film) 1949 film by Edward Ludwig

The Big Wheel is a 1949 American drama sport film directed by Edward Ludwig starring Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Mary Hatcher and Michael O'Shea. It includes the final screen appearance of Hattie McDaniel.

<i>Bring Your Smile Along</i> 1955 film by Blake Edwards

Bring Your Smile Along is a 1955 American Technicolor comedy film by Blake Edwards. It was Edwards' directorial debut and the motion picture debut of Constance Towers. Edwards wrote the script for this Frankie Laine musical with his mentor, director Richard Quine. Songs Laine sang in the film included his 1951 hit "The Gandy Dancers' Ball."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dianne Foster</span> Canadian actress (1928–2019)

Dianne Foster was a Canadian actress of Ukrainian descent.

<i>Strike Up the Band</i> (film) 1940 American musical film by Busby Berkeley

Strike Up the Band is a 1940 American musical film produced by the Arthur Freed unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was directed by Busby Berkeley and stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, in the second of a series of musicals they co-starred in, after Babes in Arms, all directed by Berkeley. The story written for the 1927 stage musical Strike Up the Band, and its successful 1930 Broadway revision, bear no resemblance to this film, aside from the title song.

<i>Sound Off</i> (film) 1952 film by Richard Quine

Sound Off is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Richard Quine and starring Mickey Rooney, Anne James, John Archer and Gordon Jones. The film was shot in August 1951 in SuperCinecolor for Columbia Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Lawton</span> American YouTuber and former jewel thief

Lawrence Robert Lawton is an American ex-convict, author, paralegal, motivational speaker, and YouTuber. Lawton gained notoriety for committing a string of jewelry store robberies along the Atlantic Seaboard prior to his arrest in 1996. He spent 12 years in prison, and once released, began a career as a motivational speaker, life coach, and author.

<i>5 Against the House</i> 1955 American heist film

5 Against the House is a 1955 American heist film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Guy Madison, Kim Novak, Brian Keith and William Conrad. The screenplay is based on Jack Finney's 1954 novel of the same name, later serialized by Good Housekeeping magazine. The film centers on a fictional robbery of Harold's Club, a real Reno casino.

<i>The Small World of Sammy Lee</i> 1963 British film by Ken Hughes

The Small World of Sammy Lee is a 1963 British black-and-white comedy-drama crime film written and directed by Ken Hughes and starring Anthony Newley, Julia Foster and Robert Stephens. The film was based on the 1958 BBC TV one-character television play Sammy, also directed by Hughes and starring Newley, described by Variety as "a masterful piece of work."

<i>The Strip</i> (film) 1951 film by László Kardos

The Strip is a 1951 American crime film noir starring Mickey Rooney and Sally Forrest, with William Demarest, James Craig, and Kay Brown in support. Directed by László Kardos, the picture was shot largely on location in and around the Sunset Strip, including performances at the popular nightclubs Mocambo and Ciro's and scenes at the restaurants Little Hungary and Stripps.

<i>Transit</i> (2012 film) 2012 film by Antonio Negret

Transit is a 2012 American action crime thriller film directed by Antonio Negret and written by Michael Gilvary. It stars Jim Caviezel, James Frain, Diora Baird, Elisabeth Röhm, Ryan Donowho, Sterling Knight, Harold Perrineau, and Jake Cherry. It follows a gang of bank robbers who stash their loot in a vacationing family's car and then try to retrieve it down the road.

The Crooked Road may refer to:

References

  1. Drive a Crooked Road at IMDb.
  2. TV Guide. Film review. Last accessed: November 19, 2009.
  3. Martin, Mildred. "'Drive a Crooked Road' Stars Rooney at Stanton." Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 June 1954.