Guilty Bystander

Last updated
Guilty Bystander
Guilty Bystander 1950 movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Lerner
Screenplay byDon Ettlinger
Based onthe novel
by Wade Miller
Produced byRex Carlton
Joseph Lerner
Starring Zachary Scott
Faye Emerson
CinematographyGerald Hirschfeld
Russell Harlan (uncredited)
Edited byGeraldine Lerner
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Production
companies
Edmund L. Dorfmann Productions
Laurel Films
New York Film Associates
Distributed by Film Classics
Release date
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Guilty Bystander is a 1950 American crime drama film noir directed by Joseph Lerner, and starring Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson. The film was shot on location entirely in New York City. It also marked the last motion picture screen appearances for character actors Mary Boland and J. Edward Bromberg. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Max Thursday is an ex-cop and an alcoholic. The only job he can find is house detective at his pal Smitty's rundown hotel.

Ex-wife Georgia comes to him in a panic. Their young son Jeff is missing and so is her brother Fred Mace. She didn't report it, after being warned not to go to the police by Dr. Elder, who is a business acquaintance of Fred's.

The drunken Max confronts pistol packing Dr. Elder, looking for answers regarding his missing son, but the doctor knocks him out cold from behind. Max wakes up and is taken to police headquarters for questioning. He soon learns that Dr. Elder has been killed and he becomes the prime suspect. Georgia gives the cops a false alibi for Max, so the police have no cause to hold him, and he's released.

Now sober, Max learns that the doctor was involved in a diamond smuggling operation with Varkas, a known criminal. He learns from Varkas' helpful moll, Angel, that the gangster's men are holding Fred hostage.

Max is shot in the arm by Varkas' thugs. He goes to Georgia who stitches his wounds. When he recovers, he goes to Varkas' warehouse to look for Mace. He discovers that Varkas and his bodyguards are all dead.

Max finally realizes that his old friend Smitty is behind the whole scheme. Fred and little Jeff are rescued. Max and Georgia reunite to welcome their son home.

Cast

Reaction

Film critic Bosley Crowther, writing for The New York Times , calls Guilty Bystander's plot as average but notes "... the slow, sultry, steaming sadism that is usually standard in this type of film is rather effectively accomplished. The photography is full of heavy moods. And some of the melodramatic action, such as a chase in the subway, is good." [4]

Film critic Dennis Schwartz panned the film in his review, but praised Zachary Scott's acting chops. He wrote, "Zachary Scott acts his butt off, but can't come close to saving this uninteresting film noir melodrama from how ordinary it is. It's a low-budget film that is saddled with a weak storyline and is poorly photographed. It's about a world of assorted losers: drunks, hypochondriacs, smugglers, and double-crossers ... There's just not much of a story here to sink your teeth into. The film's best asset is Scott acting out the part of a thirsty drunk." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Long Voyage Home</i> 1940 film by John Ford

The Long Voyage Home is a 1940 American drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell and Ian Hunter. It features Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, and Ward Bond, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Andrews</span> American actor (1909–1992)

Carver Dana Andrews was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts into the 1980s. He is best known for his portrayal of obsessed police detective Mark McPherson in the noir Laura (1944) and his critically acclaimed performance as World War II veteran Fred Derry in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

<i>The Mask of Dimitrios</i> 1944 film by Jean Negulesco

The Mask of Dimitrios is a 1944 American film noir starring Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson, Peter Lorre, and Victor Francen. Directed by Jean Negulesco, it was written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler. Scott played the title role, of Dimitrios Makropoulos, in his film debut.

<i>Affair in Trinidad</i> 1952 film by Vincent Sherman

Affair in Trinidad is a 1952 American film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It was produced by Hayworth's Beckworth Corporation and released by Columbia Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zachary Scott</span> American actor (1914–1965)

Zachary Scott was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men".

<i>The Harder They Fall</i> (1956 film) American boxing film noir by Mark Robson

The Harder They Fall is a 1956 American boxing film noir directed by Mark Robson, produced and written by Philip Yordan, based on Budd Schulberg's 1947 novel. It was Humphrey Bogart's final film role. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, Black and White, for Burnett Guffey at the 29th Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faye Emerson</span> American actress (1917–1983)

Faye Margaret Emerson was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show.

<i>Flamingo Road</i> (film) 1949 film by Michael Curtiz

Flamingo Road is a 1949 American film noir drama directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet and David Brian. The screenplay by Robert Wilder was based on a 1946 play written by Wilder and his wife, Sally, which was based on Robert Wilder's 1942 novel of the same name.

<i>Nobody Lives Forever</i> (film) 1946 film by Jean Negulesco

Nobody Lives Forever is a 1946 American crime film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and based on the novel I Wasn't Born Yesterday by W. R. Burnett. It stars John Garfield and Geraldine Fitzgerald and features Walter Brennan, Faye Emerson, George Coulouris and George Tobias.

<i>The Happening</i> (1967 film) 1967 film by Elliot Silverstein

The Happening is a 1967 American crime comedy film directed by Elliot Silverstein, and starring Anthony Quinn, Michael Parks, George Maharis, Robert Walker Jr., Martha Hyer, and Faye Dunaway. It tells the story of four hippies, who kidnap a retired Mafia mob boss, holding him for ransom.

<i>Hotel Berlin</i> 1945 film

Hotel Berlin is an American drama film made by Warner Bros. in late 1944 to early 1945 starring Faye Emerson, Helmut Dantine, Raymond Massey and Andrea King. Directed by Peter Godfrey, it set in Berlin near the close of World War II, and is based on the novel Hotel Berlin by Vicki Baum.

<i>Woman Obsessed</i> 1959 film by Henry Hathaway

Woman Obsessed is a 1959 American romantic drama film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Susan Hayward, Stephen Boyd, Barbara Nichols, Dennis Holmes, Theodore Bikel, Ken Scott, James Philbrook, and Florence MacMichael. The screenplay concerns the hardships faced by a widow and her eight-year-old son on a rugged Canadian ranch.

Danger Signal is a 1945 American film noir starring Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott. The screenplay was adapted from the 1939 novel of the same name by Phyllis Bottome.

<i>The Glass Web</i> 1953 film by Jack Arnold

The Glass Web is a 1953 American 3-D film noir crime film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Edward G. Robinson, John Forsythe, Marcia Henderson and Kathleen Hughes. It is based on Max Simon Ehrlich's 1952 novel Spin the Glass Web.

<i>Canon City</i> (film) 1948 film by Crane Wilbur

Canon City is a 1948 American film noir crime film written and directed by Crane Wilbur. The drama features Scott Brady, Jeff Corey, and Whit Bissell, along with prison warden Roy Best playing himself. The film takes its name from Canon City, Colorado.

<i>Voice in the Wind</i> 1944 film by Arthur Ripley

Voice in the Wind is a 1944 American film noir directed by Arthur Ripley and written by Friedrich Torberg, based on a story written by Arthur Ripley. The drama features Francis Lederer, Sigrid Gurie and J. Edward Bromberg.

<i>Walk a Crooked Mile</i> 1948 film by Gordon Douglas

Walk a Crooked Mile is a 1948 American anti-communist, Cold War crime film, directed by Gordon Douglas, starring Dennis O'Keefe and Louis Hayward.

<i>Her Kind of Man</i> 1946 film by Frederick de Cordova

Her Kind of Man is a 1946 American crime film noir directed by Frederick De Cordova, and starring Dane Clark, Janis Paige and Zachary Scott. The film is not to be confused with His Kind of Woman (1951) starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell.

<i>Secret Enemies</i> 1942 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff

Secret Enemies is a 1942 American drama film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Raymond L. Schrock. The film stars Craig Stevens, Faye Emerson, John Ridgely, Charles Lang, Robert Warwick, and Frank Reicher. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 17, 1942.

<i>Dance Hall</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Irving Pichel

Dance Hall is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Irving Pichel and written by Stanley Rauh and Ethel Hill. The film stars Carole Landis, Cesar Romero, William "Bill" Henry, June Storey, J. Edward Bromberg and Charles Halton. It is based on the novel The Giant Swing by W. R. Burnett. The film was released on July 18, 1941, by 20th Century Fox.

References

  1. ↑ Guilty Bystander at the TCM Movie Database.
  2. ↑ Mary Boland at IMDb.
  3. ↑ J. Edward Bromberg at IMDb.
  4. ↑ Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times , film review, "An Involved Hunt", April 21, 1950. Accessed: July 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ Schwartz, Dennis Archived 2017-12-12 at the Wayback Machine . Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, October 24, 2001. Accessed: July 13, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.