Johnny Angel | |
---|---|
Directed by | Edwin L. Marin |
Screenplay by | Steve Fisher Frank Gruber (adaptation) |
Based on | Mr. Angel Comes Aboard 1944 story by Charles Gordon Booth |
Produced by | William L. Pereira executive Jack J. Gross |
Starring | George Raft Claire Trevor Signe Hasso |
Cinematography | Harry J. Wild |
Edited by | Les Millbrook |
Music by | Leigh Harline |
Production company | |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 79 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Johnny Angel is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Steve Fisher (adapted by Frank Gruber) from the 1944 novel Mr. Angel Comes Aboard by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie stars George Raft, Claire Trevor and Signe Hasso, and features Hoagy Carmichael. [3]
A merchant ship captain finds his father's ship – of the same line – derelict at sea, the entire crew having disappeared. From an unlisted passenger, the only survivor of the hijacking of the ship, he learns of a plot involving secret gold, and searches New Orleans for his father's murderer.
Mr Angel Comes Aboard was published in 1944. The New York Times described it as "a tale of adventure, mystery, treachery, and murder, that reaches a happy ending amid a welter of gore." [4] RKO bought the film rights that year, with Jack Gross originally signed to produce and Pat O'Brien mentioned as a possible star. [5]
In July 1944, George Raft signed to play the lead and the film was to be called Johnny Angel. Ray Enright was to direct. [6] Eventually William Pereira became producer and Edwin L. Marin was the director, his first assignment under a two-picture deal with RKO. [7] Signe Hasso was borrowed from MGM and Claire Trevor hired to play the main female lead.
Hoagy Carmichael, who had just made his film debut in To Have and Have Not, was hired to play a small role and to sing "Memphis in June". [8]
Although RKO had low expectations for the film it was an unexpected hit, earning the studio a profit of $1,192,000. [9] [10]
Raft went on to make a number of films with Marin including three more thrillers for RKO. [11] [12]
The staff at Variety magazine gave the film a lukewarm review, and wrote, "Johnny Angel is another in the seemingly never-ending series of maritime intrigues involving murder and lust. It is slow and plodding, with poor story development...Raft is his invariably glowering self as a guy who really handles his mitts - and the dames - while Claire Trevor and Signe Hasso are the romantic interests. Rest of the cast is weighted down too much by the story..." [13]
Time Out film guide gave the film a positive review and wrote, "The world of Johnny Angel is very noir indeed...They all inhabit a closed world, where even pastoral idylls reek of claustrophobia and obsession. The men struggle against the towering shadows of their fathers, the women are dangerously enigmatic, and the docks of New Orleans glisten under the diffuse light of a single street-lamp. Even Hoagy Carmichael sounds eerie singing "Memphis in June." There are no black diamonds, but Johnny Angel glitters like one." [14]
George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembered for his gangster roles in Quick Millions (1931) with Spencer Tracy, Scarface (1932) with Paul Muni, Each Dawn I Die (1939) with James Cagney, Invisible Stripes (1939) with Humphrey Bogart, and Billy Wilder's comedy Some Like It Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon; and as a dancer in Bolero (1934) with Carole Lombard and a truck driver in They Drive by Night (1940) with Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino and Bogart.
Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley. The film is based on Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely. It was the first film to feature Chandler's primary character, the hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe.
Signe Eleonora Cecilia Hasso was a Swedish actress, writer, and composer.
Born to Kill is a 1947 RKO Pictures American film noir starring Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor and Walter Slezak with Esther Howard, Elisha Cook Jr., and Audrey Long in supporting roles. The film was director Robert Wise's first film noir production, preceding his later work on The Set-Up (1949) and The Captive City (1952).
Whistle Stop is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by Léonide Moguy and starring George Raft, Ava Gardner, Victor McLaglen, and Tom Conway. It was produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero Films and distributed by United Artists. The screenplay was written by Philip Yordan, based on a 1941 novel of the title by Maritta M. Wolff.
Nocturne is a 1946 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring George Raft, Lynn Bari and Virginia Huston. The film was produced by longtime Alfred Hitchcock associate Joan Harrison, scripted by Jonathan Latimer, and released by RKO Pictures. It was one of several medium budget thrillers Raft made in the late 1940s.
Red Light is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed and produced by Roy Del Ruth, starring George Raft and Virginia Mayo, and based on the story "This Guy Gideon" by Don "Red" Barry, featuring strong religious overtones.
The Spanish Main is a 1945 American adventure film starring Paul Henreid, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak and Binnie Barnes, and directed by Frank Borzage. It was RKO's first all-Technicolor film since Becky Sharp ten years before.
The Las Vegas Story is a 1952 American suspense film noir starring Jane Russell and Victor Mature, directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Robert Sparks and Howard Hughes with Samuel Bischoff as the executive producer.
Riff-Raff is a 1947 American film noir starring Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffreys and Walter Slezak. It was directed by Ted Tetzlaff, who later directed The Window (1949) and worked as a cinematographer for over 100 films, including Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946). The music was composed by Roy Webb and Joan Whitney.
Show Business is a 1944 movie musical film starring Eddie Cantor, George Murphy, Joan Davis, Nancy Kelly, and Constance Moore. The film was directed by Edwin L. Marin and released by RKO Radio Pictures.
Edwin L. Marin was an American film director who directed 58 films between 1932 and 1951, working with Randolph Scott, Anna May Wong, John Wayne, Peter Lorre, George Raft, Bela Lugosi, Judy Garland, Eddie Cantor, and Hoagy Carmichael, among many others.
A Dangerous Profession is a 1949 American film noir directed by Ted Tetzlaff, written by Warren Duff and Martin Rackin, and starring George Raft, Ella Raines, and Pat O'Brien. The supporting cast features Jim Backus.
Christmas Eve is a 1947 American portmanteau comedy drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring George Raft, George Brent and Randolph Scott. It is based on a story by Laurence Stallings and Richard H. Landau. An independent production by Benedict Bogeaus it was distributed by United Artists. It was rereleased under the alternative title title Sinner's Holiday. It was one of several films Raft made with Edwin Marin and Benedict Bogeaus.
Benedict Bogeaus, was an independent film producer and former owner of General Service Studios.
Race Street is a 1948 American crime film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin. The drama features George Raft, William Bendix and Marilyn Maxwell. It was one of several collaborations between Raft and Marin.
Intrigue is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring George Raft, June Havoc and Helena Carter. Intrigue was intended to be the first of a number of films Raft made, with producer Sam Bischoff, for his own production company, Star Films. It was one of several movies Raft made with Marin.
Salty O'Rourke is a 1945 American drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Alan Ladd and Gail Russell. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1946.
Johnny Allegro is a 1949 American film noir directed by Ted Tetzlaff and starring George Raft. An ex-gangster (Raft), temporarily working as a federal agent, runs afoul of a counterfeiting crime lord (Macready) who enjoys hunting. It was one of several thrillers Raft made in the late 1940s.
The Girl and the Gambler is a 1939 Western film, from RKO Radio Pictures, starring Tim Holt. It was an early starring Western for Holt, who soon replaced George O'Brien as the studio's main Western star.