Parole, Inc. | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alfred Zeisler |
Screenplay by | Sherman L. Lowe |
Story by | Royal K. Cole Sherman L. Lowe |
Produced by | Constantin J. David |
Starring | Michael O'Shea Turhan Bey Evelyn Ankers Virginia Lee |
Cinematography | Gilbert Warrenton |
Edited by | John Faure |
Music by | Alexander Laszlo |
Production companies | Equity Pictures Orbit Productions |
Distributed by | Eagle-Lion films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 71 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Parole, Inc. is a 1948 American film noir film directed by Alfred Zeisler and starring Michael O'Shea, Turhan Bey, Evelyn Ankers and Virginia Lee. [1]
The film depicts an FBI investigation on corruption within the state parole board of California, following the release of career criminals.
FBI agent Richard Hendricks lies in a hospital bed, dictating the results of his investigation for a report to the California governor. In long flashback scenes, the investigation is reviewed. Following a number of paroles granted to dangerous career criminals, the governor and state attorney general suspect corruption with the state parole board.
Hendricks investigates undercover as an ex-convict attempting to buy a parole for a criminal partner currently in jail. He infiltrates the social circle of another recent parolee of dubious character, Harry Palmer, and asks him how to purchase a parole. The perpetrators of the scandal are secretive and willing to take extreme measures to prevent their exposure.
In a contemporary review, critic Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times called the film "exceptionally good" and wrote: "Michael O'Shea as a government investigator does a fine, clean-cut job which will have the studios questing for him with regularity. The film is well directed by Alfred Zeisler, and has an okay documentary flavor." [2]
Turhan Bey was an Austrian-born actor of Turkish and Czech-Jewish origins. Active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953, he was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans. After his return to Austria, he pursued careers as a photographer and stage director. Returning to Hollywood after a 40-year hiatus, he made several guest appearances in 1990s television series including SeaQuest DSV, Murder, She Wrote and Babylon 5 as well as a number of films. After retiring, he appeared in a number of documentaries, including a German-language documentary on his life.
The Amazing Mr. X, also known as The Spiritualist, is a 1948 American horror thriller film noir directed by Bernard Vorhaus with cinematography by John Alton. The film tells the story of a phony spiritualist racket. The film is prominently featured in Alton's book on cinematography Painting with Light (1949).
Evelyn Felisa Ankers was a British-American actress who often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably The Wolf Man (1941) opposite Lon Chaney Jr., a frequent screen partner.
Michael O'Shea was an American actor, who appeared on the stage, in feature films, and television in a career that spanned between the 1940s and early 1970s. He also was a comedian, musician, band leader, and performed on radio.
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Burma Convoy is a 1941 American war film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Charles Bickford, Evelyn Ankers and Frank Albertson. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures as a second feature, it is about a truck convoy on the Burma Road. It was also known by the alternative title Halfway to Shanghai.
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