Road to Alcatraz

Last updated
Road to Alcatraz
Road to Alcatraz poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Nick Grinde
Screenplay byDwight V. Babcock
Jerry Sackheim
Story byFrancis K. Allan
Produced bySidney Picker
Starring Robert Lowery
June Storey
Grant Withers
Clarence Kolb
Charles Gordon
William Forrest
Cinematography Ernest Miller
Edited by Richard L. Van Enger
Production
company
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • July 10, 1945 (1945-07-10)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Road to Alcatraz is a 1945 American mystery film directed by Nick Grinde and written by Dwight V. Babcock and Jerry Sackheim. The film stars Robert Lowery, June Storey, Grant Withers, Clarence Kolb, Charles Gordon and William Forrest. [1] [2] [3] The film was released on July 10, 1945, by Republic Pictures.

Contents

Plot

John Norton, a young lawyer, receives a telegram from an old fraternity brother, Gary Payne, which says that an old investment has now turned profitable. Norton's wife Kit doesn't trust Payne, but they retire for the evening after a short discussion. The next morning, Norton has a bump on his head, and mysterious evidence that something is amiss. Showing signs of amnesia, Norton heads to Charles Cantrell's (his law partner) house, only to find evidence that he (Norton) had murdered Cantrell. Police detective Inspector Craven suspects there is more to the events than just Norton's memory loss. Eventually Norton confronts Payne, gets shot, and the police arrive in time to save Norton and arrest Payne.

Cast

Related Research Articles

Clarence Kolb American vaudeville comedian (1874–1964)

Clarence William Kolb was an American vaudeville performer and actor known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect.

<i>Tailspin Tommy</i> (serial) 1934 American film

Tailspin Tommy is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. Directed by Lew Landers and produced by Milton Gatzert, the serial was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio. The plot of Tailspin Tommy concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract.

<i>Paid</i> (1930 film) 1930 film

Paid is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Armstrong, and Kent Douglass in a story about a wrongly accused ex-convict who seeks revenge on those who sent her to prison using a scam called the "Heart Balm Racket".

<i>The Penguin Pool Murder</i> 1932 film

The Penguin Pool Murder is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy/mystery film starring Edna May Oliver as Hildegarde Withers, a witness in a murder case at the New York Aquarium, with James Gleason as the police inspector in charge of the case, who investigates with her unwanted help, and Robert Armstrong as an attorney representing Mae Clarke, the wife of the victim. Oliver's appearance was the first film appearance of the character of Hildegarde Withers, the schoolteacher and sleuth based on the character from the 1931 novel The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer. It is the first in a trilogy including Murder on the Blackboard, and Murder on a Honeymoon, in which Oliver and Gleason team up for the lead roles.

<i>Murder on the Blackboard</i> 1934 film by George Archainbaud

Murder on the Blackboard is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery/comedy film starring Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and James Gleason as Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Together, they investigate a murder at Withers' school. It was based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Palmer. It features popular actor Bruce Cabot in one of his first post-King Kong roles, as well as Gertrude Michael, Regis Toomey, and Edgar Kennedy.

<i>Murder on a Honeymoon</i> 1935 film by Lloyd Corrigan

Murder on a Honeymoon is an American 1935 mystery film starring Edna May Oliver and James Gleason. This was the third and last time Oliver portrayed astute schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers; the two previous films were The Penguin Pool Murder (1932) and Murder on the Blackboard (1934). The film was directed by Lloyd Corrigan from a screenplay by Seton I. Miller and Robert Benchley based on the 1933 novel The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree by Stuart Palmer. Palmer's novel, however, did not include Inspector Piper, and has Withers doing the investigating on her own.

Dude Cowboy is a 1941 American western film. David Howard directed the film and Morton Grant wrote the screenplay. The film stars Tim Holt as Terry McVey, Eddie Kane as Gordon West, Marjorie Reynolds as Barbara Adams, Byron Foulger as Frank Adams, Louise Currie as Gail Sargent, Eddie Dew as French, Helen Holmes as Aunt Althea Carter, Lloyd Ingraham as Pop Stebbins, Eddie Kane as Gordon West, and Tom London as the Silver City Sheriff.

Forrest Silva "Woody" Tucker was an American career criminal first imprisoned at age 15 who spent the rest of his life in and out of jail. He is best known as an escape artist, having escaped from prison "18 times successfully and 12 times unsuccessfully", by his own reckoning. The 2018 film The Old Man & the Gun, starring Robert Redford as Tucker, is based on his life.

<i>The Night of January 16th</i> (film) 1941 film by William Clemens

The Night of January 16th is a 1941 American film directed by William Clemens, based on a 1934 play of the same name by Ayn Rand. The story follows Steve Van Ruyle and Kit Lane as they investigate the apparent murder of Lane's boss, in an attempt to clear her as a suspect.

<i>The Amazing Mr. Williams</i> 1939 film by Alexander Hall

The Amazing Mr. Williams is a 1939 American screwball comedy film produced by Everett Riskin for Columbia Pictures and directed by Alexander Hall. The film stars Melvyn Douglas, Joan Blondell and Clarence Kolb. It was written by Dwight Taylor, Sy Bartlett and Richard Maibaum. The film is about a police lieutenant who is too busy solving crimes to get married to his longtime fiancée, who decides to take action and get him to marry her and settle down. The film was released on November 22, 1939.

<i>True to the Army</i> 1942 film by Albert S. Rogell

True to the Army is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell, written by Art Arthur, Bradford Ropes, Edmund L. Hartmann and Val Burton, and starring Judy Canova, Allan Jones, Ann Miller, Jerry Colonna, Clarence Kolb, Edward Pawley and William Wright. It was released on March 21, 1942, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Vampires Ghost</i> 1945 film by Lesley Selander

The Vampire's Ghost is 1945 American horror film directed by Lesley Selander, written by Leigh Brackett and John K. Butler, and starring John Abbott, Charles Gordon, Peggy Stewart, Grant Withers, Emmett Vogan and Adele Mara. The film was released on May 21, 1945, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Danger Street</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Lew Landers

Danger Street is a 1947 American mystery film directed by Lew Landers and written by Winston Miller, Kae Salkow and Maxwell Shane. The film stars Jane Withers, Robert Lowery, Bill Edwards, Elaine Riley, Audrey Young and Lyle Talbot. It was released on June 20, 1947 by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Our Leading Citizen</i> (1939 film) 1939 American film

Our Leading Citizen is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Alfred Santell and written by Jack Moffitt. The film stars Bob Burns, Susan Hayward, Joseph Allen, Elizabeth Patterson, Gene Lockhart and Charles Bickford. The film was released on August 23, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Alcatraz Island</i> (film) 1937 film by William C. McGann

Alcatraz Island is a 1937 American drama film directed by William C. McGann and written by Crane Wilbur. The film stars John Litel, Ann Sheridan, Mary Maguire, Gordon Oliver, Dick Purcell and Ben Welden. The film was released by Warner Bros. on November 6, 1937.

<i>A Scream in the Dark</i> 1943 film by George Sherman

A Scream in the Dark is a 1943 American comedy crime mystery film directed by George Sherman and written by Anthony Coldeway and Gerald Schnitzer. The film stars Robert Lowery, Marie McDonald, Edward Brophy, Elizabeth Russell, Hobart Cavanaugh and Wally Vernon. The film was released on October 15, 1943, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Big Town</i> (film) 1947 film by William C. Thomas

Big Town is a 1947 American crime film directed by William C. Thomas and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Maxwell Shane. The film stars Phillip Reed, Hillary Brooke, Robert Lowery, Veda Ann Borg, Byron Barr and Charles Arnt. It was released on May 23, 1947 by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Sons of Adventure</i> 1948 film by Yakima Canutt

Sons of Adventure is a 1948 American Western film directed by Yakima Canutt, written by Franklin Adreon and Sol Shor, and starring Lynne Roberts, Russell Hayden, Gordon Jones, Grant Withers, George Chandler and Roy Barcroft. It was released on September 1, 1948 by Republic Pictures.

<i>The Plunderers</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by Joseph Kane

The Plunderers is a 1948 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and written by Gerald Geraghty and Gerald Drayson Adams. The film stars Rod Cameron, Ilona Massey, Lorna Gray, Forrest Tucker, George Cleveland and Grant Withers. The film was released on October 31, 1948, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Iron Mountain Trail</i> 1953 film by William Witney

Iron Mountain Trail is a 1953 American Western film directed by William Witney and written by Gerald Geraghty. The film stars Rex Allen, Slim Pickens, Grant Withers, Nan Leslie, Roy Barcroft and Forrest Taylor. The film was released on May 8, 1953, by Republic Pictures.

References

  1. "Road to Alcatraz (1945) - Overview". TCM.com. 1945-07-06. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  2. Hal Erickson (2014). "Road-to-Alcatraz - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  3. "Road to Alcatraz". Afi.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.