Stakeout on Dope Street

Last updated

Stakeout on Dope Street
Stakeout-on-Dope-Street-Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Irvin Kershner
Written byAndrew J. Fenady
Irvin Kershner
Irwin Schwartz
Produced byAndrew J. Fenady
Starring Yale Wexler
Abby Dalton
Steven Marlo
Allen Kramer
Jonathon Haze
Cinematography Mark Jeffrey
Edited byMelvin Sloan
Music by Richard Markowitz
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • May 3, 1958 (1958-05-03)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$31,000 [1]

Stakeout on Dope Street is a 1958 American crime film directed by Irvin Kershner and written by Andrew J. Fenady, Irvin Kershner and Irwin Schwartz. It follows three teenagers who inadvertently get themselves involved in a drug ring. It was the directorial debut of Kershner. The film stars Yale Wexler, Abby Dalton, Steven Marlo, Allen Kramer, Herschel Bernardi and Jonathon Haze. The film was released by Warner Bros. on May 3, 1958.

Contents

Plot

Late one night in Los Angeles, Sgt. Fred Matthews (Frank Harding) and Officer Lynn Donahue (Slate Harlow) arrest a pusher who is carrying two pounds of uncut heroin. They are ambushed by gangsters Mitch Swadurski (Herman Rudin) and Lenny Potter (Philip Mansour), who kill Matthews and wound Donahue, then kill the pusher after he tosses the briefcase containing the heroin into the underbrush.

Next day, the case is found by eighteen-year-old Julian "Ves" Vespucci (Jonathon Haze) as he delivers groceries from his father's store. Ves and his pals, would-be artist Jim Bowers (Yale Wexler) and bodybuilder Nick Raymond (Steven Marlo) find the case contains samples of women's cosmetics. The canister containing the heroin is labeled "face powder", so they throw the can away, although Jim keeps some powder for his girl friend Kathy.

The boys pawn the briefcase. Jim takes the samples to Kathy and proposes to her. Kathy is afraid he will be unable to support them. Jim sees a newspaper headline about the missing narcotics. He rushes to tell Nick and Ves, but the canister has since been picked up by a garbage truck.

After a frantic search at the city dump, they find it. Nick convinces Jim and Ves to meet Danny, a heroin addict. The police and the mob are searching for the drugs, using every contact they have in the underworld and on the streets. Danny is thrilled by the small "test" packet of heroin brought to him by the boys and agrees to sell it for them.

The three are awed by the money that Danny gets for the heroin. Nick and Ves go shopping, while Jim buys a bracelet for Kathy. When he explains where he got the money, Jim is surprised by Kathy's vehement rejection of the bracelet. She upbraids him for profiting from others' weakness.

Danny relates to Jim in harrowing detail how he got addicted. Deeply moved by Danny's story, Jim grows more reluctant to continue selling.

The police obtain their first break when the pawnbroker reports the briefcase he bought from the boys. He recalls that one was named Nick and worked in a garage. Lenny and Mitch learn from a local pusher that Danny has been selling heroin. Jim wants out of the scheme completely, wanting to give the drugs to the police.

Danny is brutally questioned by Lenny and Mitch at his shack. Nick goes to collect the day's earnings from Danny, and he, too, is beaten by the gangsters. Ves is also captured by Mitch and Lenny, who force him to call Jim. Begged to bring the rest of the drugs to Danny's, Jim insists that he is going to the police.

Jim retrieves the canister and the gangsters pursue him. As Ves then telephones the police, Jim climbs a tower in a power plant. Mitch climbs after him, but Jim pours the can of heroin onto Mitch's upturned face. The police arrive and capture Lenny, then shoot Mitch, who falls to his death. Jim is told that Nick is in the hospital. He and Ves are arrested and led off to face the consequences of their greed.

Cast

Production

The film was financed by Roger Corman who was executive producer. [2] He provided $15,000 of the budget. [1]

Corman later recalled:

My brother told me that it was the greatest mistake of my career because on account of that success I reinvested my money in other productions that were all failures. I gave great freedom to the writers, since I myself do not like when people tell me what to do when I’m filming. I never said a word to Kershner. We would meet and have long talks in which everyone offered his point of view, and I would approve the cast and the distribution (Jack Hayes, Abby Dalton, and some of my actors would be there), but once the decision was made, I would say, "Go for it," and I would pull back. This was hugely successful. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Corman</span> American film director, producer, and actor (1926–2024)

Roger William Corman was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film.

<i>The Wire</i> American crime drama television series (2002–2008)

The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered on June 2, 2002, and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising 60 episodes over five seasons. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of Simon's writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher.

<i>Not of This Earth</i> (1957 film) 1957 film by Roger Corman

Not of This Earth is an independently made 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film produced and directed by Roger Corman, that stars Paul Birch, Beverly Garland, Morgan Jones, William Roerick, and Anna Lee Carroll. The film was written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna and was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation as a double feature with Attack of the Crab Monsters. Its theatrical release had a running time of 67 minutes, that was expanded to 70 minutes in 1962 for TV syndication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Campbell (actor)</span> American actor (1923–2011)

William Campbell was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in major film productions, and also starred in several low-budget B-movies and horror films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Beale</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Kathy Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's original characters, appearing in the first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985. She is created as the second wife of Pete Beale and mother of their son Ian Beale. Taylforth was originally dismissed for the role of Kathy due to her young age, but was reconsidered when she impressed show bosses. The actress opted to leave the serial in 1997 and Kathy departed on 10 April 1998 after deciding to move to South Africa with her second son Ben Mitchell. Kathy returned for two separate guest stints in 1999, making her departure on 6 January 2000. Despite reports that Taylforth would be returning to the serial, Kathy was supposedly killed off-screen in a road collision in 2006 to facilitate Ben's reintroduction to the serial. Taylforth reprised the role for a charity special in 2014. In the episode broadcast on 19 February 2015 to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary, Kathy made a surprise return to the serial - despite being presumed dead. It was confirmed that Kathy would be making a permanent return, and – after a guest appearance on 19 May 2015 – Kathy returned permanently on 17 August 2015. Taylforth was initially hesitant about her reintroduction storyline, which was inspired by the John Darwin disappearance case. In May 2019, it was announced that Kathy would open Walford's first gay bar. Taylforth appeared in her 2,000th episode on 22 May 2023. On 29 July 2024, it was announced that Taylforth would be going on a temporary break in the episode aired that night. Kathy returned to the serial on 19 August, after just three weeks off-screen.

<i>Five Days</i> (TV series) British dramatic television series

Five Days is a British dramatic television series produced by the BBC in association with Home Box Office (HBO). The first series was first broadcast on BBC One from 23 January to 1 February 2007, and repeated on BBC Four from 9 to 13 April 2007.

The Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South King of the Deathmatch is an annual professional wrestling tournament running since 1997 in which a number of wrestlers compete in various deathmatches, in a single-elimination tournament which is similar to World Wrestling Entertainment's King of the Ring tournament. These tournaments include the typical weapons used in hardcore wrestling such as barbed wire, nails, thumbtacks, fire, and light tubes, and are known for their large amount of blood loss.

Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, the second series of the Nine Network crime drama series Underbelly, originally aired from 9 February 2009 to 4 May 2009. It is a thirteen-part series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred on the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities primarily depicts the Mr. Asia drug syndicate and its influence on crime in Australia. Among the characters presented are real-life criminals Robert Trimbole, Terry Clark, George Freeman, Christopher Dale Flannery, Alphonse Gangitano and the Kane Brothers. The mini-series is a prequel to the 2008 production Underbelly, which was about the Melbourne gangland killings and forms part of the Underbelly series.

Richard Allen Markowitz was an American film and television composer. He was the father of singer Kate Markowitz.

<i>Room</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Lenny Abrahamson

Room is a 2015 internationally co-produced survival psychological drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel. It stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for seven years and whose five-year-old son was born in captivity. Their escape allows the boy to experience the outside world for the first time. The film also stars Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus and William H. Macy.

<i>Warrior</i> (TV series) American television series

Warrior is an American martial arts crime drama television series that premiered on April 5, 2019, on Cinemax. It is based on an original concept and treatment by Bruce Lee, and is executive-produced by his daughter, Shannon Lee, and film director Justin Lin. Jonathan Tropper, known for the Cinemax original series Banshee, is the showrunner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riccardo Rossi (voice actor)</span> Italian voice actor

Riccardo Rossi is an Italian voice actor.

Andrew J. Fenady was an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and novelist.

References

  1. 1 2 Thomas, K. (Dec 27, 1966). "Movies for TV in reverse pattern". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest   155582990.
  2. ↑ Ed. J. Philip di Franco, The Movie World of Roger Corman, Chelsea House Publishers, 1979 p 135
  3. ↑ Nasr, Constantine. Roger Corman: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series). University Press of Mississippi. p. 7.
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.