Public Pigeon No. 1

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Public Pigeon No. 1
Public Pigeon No. 1.jpg
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Screenplay byHarry Tugend
Devery Freeman
Story by Don Quinn
Larry Berns
Starring Red Skelton
Vivian Blaine
Janet Blair
Cinematography Paul C. Vogel
Edited byOtto Ludwig
Music by Matty Malneck
David Rose
Production
company
Val-Ritchie Productions
Distributed by RKO Teleradio Pictures
Universal-International
Release dates
  • May 19, 1957 (1957-05-19)(New York City) [1]
  • June 5, 1957 (1957-06-05)(Los Angeles) [1]
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Public Pigeon No. 1 is a 1957 American comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Red Skelton, Vivian Blaine and Janet Blair. [2] It is the theatrical feature-length remake of the Climax! television episode "Public Pigeon #1" that also starred Red Skelton, but was directed by Seymour Berns, which aired in the second season of that show on September 8, 1955.

Contents

Plot

Rusty Morgan is irresponsible, but girlfriend Edith Enders trusts him. They put their money in a joint bank account.

A con man, Harvey Baker, is able to persuade Rusty to buy his worthless uranium certificates, claiming they are worth $10,000. His cronies Rita and Frankie take the swindle further, resulting in Rusty losing his job at a cafe and Lt. Qualen of the bunco squad letting him know that these are wanted crooks with a $10,000 reward on their heads.

Rusty accidentally finds out where Rita is and follows her. He is so gullible, he believes it when told they are agents working secretly for the FBI. He ends up a pigeon for their scheme, arrested and sentenced to five years in prison.

No one could be this stupid, the crooks conclude, and mistakenly believe Rusty has their stolen money in a safety deposit box. Edith concocts a scheme with Qualen to break Rusty out of jail so the crooks will follow him. Qualen ends up arresting the lot, and Rusty and Edith get to share the $10,000 reward.

Cast

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References

  1. 1 2 "Public Pigeon No. 1: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  2. "Public Pigeon No. 1 - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards". AllRovi. 2011-10-24. Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2012-01-15.