99 River Street

99 River Street

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99 River Street
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Phil Karlson
Produced by	Edward Small
Screenplay by	Robert Smith
Story by	George Zuckerman
Starring	John Payne Evelyn Keyes Brad Dexter Frank Faylen Peggie Castle
Music by	Arthur Lange Emil Newman
Cinematography	Franz Planer
Edited by	Buddy Small
Production company	Edward Small Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	October 2, 1953 (1953-10-02) (United States)
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

99 River Street is a 1953 film noir, starring John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. The film was directed by Phil Karlson, produced by Edward Small, with cinematography by Franz Planer.^[1]

 

Contents

 [show] 

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Production
• 4 Reception
  • 4.1 Critical response
• 5 References
• 6 External links

 

Plot[edit]

Ernie Driscoll is a former boxer who had to give up prize fighting after sustaining an injury in the ring and is now a New York taxi driver.

His wife, Pauline, unhappy living a poor life, is having an affair with a richer man who happens to be a criminal. The thief, after being unable to sell some stolen diamonds, kills Pauline and then attempts to frame her husband with the crime.

Cast[edit]

• John Payne as Ernie Driscoll
• Evelyn Keyes as Linda James
• Brad Dexter as Victor Rawlins
• Frank Faylen as Stan Hogan
• Peggie Castle as Pauline Driscoll
• Jay Adler as Christopher
• Jack Lambert as Mickey

Production[edit]

The film was originally known as Crosstown.^[2]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

The New York Times film critic gave the film a negative review, writing, "...is one of those tasteless melodramas peopled with unpleasant hoods, two-timing blondes and lots of sequences of what purports to be everyday life in the underworld. In this stale rehash, John Payne is a cabbie seething with dreams of what he might have been in the boxing world ... To say that this film is offensive would be kind; to point out that it induces an irritated boredom would be accurate. The defendants in this artistic felony are Robert Smith, the scenarist, and Phil Karlson, the director. It is interesting to ponder how Mr. Karlson managed to slip some objectionable scenes past the production code. Maybe it was just artistic license."^[3]