Great cast and great characters. One of the writers was pulp /western and Golden Medal stalwart Richard Wormser.
From Turner Classic Movies:
Crime Wave (1954)
In many ways Crime Wave (1954) exemplifies what is best about Andre De Toth as a director: a strong sense of pacing, a lean visual style, and the ability to draw committed performances from actors. During the Forties and Fifties, De Toth made a number of relatively low budget thrillers and Westerns which represent some of his best work. In fact, he routinely turned down larger budgets and the promise of big-name stars since he felt that "B" pictures offered the kind of creative freedom not possible with a major "A" picture budget. In a later interview he stated, "Why would I want to do a 'million dollar picture?' I didn't need a million headaches. With the lower budgets, most of the time, I was left completely alone." Although he did not direct a large number of films in the noir vein, those he did make stand out, especially the noir-Western Ramrod (1947) and the straight noirs Pitfall (1948) and Crime Wave.
When De Toth originally received the script for Crime Wave from Warner Brothers, it was a more ambitious project starring Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, with a planned shooting schedule of 35 days. De Toth recalled, "I thought that Sterling Hayden in every way would be a better fit. He had a certain rumpled dignity. He wasn't bigger than life like Bogart." After throwing a fit Jack Warner let him use Hayden, but he cut the budget and reduced the shooting schedule to fifteen days. In retrospect, De Toth was surely right--Hayden delivers one of his best performances of the Fifties. Gene Nelson, who plays the young ex-con trying to escape his past, had appeared in a number of musicals in the early Fifties but this was his first major dramatic role. He later appeared in Oklahoma!(1955), but mostly he worked as a television actor and director for the rest of his career. A young Charles Bronson, still using the name Charles Buchinsky, makes an appearance as a member of the criminal gang.
for the rest go here:
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/71813/Crime-Wave/articles.html
When De Toth originally received the script for Crime Wave from Warner Brothers, it was a more ambitious project starring Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, with a planned shooting schedule of 35 days. De Toth recalled, "I thought that Sterling Hayden in every way would be a better fit. He had a certain rumpled dignity. He wasn't bigger than life like Bogart." After throwing a fit Jack Warner let him use Hayden, but he cut the budget and reduced the shooting schedule to fifteen days. In retrospect, De Toth was surely right--Hayden delivers one of his best performances of the Fifties. Gene Nelson, who plays the young ex-con trying to escape his past, had appeared in a number of musicals in the early Fifties but this was his first major dramatic role. He later appeared in Oklahoma!(1955), but mostly he worked as a television actor and director for the rest of his career. A young Charles Bronson, still using the name Charles Buchinsky, makes an appearance as a member of the criminal gang.
for the rest go here:
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/71813/Crime-Wave/articles.html
1 comment:
This is cool!
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