99 River Street

United States

1953

83 Min

Black and White

1.37:1

English

Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
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SCR Phil Karlson, John Payne, Robert Smith, George Zuckerman

CAST John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, Peggie Castle, Jay Adler, Jack Lambert, Eddy Waller, Glenn Langan

MUSIC Arthur Lange, Emil Newman

Having lost his heavyweight championship match, boxer Ernie Driscoll now drives a taxi for a living and earns the scorn of his nagging wife, Pauline, who blames him for her lack of social status. Involved with jewel thief Victor Rawlins, Pauline is murdered by him when she impedes his ability to fence the jewels. Blamed for his wife’s murder, Ernie must track down Rawlins before he leaves the country. —IMDb

Director

Phil Karlson

Phil Karlson (July 2, 1908, Chicago, Illinois – December 12, 1985, Los Angeles, California was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street,Kansas City Confidential and Hell’s Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s. Other films include Rocky (1948), The Phenix City Story (1955), 5 Against the House (1955) and The Young Doctors (1961).

Phil Karlson was the son of popular Irish actress Lillian O’Brien.

He studied painting at Chicago’s Art Institute, and law, at his father’s request, at Loyola Marymount University in California.

Karlson got into the film industry working as a prop man while a law student. After working a number of film jobs, including being an assistant director for a number of Abbott and Costello films, Karlson directed his first film in 1944 and in 1948 directed the first film starring Marilyn Monroe, Ladies of the Chorus. He worked on a number of low-budget projects for Monogram Pictures and… read more

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MarcH

6Feb13

There's a mighty unconvincing "surprise" about 1/3 of the way in that almost ruins the whole thing (B movies aren't exactly renowned for plausibility)...but John Payne owns his role, and proves he could do much more than be a decorous leading man in Betty Grable musicals.

Tima

18Jan13

i'd do anything just to have jack lambert slap me across the face.

Ingrid Bergman

8Apr12

This lesser known noir is well worth tracking down and features great performances especially from John Payne and Evelyn Keyes. Recommended viewing for sure!

Holyphool

24Oct11

Complex psychological interweavings of the real and the theatrical & lots of big cars in the rainy noir of LA streets. Evelyn Keyes pulls out ALL the stops - lots of wacko thryoidal Joan moments with panicking eyes! All the men are not very pretty, and quite mean! Payne is very brutal, and some quite eye-popping man to man violence Prob would have been censored in the early 50's. Such are the power of true B movies