Shoot to Kill (1947 film)
| Shoot to Kill | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William Berke |
| Screenplay by | Edwin V. Westrate |
| Produced by | William Berke |
| Starring | Robert Kent Luana Walters Edmund MacDonald |
| Cinematography | Benjamin H. Kline |
| Edited by | Arthur A. Brooks |
| Music by | Darrell Calker Gene Rodgers |
Production company | Robert L. Lippert Productions |
| Distributed by | Screen Guild Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Shoot to Kill, also known as Police Reporter, is a 1947 American film noir directed by William Berke and starring Robert Kent, Luana Walters, Edmund MacDonald and Russell Wade.[1]
Plot
[edit]Pursued by police cars, a fleeing motor vehicle crashes off the side of the road. The survivor relates the events that preceded the chase in flashback format. A former gangster is framed by a corrupt district attorney. With his wife and an investigative reporter, he gathers proof of his innocence in hopes of clearing his name.
Cast
[edit]- Russell Wade as investigative reporter George "Mitch" Mitchell
- Luana Walters (billed as Susan Walters) as Marian Langdon - Logan's wife
- Edmund MacDonald as the corrupt Asst. DA, Lawrence Dale
- Robert Kent (billed as Douglas Blackley) as former gangster "Dixie" Logan aka Judge Joel Conroy
- Vince Barnett as Charlie Gill - Janitor
- Nestor Paiva as Gus Miller - Gangster
- Charles Trowbridge as District Attorney John Forsythe
- Harry Brown as Jim Forman - Paid witness
- Ted Hecht as Al Collins - Paid witness
- Harry Cheshire as Mike Blake - Gangster
- Robert Riordan as Ed Carter
- Joe Devlin as Smokey, Man Tailing Dale
- Eddie Foster as Bingo, Man Tailing Dale
- Frank O'Connor as Deputy Clem Sparks
- Sammy Stein as Blackie
- Gene Rodgers as Piano Player
Reception
[edit]The New York Times panned the film, writing: "Screeching tires and the barking of guns are the chief sound effects in Shoot to Kill, an all-around amateurish job of movie-making which found its way into the Rialto yesterday. An outfit called Screen Guild Productions is responsible for this dilly about an assistant district attorney who double-crosses all his racketeer pals and winds up his career on a slab in the morgue. William Berke as the director-producer did not get anything resembling a performance, much less characterization, out of his players, chief of whom are Russell Wade, Susan Walters, Edmund MacDonald and Douglas Blackley."[2]
Soundtrack
[edit]Gene Rodgers appears on screen performing two of his own compositions: "Ballad of the Bayou" and "Rajah's Blues." The film's score was provided by Darrell Calker.
References
[edit]- ^ Shoot to Kill at IMDb.
- ^ The New York Times, film review, May 17, 1947. Accessed: July 13, 2013.
External links
[edit]- Shoot to Kill at IMDb
- Shoot to Kill at AllMovie
- Shoot to Kill at the TCM Movie Database
- Shoot to Kill is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive