99 River Street (1953)

Cab driver Ernie Driscoll is the lead character in 99 River Street, and his luck has soured even before the film starts. The narrative itself starts with a long shot of a prizefight. The camera moves in to show Ernie is one of the fighters, and he is losing the match to his opponent, the reigning heavyweight champion. Then the camera zooms out to show that Ernie is watching a television show that is highlighting his last night as a fighter. Ernie was forced to withdraw from the ring and quit fighting because of the serious injury to his eye that he sustained during this very fight.

Ernie’s wife Pauline isn’t interested in the past. She wants Ernie to turn off the television and finish his dinner. She wants results, especially financial results, now. She and Ernie argue about Ernie’s failure as a fighter, his job as a taxi driver, their lack of money, the necessity that she work in a florist shop. It’s a long list, with one more item to be added in this initial scene between husband and wife: Ernie notices that Pauline is wearing a new bracelet. He doesn’t know where it came from or whether it’s real or rhinestone, as Pauline claims. He is losing his wife, and he’s the only one who doesn’t know it.

You can see 99 River Street online for free. Click here to see it at the Internet Archive.

Ernie drops Pauline at work after their disagreement, then meets his boss Stan at a drugstore before starting his shift as a taxi driver. Stan thinks Ernie can solve his marital problems with a baby and convinces Ernie to sweet-talk Pauline into having a child. Ernie decides it’s worth a try, although viewers know already that this ploy is not going to work. Before Ernie leaves the drugstore, a regular cab customer, Linda James, drops in to tell him that she has the chance to read for a part in a Broadway play called—appropriately enough—They Call It Murder.

(This article about 99 River Street contains spoilers.)

In the meantime, Victor Rawlins stops in at the florist to visit Pauline, and viewers now know for certain that Ernie is too hopeful about a future with his wife. Victor wants Pauline to leave New York City with him. His jewel heist went exactly as planned, and he has $50,000 for both of them. Pauline can’t wait to leave the city—and Ernie—soon enough. At the moment that Victor kisses Pauline to seal their deal, Ernie stops by outside the florist with his box of chocolates and sees Pauline and Victor kissing.

Victor takes the jewels—and Pauline—to the jeweler, Mr. Christopher, who was set to buy the stones, but he won’t do business with a woman present. Victor insists that Pauline stay while he and Mr. Christopher finalize the post-heist transaction. Pauline learns from Mr. Christopher that Victor killed the man from whom he stole the jewels. Now Mr. Christopher has a second reason not to do business with Victor and is even more adamant about not buying the stolen jewels. Mickey, an enforcer for Mr. Christopher, pushes Mickey and Pauline out of Mr. Christopher’s store.

Linda, Ernie’s regular cab customer and aspiring actress, runs into Ernie back at the drugstore and tells him that she needs help because she has killed a man. She wants Ernie to go to the theater where she auditioned for the play and help her. She explains that the producer of the play, Waldo Daggett, would have been willing to give her the part if she would sleep with him. Ernie agrees to help Linda, and when they arrive at the theater, Linda describes to Ernie the attempted rape and that she killed the producer in self-defense. Ernie believes Linda and decides to take Daggett’s body to a gravel pit near the Hudson River. As soon as he puts his hands on Daggett’s body, everyone associated with the play comes out of the shadows because Linda was just using Ernie to audition.

This last act of deception is one too many for Ernie. (Ernie is a nice guy who believes Linda’s story about an attempted rape, only to be duped.) He wants to leave his wife and his life behind, and he goes home to pack. Linda arrives at his apartment to warn him that the theater people have called the police and that there is a warrant for his arrest on charges of assault and battery. Although all the folks at the theater, Linda included, are responsible for the deception and inciting Ernie’s reaction, they have decided to press charges because the publicity would be good for the play. I found this plot detail especially interesting: publicity seeking is nothing new; it was an old ploy, way before the Internet. Linda insists that she has no part in the publicity grab and has withdrawn from the play.

When Ernie returns to his cab, his suitcase in hand and accompanied by Linda, they find Pauline’s body in the backseat. Linda wants to help Ernie. She feels that she owes it to him for the trick she played on him for her audition. Ernie isn’t so sure that he can trust Linda. He’s much more wary about women now that he knows his wife has been cheating on him and that Linda has lied to him once already.

Part of his reasoning is also that Linda should get away while she can so that she can avoid any trouble, but Ernie relents a bit because he could use some help. He tells Linda, “When I was a kid, I thought I’d grow up and meet a girl who would stick in my corner no matter what. Then I grew up. Things aren’t the way you think they’re gonna be when you’re a kid . . .” These lines sum up rather nicely the dilemma that Ernie finds himself in. It’s the kind of disillusionment that is made for noir. It’s also the kind of disillusionment that almost everyone can identify with on some level, although probably not quite so acutely as Ernie Driscoll can.

Ernie gets a lot of help: from Linda, his boss Stan, one of his fellow cab drivers. Victor Rawlins has framed him for Pauline’s murder; the theater folks are pressing charges; the police are pursuing him, first for assault and battery, then for the murder of his wife. Both he and Mr. Christopher are looking for Victor Rawlins: Ernie needs to clear his name, and Mr. Christopher wants the money that Rawlins stole from him, and he is quite willing to let Ernie and Linda serve as collateral damage if that’s what it takes to get his money back.

The film’s title comes from the address of the bar where jewel thief and murderer Victor Rawlins waits for his forged passport from someone named Monk. It’s the Harbor Light Café at 99 River Street in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rawlins is the reason that all the surviving main characters go to the bar in the final sequence. He’s the bait that brings them all together for the final showdown, so to speak. Ernie Driscoll may have lost his last fight in the ring, but he wins his fight with Victor Rawlins in Jersey City outside the Harbor Light Café. Sounds from the ring and echoes of his own words replay in his mind as Ernie pursues and catches Rawlins. He doesn’t have to think of himself as a loser anymore.

I don’t remember how many times I have seen 99 River Street. I think it’s because I have seen so many clips from the film in other contexts: for film classes or as examples posted by other bloggers to illustrate points about film noir. John Payne, who plays Ernie Driscoll, and Evelyn Keyes, who plays Linda James, are two of my noir favorites, and they are fantastic in 99 River Street. Evelyn Keyes turns from conniving actress into a willing partner for Ernie Driscoll, and the transformation is completely believable.

Low-angle shots emphasize the dark turn that Ernie’s life takes. The frequent use of extreme close-ups is one of the hallmarks of noir, and these types of shots in 99 River Street must have been impressive on a large movie theater screen, the way viewers would have seen the film in the 1950s. Every time I see 99 River Street, I see once again why so many turn to it as representative of what is so great about film noir.

August 21, 1953 (Los Angeles), October 2, 1953 (New York City), October 3, 1953 (United States) release dates  •  Directed by Phil Karlson  •  Screenplay by Robert Smith  •  Based on the short story “Crosstown” by George Zuckerman  •  Music by Arthur Lange, Emil Newman  •  Edited by Buddy Small  •  Cinematography by Franz Planer

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 Mr. Christopher  •  Jack Lambert as Mickey  •  Glenn Langan as Lloyd Morgan  •  Eddy Waller as Pop Durkee, the gym owner  •  John Day as Bud  •  Ric Roman as Monk  •  Ian Wolfe as Waldo Daggett  •  Peter Leeds as Nat Finley  •  William Tannen as the theater director  •  Gene Reynolds as Chuck  •  Paul Bryar as the bartender

Produced by Edward Small Productions  •  Distributed by United Artists

Johnny O’Clock (1947)

Johnny O’Clock is a bit odd for a film noir because the title character is something of a good guy for a gangster with a reputation bad enough to keep him on the radar of the local police force. He’s generous with his associates; he doesn’t hold a grudge, at least not very often; and he’s kind to women, although he does slap Nancy Hobson once across the face when she argues with him. This is noir and this is 1947, after all, and Johnny O’Clock is not perfect.

(This blog post about Johnny O’Clock contains some spoilers.)

Another detail that sets Johnny O’Clock apart from other films noir is the romance between Johnny and Nancy Hobson. When Nancy and Johnny meet, it’s love at first sight. The only femme fatale in this noir is a supporting character, Nelle Marchettis, but the only one completely smitten with her is her husband Guido. Nelle is smitten with Johnny, but her attraction is not reciprocated. She inspires murderous jealousy in her husband, however, and that eventually becomes a problem for Johnny.

The film may not be a typical noir, but the cinematography is beautiful and very noir, with its chiaroscuro lighting. I had plenty of screenshots to choose from by the time I was finished watching. And the film’s opening makes it clear that life isn’t always easy for everyone in this world, which is exactly what one expects from a noir. The story starts with Inspector Koch staring up at a clock outside on the street at night. The camera pans down to him at street level. He buys a newspaper from a newsboy who proclaims the main headline: that a local gambler was shot while resisting arrest. Koch enters the hotel behind the clock, and the hotel doorman walks into the frame and tells the newsboy to beat it. Inside the hotel, when Koch reads the article further, viewers learn from the shot of the newspaper that Officer Chuck Blayden shot the gangster.

The killing of criminals resisting arrest is becoming common news in the city, and the police are beginning to suspect internal corruption. Officer Blayden has become friendly with gangsters around the city, and Inspector Koch is asking questions. He wants to talk specifically to Johnny O’Clock. Johnny and Guido Marchettis own a casino together. They and their associates have dubious reputations, but Inspector Koch has a good feeling about Johnny O’Clock. Johnny served four years in the army, which is one of the reasons Inspector Koch is an admirer. He is hoping that Johnny will have some information for him.

Johnny O’Clock lives in the hotel, in a large luxury suite. His business dealings have obviously made him a wealthy man. Charlie, his attendant, wakes Johnny up at 9 o’clock. It’s only later that viewers learn that Johnny sleeps all day and wakes at 9 o’clock at night to work in the casino. Charlie gives Johnny a package that arrived while he was sleeping. It is an expensive handmade watch from a woman, and it is inscribed with “To My Darling with Unending Love.” Johnny is not happy about receiving the gift. The way that subsequent scenes are shot, viewers are led to believe that Harriet Hobson gave the watch to Johnny. The film later reveals that the gift came from Nelle Marchettis, the wife of Johnny’s business partner.

Inspector Koch waits for Johnny O’Clock and stops him in the hotel lobby when Johnny is on his way to the casino. Harriet Hobson is also waiting for Johnny, and she is desperate to talk to him. Koch interrupts them and introduces himself, then asks for Johnny’s help. Johnny asks Harriet to wait for him outside the hotel. The conversation between Johnny and Koch, like many in the film, is filled with snappy one-liners. Here is a brief excerpt:

• O’Clock: “All right. Shoot. Question number one.”

• Koch: “No questions. Proposition.”

• O’Clock: [sarcastically] “I wonder what it could be.”

• Koch: “Simple. In return for certain information—”

• O’Clock: “You’ll do what?”

• Koch: “I’ll give you a break.”

• O’Clock: “My arms or my legs?”

Koch needs information about Blayden. He implies that Blayden is corrupt when he says that he doubts that Blayden will be a cop for much longer. But Johnny refuses to help him. When he returns to Harriet Hobson outside on the sidewalk and they walk away from the hotel entrance, Harriet tells Johnny that Blayden hit her. Harriet is in a relationship with Blayden, but she is still in love with Johnny. Johnny tells her that it’s over between them, but he still offers to help her with Blayden. Harriet works the hat check in the casino, so self-interest may be partly responsible for Johnny’s willingness to help Harriet. Keeping his employees safe and happy is probably good for business, even one owned by Johnny.

Later that evening, when Johnny meets with Blayden in the alley behind the casino, Blayden tells him that he is now Marchettis’s business partner, not Johnny. Blayden threatens to kill Johnny if he gets in his way. Johnny is not concerned: He simply returns the threat. The meeting turned out to be productive for Harriet and Johnny because Johnny was able to learn some business information.

Inspector Koch investigates the discovery of a bloodstained jacket and learns that Harriet Hobson tried to have it dry-cleaned. When he goes to her boardinghouse room to question her, he finds her dead, an apparent suicide by gas. When he questions Johnny O’Clock about Harriet’s death, Johnny knows nothing about it and is visibly upset. Inspector Koch is still a little suspicious because he knows that Johnny and Harriet were close. Nancy Hobson, Harriet’s sister and nearest relative, arrives in town with some questions of her own. Inspector Koch tells Nancy to ask Johnny O’Clock what he knows.

The narrative gets complicated from this point onward with double-crosses, another murder, betrayals by close personal and business associates. Nancy and Johnny fall in love, and Nelle Marchettis makes Johnny’s life difficult by refusing to let go. It’s unclear if Nelle and Johnny ever had a relationship because Nelle is so eager to make trouble. It doesn’t hurt to see Johnny O’Clock more than once to keep track of it all.

Johnny O’Clock is one of my favorite films noir. Dick Powell, another of my noir favorites, shines in the title role. He has the snappiest dialogue of all the characters in the film, but other characters can often match him, which makes the film even more fun to watch. I had seen Johnny O’Clock before on television, when it was cut up by editing and interrupted by commercials. It was a real treat to see it on DVD without any distractions. Johnny may not be perfect, but I was rooting for him and Nancy Hobson.

January 23, 1947, release date  •  Directed by Robert Rossen  •  Screenplay by Robert Rossen  •  Based on a story by Milton Holmes  •  Music by George Duning  •  Edited by Al Clark, Warren Low  •  Cinematography by Burnett Guffey

Dick Powell as Johnny O’Clock  •  Evelyn Keyes as Nancy Hobson  •  Lee J. Cobb as Inspector Koch  •  Ellen Drew as Nelle Marchettis  •  Nina Foch as Harriet Hobson  •  Thomas Gomez as Guido Marchettis  •  John Kellogg as Charlie  •  Jim Bannon as Chuck Blayden  •  Mabel Paige as the boardinghouse tenant  •  Phil Brown as Phil, the hotel clerk  •  Jeff Chandler as Turk

Distributed by Columbia Pictures  •  Produced by J.E.M. Productions