Themes: Jewel Theft, Police Corruption, Woman In Jeopardy
Main Cast: Dan Duryea, Jayne Mansfield, Martha Vickers, Peter Capell, Mickey Shaughnessy
Release Year: 1957
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
Professional burglar Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) and his two associates, Baylock (Peter Capell) and Dohmer (Mickey Shaughnessy), set their sights on wealthy spiritualist Sister Sarah (Phoebe Mackay), who has inherited a fortune -- including a renowned emerald necklace -- from a Philadelphia financier. Using Nat's female ward, Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), to pose as an admirer and case the mansion where the woman lives, they set up what looks like a perfect break-in; even when Nat's car is spotted by a couple of cops, he bluffs his way through, gets the necklace, and makes the getaway. But the trio -- plus Gladden -- can't agree on how to dispose of the necklace, and soon their bickering becomes a lot less important than the fact that someone is on to what they've done -- a woman (Martha Vickers) is working on Nat, while a man (Stewart Bradley) is working on Gladden. Equally serious, the trio kills a New Jersey state trooper while on their way to warn her. And among the cops chasing them is one with larceny in his heart and murder on his mind. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Wendell Phillips - Police Captain; Phoebe Mackay - Sister Sara; Stewart Bradley - Charlie; John Facenda - News Commentator; Frank Hall - News Reporter; Steve Allison - State Trooper; Andrea McLaughlin - Gladden as a Child; Michael Rich - Person; Richard Emory - Harbin as a Child; Bob Wilson - Newsreel Narrator
Credit
Paul Wendkos - Director, Herta Horn - Editor, Sol Kaplan - Composer (Music Score), Don Malkames - Cinematographer, Louis W. Kellman - Producer, David Goodis - Screenwriter, David Goodis - Book Author
This low-budget film is now appreciated for being one of those extravagantly stylized late-period noirs, one which palpitates with flamboyant cinematic technique, thanks to the ability of Paul Wendkos (in his directing debut) to create many stunning edits (he is also credited as the film's editor), several strikingly composed shots, and a suitably seedy background under a clear Orson Welles reminiscence. However, the film remains somewhat unknown and mostly unavailable.
The film also offers one of Jayne Mansfield's finest and serious performances. At first glance, Mansfield was totally unsuited for the role of Gladden, who is described in the novel as a waifish woman-child. However, Mansfield overcame this by underplaying the role wonderfully and adequately conveying the sense of helplessness (without Nat) and confusion that Gladden has in the novel, rather than the Monroe-esque sex kitten she was becoming by the time the film was released.
The movie was filmed during the summer of 1955 (a month before Mansfield's Broadway triumph) on location Atlantic City and Philadelphia, but was not released until 1957 and marketed to cash in on the sudden burst of Jayne Mansfield fame after the success of The Girl Can't Help It and The Wayward Bus. Producer Louis W. Kellman cast the relatively unknown Mansfield as Gladden after seeing the normally jaded and unflappable film crew's "overheated" reaction to her on the set of Pete Kelly's Blues. While filming in Atlantic City, Jayne received a phone call from her agent telling her about an opportunity to play the lead in the Broadway play Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?.
Professional burglar Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) and his two associates, Baylock (Peter Capell) and Dohmer (Mickey Shaughnessy), set their sights on wealthy spiritualist Sister Sarah (Phoebe Mackay), who has inherited a fortune -- including a renowned emerald necklace -- from a Philadelphia financier. Using Nat's female ward, Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), to pose as an admirer and case the mansion where the woman lives, they set up what looks like a perfect break-in; even when Nat's car is spotted by a couple of cops, he bluffs his way through, gets the necklace, and makes the getaway. But the trio -- plus Gladden -- can't agree on how to dispose of the necklace, and soon their bickering becomes a lot less important than the fact that someone is on to what they've done -- a woman (Martha Vickers) is working on Nat, while a man (Stewart Bradley) is working on Gladden. Equally serious, the trio kills a New Jersey state trooper while on their way to warn her. And among the cops chasing them is one with larceny in his heart and murder on his mind.
