User Reviews

Director: FRANK TUTTLE. Screenplay: Sydney Boehm, Martin Rackin. Based on the Collier's magazine serial, "The Darkest Hour", by William P. McGivern. Photographed in CinemaScope and Eastman Color by John F. Seitz. Film editor: Folmar Blangsted. Art director: John Beckman. Set decorator: William L. Kuehl. Make-up: Gordon Bau. Costumes: Moss Mabry. Music composed by Max Steiner, orchestrated by Murray Cutter. Assistant director: William Kissel. Sound recording: Charles B. Lang. Associate producer: George C. Berthelon. Producer: Alan Ladd.

A Jaguar (Alan Ladd) Production, released through Warner Brothers Pictures. U.K. release: 28 May 1956. Sydney opening at the Plaza. 98 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: After serving a five-year term for manslaughter, a wrongly convicted ex-cop goes after the waterfront gangster who was really responsible.

COMMENT: Alan Ladd versus Edward G. Robinson, the posters promised, but, disappointingly, the screenplay keeps the two stars apart until the climax. In fact, Ladd and Robinson share only two scenes. For most of the movie, Robinson plays against Paul Stewart, and it is these two actors rather than producer Ladd, who provide the story's chief points of friction.

Nonetheless, Robinson is always in his element and the script does come to a grand climax on San Francisco Bay in which CinemaScope is brilliantly utilized to round off the movie with maximum dramatic impact. In other respects, however, director Frank Tuttle's hand seems somewhat lethargic.

The color photography suffers from the early CinemaScope disease of over-graininess, but rates as reasonably acceptable. Indeed, most audiences probably won't notice, especially in theaters with smaller screens. On the Plaza's huge screen, however, where I saw the movie, the color looked undeniably blotchy.

HELL ON FRISCO BAY 1955

This 1955 film was made by Alan Ladd's production company, Jaguar, and released by Warner Brothers. The film stars, Ladd, E.G. Robinson, Joanne Dru, Paul Stewart, William Demarest, Fay Wray, Stanley Adams and an early bit by Rod Taylor.

Former San Francisco Police Detective, Alan Ladd has just been released from San Quentin Prison. He just finished a 5 year stretch on a manslaughter beef over the death of a suspect. Ladd is not in the least amused and swears the whole thing had been a frame job. He blames a waterfront rackets boss, E.G. Robinson.

Also in the mix here are Ladd's wife, Joanne Dru and his ex partner, William Demarest. Ladd is upset with Dru because she had stepped out on him while he was in the joint. Demarest just wants to help but Ladd will have none of it. He intends to prove that he was set up for the prison tour.

Ladd hits various bars etc looking for possible witnesses. The problem here is that everyone ends up dead before, or just after he talks with them. Mobster Robinson is planning a big move to take more of the dockside "trade" and Ladd is becoming a pest. He sends his chief "controller", Paul Stewart along with ex-pug, Stanley Adams to have a few words with Ladd. Stewart, a former death row inmate, had been sprung from jail by Robinson's expensive legal boys. Stewart's heart is not really in his work since he got out. He has found love with a dolly, Fay Wray.

Anyways, Stewart and Ladd, who knew each other years before, have a few words about Ladd's quest. Stewart suggests to Ladd that it would be best for his health if he laid off annoying, Robinson any further. Ladd will of course have none of this idea. He then lays a severe beating on mob heavy Stanley Adams when the pug steps into Ladd. Stewart picks up the battered Adams and heads back to report to Robinson.

Ladd keeps stirring the pot and puts the grab on Robinson's nephew, Perry Lopez. Lopez is a minor link in Robinson's outfit, and not a very strong one. A couple of slaps and a dunking in a bathroom sink quickly has the kid spilling everything he knows. Ladd also gets a few clues from the pug, Stanley Adams. Adams was fired by Robinson after he was thumped by Ladd. Wanting to get back in the mobster's good books, Adams tries to shoot Ladd. This plan goes sideways and Adams collects some lead himself. Adams spills to Ladd before he dies that Ladd needs to go looking for a hired muscle type, Rod Taylor, who works for Robinson.

As all this is going on, Ladd's wife is still trying to get Ladd to forgive her for her romantic dalliance while he was in jail. Ladd is not the forgiving type at the moment so Miss Dru is out of luck.

Ladd gets a grip on Rod Taylor and hands him over to his Police buddy, Demarest. The Police are now starting to suspect that maybe Ladd had been framed after all. The pot starts to boil as Robinson turns up the heat. He has his nephew Lopez murdered for talking. Robinson also decides he can do without his executioner, Stewart. He sends a crooked cop to take care of this. (Unsuccessfully as it turns out)

With Robinson's mob falling to pieces under Ladd's pressure, he decides it is time to leave San Fran. Now there is a quick series of events with several gun battles, Miss Dru getting kidnapped, and a high speed powerboat chase across the Bay ending in a thunderous crash.

The film is okay, but it could have been a thundering good revenge film. The story, by veteran writers, Sydney Boehm and Martin Rackin, has its moments, but needed to supply more tension. It story also under uses Miss Dru for the most part. The colour and the Cinemascope also detract from any real film noir look. The film, shot on location, provides some great vistas of San Francisco but black and white would have worked better story wise.

The director here was long time Ladd friend, Frank Tuttle. Tuttle was the helmsman on Ladd's first hit, "This Gun for Hire". He also directed the Ladd film, "Lucky Jordon". Seven-time Oscar nominated cinematographer John F Seitz, was in the director of photography chair. Another Ladd pal, Seitz lensed 20 of Ladd's films.

Also in the cast is Anthony Caruso, Tina Carver, Willis Bouchey, Peter Hansen, former silent star Mae Marsh and with an early bit, Jayne Mansfield.

While the cast are all competent, Robinson does stand out as he does a take on his role from "Little Caesar". The film is not a waste of time by any means, but I for one was expecting a bit more.

On a sad note, stuntman and bit actor, Louis Tomei was fatally injured during the final chase scenes. He suffered a bad head injury and died that same day.

I remember seeing "Hell on Frisco Bay" at a matinée in the mid 1950's. At the time, I thought it was dead boring.

I guess there was no way an action-orientated 10-year old was going to appreciate scenes of people standing around chatting in fairly ordinary looking rooms, and even at that age I could tell that the fight at the end used a lot of rear projection. Although I can now appreciate other things about the film, back then I felt it could have been called "Mild Disturbance on Frisco Bay".

Alan Ladd gave a typical low-key performance as Steve Rollins, a cop sentenced for murder who is paroled from prison looking to clear his name and seek revenge on the man responsible for the crime. But he is embittered and suspects his wife, Marcia (Joanne Dru), of unfaithfulness.

Alan Ladd was an actor we knew well in those days. He was a little guy who carried himself with the confidence of a big guy, and his stillness actually dominated the screen. His movies, which included plenty of westerns, were the sort that usually had us lining up on Saturday afternoons. Along with George Montgomery and Audie Murphy, my peer group knew him better than Marlon Brando – "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "The Fugitive Kind" would have had that audience rolling Jaffa balls down the isles in no time at all.

Edward G Robinson plays Victor Amato the mafia-like controller of the San Francisco waterfront – he's nasty to friend and foe alike. He's a different kind of godfather who lives quite modestly, but it's all about power for him.

Joanne Dru was a gorgeous-looking actress. Apparently she had a stormy private life that belied the stoic, long suffering character she plays in this movie. I was sorry to read that she had such ill health towards the end of her life – lymphedema for God's sake – getting old sucks.

"Hell on Frisco Bay" had good location work around San Francisco for the exteriors and some of the dreariest studio sets for the interiors where the camera work was of the set it up and stand in front of it variety.

The film doesn't really hold up against the avalanche of good crime movies and television series made over the intervening decades, but the stars are unique, and I must admit, I still have a soft spot for Alan Ladd's movies.

**Spoilers** Getting framed by the mob in the bar-room brawl death of Mr. Dinetto SFPD cop Steve Rollins, Allen Ladd, is sent away to San Quentin for five years for manslaughter. It's while he was incarcerated that Rollins gets the news through the prison grapevine from a man high up in the Victor Amato, Edward G. Robinson, Mob known only as Mr. Ragoni that he has proof that he is innocent of Dinetto death and he's more then willing to prove that fact once Rollins' get out of prison.

Released from prison Rollins soon finds out that the person who can clear his name Mr. Ragoni had disappeared, and is later found murdered. Rollins is now only interested in getting even with Victor Amato and his mob and even his long-suffering wife night-club singer Marcia, Joanne Dru,is thrown aside in his efforts to get Amato. Rollins is determined t get even regardless of who or what get's in his way even if it's the entire mob running the San Francisco waterfront.

One of Allen Ladd's better late, after Shane, movies as he as ex-cop Steve Rollins does a Dirty Harry bit without a badge or gun and rids the docks of that city of the mobsters and crooked politicians who control them.Getting at Amato through his wimpy nephew Mario, Perry Lopez, Rollins beats the truth out of him about who was responsible for Dinetto's death. Mario implicating both his gangster boss uncle Victor and the hoodlum he hired to do it John Brodie Evens, Rod Taylor. Amato getting the news from his police informant Det. Connors,Peter Hansen, of the scared to death little Mario ratting on him has his top henchman Scarface Joe Lye, Paul Stewart, do a job on Mario making it look like he killed himself. Where the clever as a fox Victor Amato screwed himself up was when he opened his big mouth in Scarface's apartment about him doing in Mario. Amato boasted of his crime in the presence of Scarface's girlfriend actress Kay Stanly ,Fay Wray, who overheard it. With that eyewitness evidence as well as Amato's brutal treatment of the person, Kay Stanly, who witnessed it that was all that was needed to get the slippery eel Victor Amato indited tried and sentenced behind bars for life or a one way trip to the San Quentin gas chamber.

Working over a number of Amato's hoods Rollins gets the boss of bosses trapped in a corner where he can't get out, As all the murders including that of his top henchman who later fell out with him, over how Amato treated his girlfriend Kay Stanly, Scarface Joe Lye comes back to haunt him. Amato is then forced to make his getaway on a motorboat in San Francisco Bay with the now really mad, if he wasn't already, as hell ex-cop Steve Rollins more then willing to swim the length and breath of that waterway in order to get his hands on him.

Very brutal crime movie for it's time, 1955, with Allen Ladd's Steve Rollins somewhat of a precursor to the later ruthless and no holds barred San Francisco cop Inspector Dirty Harry Calahan who gets things done his way and his way only. Edawrd G. Robinson as big boss Victor Amato is far more convincing as a Mafioso bigwig then even Marlon Brando Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were in "The Godfather" movies. Robinson comes across as a man completely in charge and knowing just what strings to pull to get what he want's done. Thats until he overreaches himself by mindlessly overreacting to the I don't give a damn Steve Rollins who showed the Mafia chieftain that what he feels is Rollins' most important commodity, his life, doesn't mean a thing to him unless he puts his butt behind bars or in the grave for what he, Amato, did in destroying it.

There's a great politically incorrect sign hanging in the Amato Club House that says - "Be American, Speak English". That's one of the visual treats in "Hell On Frisco Bay", a gritty gangster drama featuring one of the best, Edward G. Robinson as tough guy Victor Amato. There's also a lot of great dialog compliments of Robinson's character, especially the prayer conversation with henchman Joe Lye - "Guess those prayers went into a separate account for lover boy".

Alan Ladd portrays Vic Amato's nemesis in this one, playing it fairly deadpan, almost tired, throughout the story. He's an ex-cop just released from San Quentin following a stretch for a murder frame up, and he's out for vengeance. A pal from the old days, Dan Bianco (William Demarest), is about the only one he can confide in as he goes after the bad guys. Come to think of it, Demarest plays it entirely straight in the picture too, he's usually good for a few comic relief moments in most films, but not here. He knows enough to back off too, when Steve Rollins (Ladd) makes it known he's got a score to settle.

The tension between Rollins and Amato is allowed to fester and build as the former detective conducts his personal investigation, reaching the boiling point when Vic summons his adversary to a meeting. Ladd delivers one of the movie's best lines when he turns down Vic's job offer of two hundred dollars a week - "I'd like to kill you so bad I can taste it." Not too much room for miscommunication there.

Joanne Dru portrays Rollins' not quite ex-wife, having had a quick affair while he was in the cage. A nice surprise in the film for me was the appearance of Fay Wray as a retired actress; you know, she really aged wonderfully in the two decades following "King Kong". It's too bad she was relegated to a career of 'B' films even after her Kong triumph. Also on hand in an early screen appearance is Rod Taylor, described as a 'tough monkey from up North', who takes his orders from mobster Vic.

For his part, Robinson turns in one of those quintessential gangster performances that he's known and caricatured for, particularly vile here for ordering a hit on his own nephew. With Robinson, you get so much more than you bargained for with all those little nuances he throws into a role, like the way he sizes up the door man at the apartments, or how he sets up Joe Lye's hit right in front of a statue of St. Anthony. And when he goes down, he goes down hard, sneering all the way as the cops fish him out of Frisco Bay following that wild speed boat chase. As for the film, it's an OK little story that could have packed more of a punch without the color format. I would have preferred the movie's noir-ish ambiance in glorious black and white.

Unless you happened to have seen this movie on TV, you have probably not seen it. It has not been released for DVD, although it is a big budget movie filmed in Cinemascope. Like most Cinemascope films of the time, it brings in the flavor of the locale with panorama shots. I see it a a period piece first and film noir only because of Robinson. For its time, it was incredibly gritty.

Robinson is the classic Little Ceasar, and his performance carries the movie. Ladd may have been miscast, but carries the part OK. The dynamic boat-ride ending may be commonplace now, but was a real innovation at the time.

I have always wondered why this film was not released on tape or DVD. Perhaps its the title, since San Franciscans loath the nickname "Frisco."