Loophole (1954 film)

Loophole (1954 film)

Infobox_Film
name = Loophole


caption = Theatrical Poster
director = Harold D. Schuster
producer = Lindsley Parsons
writer = Story: Dwight V. Babcock George Bricker Screenplay: Warren Douglas
starring = Barry Sullivan Dorothy Malone Charles McGraw
music = Paul Dunlap
cinematography = William A. Sickner
editing = Ace Herman
distributor = Allied Artists Pictures
released = March 28, 1954 (U.S.A.)
runtime = 80 minutes
country = United States
language = English
amg_id = 1:100139
imdb_id = 0047192|

"Loophole" (1954) is a black and white B-movie "film noir" crime drama. The film was directed by editor turned director Harold D. Schuster. Actress Mary Beth Hughes plays the movie's "femme fatale." [imdb title|id=0047192|title=Loophole.]

Plot

The film tells the story of a bank teller Mike Donovan (Sullivan) who he fails to report a $49,000 shortage from his drawer. He's accused of theft and quickly fired from his job. He is then prevented from finding other employment by insurance investigator Gus Slavin (McGraw) who is driven to find out where Sullivan took the money.

Despite many setbacks, Donovan tries to clear his name but even his wife (Malone) doesn't think that he'll be able to do it. Turns out the money was heisted by a phony bank examiner and his mole working at the bank (Hughes).

Cast

* Barry Sullivan as Mike Donovan
* Dorothy Malone as Ruthie Donovan
* Charles McGraw as Gus Slavin
* Don Haggerty as Neil Sanford
* Mary Beth Hughes as Vera
* Don Beddoe as Herman Tate
* Dayton Lummis as Jim Starling
* Joanne Jordan as Georgia Hoard
* John Eldredge as Frank Temple
* Richard Reeves as Pete Mazurki / Tanner

Critical reception

Film critic Dennis Schwartz explains why the film is considered a "film noir": "The poignancy of the story is in how an innocent, hard-working person like Mike, could have his whole life turned upside-down over an incident where he makes an error in judgment. When he tells his boss (Lummis) about it, he has no explanation why he didn't report it immediately except he couldn't understand how so much money was missing. This slip-up is why Mike becomes a "noir" protagonist, though he doesn't have the dark side to his character this genre usually calls for... [and] his life turns into hell when, even though he is not charged with anything, the bonding company that must insure him cancels his certification and the bank is forced to fire him. Not only can't he get bonded so he can get another teller's job, but the bond company puts a mean-spirited insurance investigator on his tail, Gus Slavin (Charles McGraw). Slavin is convinced Mike is guilty and tails him everywhere, and when Mike gets a job he informs the boss on him and Mike is always promptly fired." [ [http://www.sover.net/~ozus/loophole.htm Schwartz, Dennis] . "Ozus' World Movie Reviews," film review, May 24, 2000. Last accessed: January 12, 2008.]

References

External links

*.
*.
*.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Loophole (disambiguation) — A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented. The term loophole could also refer to: * Embrasure, a slit in a castle wall * Loophole (short story), a short science fiction story by Arthur C. Clarke * Loophole (1954 film), film …   Wikipedia

  • List of film noir — The following is a list of films and television series often described as film noir . Film noir is a loosely defined category that refers primarily to stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity, sexual… …   Wikipedia

  • British Board of Film Classification — Formation 1912 Type NGO Purpose/focus Film and video game classification …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Beth Hughes — Born Mary Elizabeth Hughes November 13, 1919(1919 11 13) Alton, Illinois, U.S. Died August 27, 1995(1995 08 27) (aged …   Wikipedia

  • Dorothy Malone — (* 30. Januar 1925 in Chicago, USA) ist eine US amerikanische Schauspielerin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Filmographie …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Charles McGraw — Promotional Portrait Born Charles Butters May 10, 1914(1914 05 10) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S …   Wikipedia

  • Don Haggerty — This article is about the actor. For the wrestler and sometimes actor see Hard Boiled Haggerty, also known as Don Haggerty. Don Haggerty Born July 3, 1914(1914 07 03) Died August 19, 1988(1988 08 19) (aged 74) Occupation Film …   Wikipedia

  • Berlin Wall — For the chess opening variation, sometimes known as Berlin Wall, see Berlin Defence. View from the West Berlin side of graffiti art on the wall in 1986. The wall s infa …   Wikipedia

  • Bing Crosby — Crosby in Road to Singapore (1940) Background information Birth name Harry Lillis Crosby …   Wikipedia

  • Noël Coward — Noël Coward, 1972 Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called a sense of personal style, a… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”