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

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