The Phenix City Story

Infobox Film
name = The Phenix City Story


image_size =
caption = Theatrical Poster
director = Phil Karlson
producer = Samuel Bischoff David Diamond
writer = Daniel Mainwaring Crane Wilbur
narrator =
starring =
music = Harry Sukman
cinematography = Harry Neumann
editing = George White
distributor = Allied Artists Pictures
released = August 14, 1955 (U.S.A.)
runtime = 100 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:106039
imdb_id = 0048488

"The Phenix City Story" (1955) is a film noir directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. The drama features John McIntire, Richard Kiley, among others. [imdb title|id=0048488|title=The Phenix City Story.]

Plot

The drama depicts the real-life 1954 assassination of Alabama attorney general Albert Patterson in Phenix City, Alabama, a city controlled by organized crime, and the subsequent imposition of martial law. Some prints of the film include a 13-minute newsreel-style preface including interviews with the actual participants.

Cast

* John McIntire as Albert Patterson
* Richard Kiley as John Patterson
* Kathryn Grant as Ellie Rhodes
* Edward Andrews as Rhett Tanner
* Lenka Peterson as Mary Jo Patterson
* Biff McGuire as Fred Gage
* Truman Smith as Ed Gage
* Jean Carson as Cassie
* Kathy Marlowe as Mamie
* John Larch as Clem Wilson
* Allen Nourse as Jeb Bassett
* Helen Martin as Helen Ward
* Otto Hulett as Hugh Bentley
* George Mitchell as Hugh Britton
* Ma Beachie as Herself

Critical reception

When the film was released in 1955, Bosley Crowther gave the film a positive review, writing, Cquote|In a style of dramatic documentation that is as sharp and sure as was that of "On the Waterfront" — or, for a more appropriate comparison, that of the memorable "All the King's Men" — scriptwriters Crane Wilbur and Dan Mainwaring and director Phil Karlson expose the raw tissue of corruption and terrorism in an American city that is steeped in vice. They catch in slashing, searching glimpses the shrewd chicanery of evil men, the callousness and baseness of their puppets and the dread and silence of local citizens. And, through a series of excellent performances, topped by that of John McIntyre as the eventually martyred crusader, they show the sinew and the bone of those who strive for decent things. [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B07E7DE113AE53BBC4B53DFBF66838E649EDE Crowther, Bosley] . "The New York Times," film review, "Sin in the South; "The Phenix City Story" Has Debut at State," September 3, 1955. Last accessed: February 23, 2008.]

Film critic Bruce Eder wrote, Cquote|One of the most violent and realistic crime films of the 1950s, "The Phenix City Story" pulses with the bracing energy of actual life captured on the screen in its establishing shots and key scenes, and punctuates that background with explosively filmed action scenes. Director Phil Karlson showed just how good he was at merging well-told screen drama with vivid verisimilitude, and leaving no seams to show where they joined. Filmed on location in Alabama with a documentary-like look, the movie captured the ambiance and tenor of its Deep South setting better than almost any other fact-based movie of its era. [ Eder, Bruce. amg movie|id=1:106039|title=The Phenix City Story.]

References

External links

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* [http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2008/05/phenix-city-story-1955.html Film Noir of the Week]
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