Posted by Solomon on 7/15/2019, 12:57 pm
Everything I would have said is already in this review: https://filmnoirboard.blogspot.com/2015/11/big-house-usa-1955.html
I watched a fine widescreen print from Kino Lorber. The story is much tougher than I remembered it. It is for adults only. Felicia Farr as a blonde is credited as Randy Farr. This is not a noir that gets much play. Filmed partly at Royal Gorge, Colorado, one car bears a decal of Canon City, which was the title to a previous noir of the same type from 1948,. Both have narration by an authority.
Three years later, Broderick Crawford would play a similar murderous man in "The Decks Ran Red". a seagoing noir. Bronson in this movie left behind him the Buchinsky moniker. Ralph Meeker plays an interesting loner nicknamed the Iceman, not a killer but into extortion, but an impassive character. Lon Chaney and William Talman fill out the 5 main criminals. Roy Roberts and Reed Hadley are park ranger and FBI agent, respectively.
Re: Big House USA (1955) 83m
Posted by Mike Kuhns on 7/15/2019, 5:18 pm, in reply to "Big House USA (1955) 83m"
I purchased the Blu-Ray. I've always liked this movie. First saw it as part of a matinee twin bill in 1955 when I was a wee lad.
Added material follows...
Here's a list from the site that Mike linked to in his review of BIG HOUSE USA, as compiled by Eric Somer--who's still active in at the Film Noir Board, albeit at a more limited level than in the past. This captures a ranking of 225 American noirs, and it would be interesting to (eventually) compare it to the old Noir Top 25 list, which due to the constraints of the voting structure produced roughly about the same number of titles as what Somer has currently in his list. Note that Somer has some quirks: he's not averse to listing Hitchcock films as noir (and has SHADOW OF A DOUBT and NOTORIOUS highly ranked) but has left VERTIGO off his list entirely. There are other rankings that may seem more than a bit confounding (a preference for T-MEN over RAW DEAL, for example) but we will leave you to find those on your own. Given his write-up of BIG HOUSE USA, it's a bit surprising to see it ranked so low. And apparently his antipathy for LADY IN THE LAKE assures that it will reside at the bottom of his list no matter how many titles ultimately end up in his rankings!
The list follows below:
Rank:, Title:, Year:, Director:
1, Double Indemnity, 1944, Billy Wilder
2, Scarlet Street, 1945, Fritz Lang
3, Gun Crazy, 1950, Joseph H. Lewis
4, The Big Heat, 1953, Fritz Lang
5, Sunset Boulevard, 1950, Billy Wilder
6, The Maltese Falcon, 1941, John Huston
7, In a Lonely Place, 1950, Nicholas Ray
8, Touch of Evil, 1958, Orson Welles
9, Mildred Pierce, 1945, Michael Curtiz
10, Ace in the Hole, 1951, Billy Wilder
11, Shadow of a Doubt, 1943, Alfred Hitchcock
12, The Night of the Hunter, 1955, Charles Laughton
13, Strangers on a Train, 1951, Alfred Hitchcock
14, Night and the City, 1950, Jules Dassin
15, Notorious, 1946, Alfred Hitchcock
16, The Asphalt Jungle, 1950, John Huston
17, Nightmare Alley, 1947, Edmund Goulding
18, Where the Sidewalk Ends, 1950, Otto Preminger
19, The Stranger, 1946, Orson Welles
20, The Big Sleep, 1946, Howard Hawks
21, Gilda, 1946, Charles Vidor
22, Kiss Me Deadly, 1955, Robert Aldrich
23, White Heat, 1949, Raoul Walsh
24, The Killing, 1956, Stanley Kubrick
25, Murder, My Sweet, 1944, Edward Dmytryk
26, Pickup on South Street, 1953, Samuel Fuller
27, Out of the Past, 1947, Jacques Tourneur
28, The Window, 1949, Ted Tetzlaff
29, Sweet Smell of Success, 1957, Alexander Mackendrick
30, The Prowler, 1951, Joseph Losey
31, On Dangerous Ground, 1952, Nicholas Ray
32, The Lineup, 1958, Don Siegel
33, The Sniper, 1952, Edward Dmytryk
34, The Big Combo, 1955, Joseph H. Lewis
35, Body and Soul, 1947, Robert Rossen
36, Key Largo, 1948, John Huston
37, Laura, 1944, Otto Preminger
38, The Lady from Shanghai, 1947, Orson Welles
39, Sudden Fear, 1952, David Miller
40, Panic in the Streets, 1950, Elia Kazan
41, The Big Clock, 1948, John Farrow
42, The Killers, 1946, Robert Siodmak
43, This Gun for Hire, 1942, Frank Tuttle
44, Brute Force, 1947, Jules Dassin
45, Whirlpool, 1949, Otto Preminger
46, Nightfall, 1957, Jacques Tourneur
47, Angel Face, 1952, Otto Preminger
48, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, 1946, Lewis Milestone
49, Sorry, Wrong Number, 1948, Anatole Litvak
50, Criss Cross, 1949, Robert Siodmak
51, Phantom Lady, 1944, Robert Siodmak
52, Detour, 1945, Edgar G. Ulmer
53, T-Men, 1947, Anthony Mann
54, The Glass Key, 1942, Stuart Heisler
55, Border Incident, 1949, Anthony Mann
56, Crossfire, 1947, Edward Dmytryk
57, No Way Out, 1950, Joseph L. Mankiewicz
58, Illegal, 1955, Lewis Allen
59, New York Confidential, 1955, Russell Rouse
60, Ride the Pink Horse, 1947, Robert Montgomery
61, Odds Against Tomorrow, 1959, Robert Wise
62, Nora Prentiss, 1947, Vincent Sherman
63, Kiss of Death, 1947, Henry Hathaway
64, High Sierra, 1941, Raoul Walsh
65, City of Fear, 1959, Irving Lerner
66, Cat People, 1942, Jacques Tourneur
67, I Walked with a Zombie, 1943, Jacques Tourneur
68, They Won't Believe Me, 1947, Irving Pichel
69, Pushover, 1954, Richard Quine
70, Walk Softly, Stranger, 1950, Robert Stevenson
71, Act of Violence, 1948, Fred Zinnemann
72, The Racket, 1951, John Cromwell
73, Hell's Half Acre, 1954, John H. Auer
74, Chicago Calling, 1951, John Reinhardt
75, Mystery Street, 1950, John Sturges
76, Caged, 1950, John Cromwell
77, Kansas City Confidential, 1952, Phil Karlson
78, D.O.A., 1950, Rudolph Maté
79, Road House, 1948, Jean Negulesco
80, Too Late for Tears, 1949, Byron Haskin
81, The Narrow Margin, 1952, Richard Fleischer
82, The Devil Thumbs a Ride, 1947, Felix E. Feist
83, Thieves' Highway, 1949, Jules Dassin
84, The Chase, 1946, Arthur Ripley
85, Cape Fear, 1962, J. Lee Thompson
86, The Blue Dahlia, 1946, George Marshall
87, Scandal Sheet, 1952, Phil Karlson
88, Suddenly, 1954, Lewis Allen
89, The Blue Gardenia, 1953, Fritz Lang
90, Fallen Angel, 1945, Otto Preminger
91, Alias Nick Beal, 1949, John Farrow
92, Conflict, 1945, Curtis Bernhardt
93, City That Never Sleeps, 1953, John H. Auer
94, Shock, 1946, Alfred L. Werker
95, 99 River Street, 1953, Phil Karlson
96, They Live by Night, 1948, Nicholas Ray
97, The Seventh Victim, 1943, Mark Robson
98, Cry of the City, 1948, Robert Siodmak
99, High Wall, 1947, Curtis Bernhardt
100, The Phenix City Story, 1955, Phil Karlson
101, The File on Thelma Jordon, 1950, Robert Siodmak
102, Roadblock, 1951, Harold Daniels
103, The Set-Up, 1949, Robert Wise
104, Leave Her to Heaven, 1945, John M. Stahl
105, The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946, Tay Garnett
106, 711 Ocean Drive, 1950, Joseph M. Newman
107, Without Warning!, 1952, Arnold Laven
108, He Walked by Night, 1948, Alfred L. Werker
109, Possessed, 1947, Curtis Bernhardt
110, The Woman in the Window, 1944, Fritz Lang
111, Raw Deal, 1948, Anthony Mann
112, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, 1948, Norman Foster
113, Tomorrow Is Another Day, 1951, Felix E. Feist
114, Try and Get Me!, 1950, Cy Endfield
115, So Evil My Love, 1948, Lewis Allen
116, The Dark Corner, 1946, Henry Hathaway
117, The Threat, 1949, Felix E. Feist
118, He Ran All the Way, 1951, John Berry
119, The Enforcer, 1951, Bretaigne Windust
120, Impact, 1949, Arthur Lubin
121, The Hitch-Hiker, 1953, Ida Lupino
122, Born to Kill, 1947, Robert Wise
123, Dark City, 1950, William Dieterle
124, The Locket, 1946, John Brahm
125, Cornered, 1945, Edward Dmytryk
126, The Underworld Story, 1950, Cy Endfield
127, Hoodlum Empire, 1952, Joseph Kane
128, Union Station, 1950, Rudolph Maté
129, Cry Vengeance, 1954, Mark Stevens
130, Hollow Triumph, 1948, Steve Sekely
131, Pitfall, 1948, André De Toth
132, The Naked City, 1948, Jules Dassin
133, Blast of Silence, 1961, Allen Baron
134, Among the Living, 1941, Stuart Heisler
135, Woman in Hiding, 1950, Michael Gordon
136, Desperate, 1947, Anthony Mann
137, Cry Danger, 1951, Robert Parrish
138, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, 1956, Fritz Lang
139, Bodyguard, 1948, Richard Fleischer
140, The Reckless Moment, 1949, Max Ophüls
141, Johnny O'Clock, 1947, Robert Rossen
142, My Name Is Julia Ross, 1945, Joseph H. Lewis
143, The Suspect, 1944, Robert Siodmak
144, The Man Who Cheated Himself, 1950, Felix E. Feist
145, Moonrise, 1948, Frank Borzage
146, Hangover Square, 1945, John Brahm
147, A Kiss Before Dying, 1956, Gerd Oswald
148, Cause for Alarm!, 1951, Tay Garnett
149, Side Street, 1949, Anthony Mann
150, Appointment with Danger, 1951, Lewis Allen
151, Caught, 1949, Max Ophüls
152, Crime Wave, 1954, André De Toth
153, Ministry of Fear, 1944, Fritz Lang
154, Human Desire, 1954, Fritz Lang
155, The Damned Don't Cry, 1950, Vincent Sherman
156, Detective Story, 1951, William Wyler
157, High Tide, 1947, John Reinhardt
158, The Brothers Rico, 1957, Phil Karlson
159, Tension, 1949, John Berry
160, The Killer Is Loose, 1956, Budd Boetticher
161, The Dark Mirror, 1946, Robert Siodmak
162, Hell Bound, 1957, William J. Hole Jr.
163, Quicksand, 1950, Irving Pichel
164, I Walk Alone, 1947, Byron Haskin
165, The Killer That Stalked New York, 1950, Earl McEvoy
166, The Web, 1947, Michael Gordon
167, The Street with No Name, 1948, William Keighley
168, Female on the Beach, 1955, Joseph Pevney
169, The Woman on the Beach, 1947, Jean Renoir
170, The Las Vegas Story, 1952, Robert Stevenson
171, The Desperate Hours, 1955, William Wyler
172, Split Second, 1953, Dick Powell
173, Storm Fear, 1955, Cornel Wilde
174, Pursued, 1947, Raoul Walsh
175, Decoy, 1946, Jack Bernhard
176, Night Editor, 1946, Henry Levin
177, Trapped, 1949, Richard Fleischer
178, Where Danger Lives, 1950, John Farrow
179, Railroaded!, 1947, Anthony Mann
180, Follow Me Quietly, 1949, Richard Fleischer
181, Destiny, 1944, Reginald Le Borg
182, Strange Impersonation, 1946, Anthony Mann
183, Woman on the Run, 1950, Norman Foster
184, Private Hell 36, 1954, Don Siegel
185, Armored Car Robbery, 1950, Richard Fleischer
186, Shack Out on 101, 1955, Edward Dein
187, The Crooked Way, 1949, Robert Florey
188, The Lady Gambles, 1949, Michael Gordon
189, I Want to Live!, 1958, Robert Wise
190, Murder by Contract, 1958, Irving Lerner
191, Danger Signal, 1945, Robert Florey
192, The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry, 1945, Robert Siodmak
193, Big House, U.S.A., 1955, Howard W. Koch
194, Flesh and Fantasy, 1943, Julien Duvivier
195, Strangers in the Night, 1944, Anthony Mann
196, Abandoned, 1949, Joseph M. Newman
197, Killer's Kiss, 1955, Stanley Kubrick
198, Shield for Murder, 1954, Howard W. Koch, Edmond O'Brien
199, Clash by Night, 1952, Fritz Lang
200, Southside 1-1000, 1950, Boris Ingster
201, The Price of Fear, 1956, Abner Biberman
202, Murder Is My Beat, 1955, Edgar G. Ulmer
203, Dark Passage, 1947, Delmer Daves
204, When Strangers Marry, 1944, William Castle
205, Dial 1119, 1950, Gerald Mayer
206, Portrait of Jennie, 1948, William Dieterle
207, Deadline - U.S.A., 1952, Richard Brooks
208, 5 Against the House, 1955, Phil Karlson
209, Boomerang!, 1947, Elia Kazan
210, Black Angel, 1946, Roy William Neill
211, New Orleans Uncensored, 1955, William Castle
212, Hollywood Story, 1951, William Castle
213, I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes, 1948, William Nigh
214, M, 1951, Joseph Losey
215, A Woman's Secret, 1949, Nicholas Ray
216, The Tattooed Stranger, 1950, Edward Montagne
217, The Sleeping City, 1950, George Sherman
218, The Guilty, 1947, John Reinhardt
219, His Kind of Woman, 1951, John Farrow
220, Hidden Fear, 1957, André De Toth
221, Fall Guy, 1947, Reginald Le Borg
222, Born to Be Bad, 1950, Nicholas Ray
223, The Big Steal, 1949, Don Siegel
224, Blonde Ice, 1948, Jack Bernhard
225, Lady in the Lake, 1947, Robert Montgomery
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