The "auteurs of Republic film noir"...
Posted by Don Malcolm on 1/30/2021, 8:04 am
I've spent some dollops of spare time on Mike's Republic Pictures film noir list to add details for creating a "bathtub gin" resource for those who might want to either locate the more interesting lesser-known titles, or consider creating a film festival that captures the overall best of the studio's output in noir (and noir westerns) over the twenty-year period covered by the list.
I also wanted to capture IMDB commentary about the films, which would be the next compilation to follow. It turns out that our man Gord Gates is not the most prolific reviewer of Republic noirs, though he is solidly represented within that community. (We'll show a separate list of the films Gord has reviewed at the end of the post.) With this list in hand, I'll eventually compile several posts that bring over reviews from Gord and some of the other prolific reviewers of Republic noirs fro IMDB, such as Mark Waltz...it will make for a nice, convenient compendium of info and should provide a shortcut for those who want to get to the best of Republic's noir/noir western output.
I've organized this list by director (caveat: the sort is by first name, not last name) to confirm Gord's identification of several Republic "auteurs" in this area.
Films that are marked with a dagger (†) are films available for viewing on Amazon Prime (some for free, some for a fairly nominal charge).
What's also included here is info indicating a review by Gord (GG), the film's running time (Time), the number of IMBD reviews (IMDB) and the IMDB rating (Rating).
TITLE, Year, Director, GG, Time, IMDB, Rating
Raiders of Old California †, 1957, Albert C. Gannaway,, 72, 8, 5.6
*Man or Gun, 1958, Albert C. Gannaway,, 79, 6, 5.9
No Place to Land, 1958, Albert C. Gannaway,, 77, 9, 4.8
The Inside Story, 1948, Allan Dwan,, 87, 5, 6.8
Surrender, 1950, Allan Dwan,, 90, 2, 6.2
Woman They Almost Lynched, 1953, Allan Dwan,, 90, 7, 6.6
Strangers in the Night, 1944, Anthony Mann,, 56, 14, 6.4
The Great Flamarion †, 1945, Anthony Mann,, 78, 32, 6.6
Strange Impersonation †, 1946, Anthony Mann,, 68, 21, 6.4
Hidden Homicide, 1959, Anthony Young,, 81, 10, 5.8
The Strange Case of Dr. Manning, 1958, Arthur Crabtree,, 75, 2, 4.9
Specter of the Rose, 1946, Ben Hecht,, 90, 21, 6.0
Bullfighter and the Lady, 1951, Budd Boetticher,, 87, 11, 6.7
*Scandal Incorporated, 1956, Edward Mann,, 79, 1, 3.9
Moonrise †, 1948, Frank Borzage,, 90, 42, 7.1
The Shanghai Story, 1954, Frank Lloyd,, 90, 5, 5.8
*The Traitor Within, 1942, Frank McDonald,, 62, 1, NA
*The Chicago Kid, 1945, Frank McDonald,, 68, 0, 6.5
No Man’s Woman, 1955, Franklin Adreon,, 70, 15, 6.3
The Man is Armed, 1956, Franklin Adreon, x, 70, 7, 6.1
Terror at Midnight, 1956, Franklin Adreon,, 70, 1, 6.5
House by the River, 1950, Fritz Lang,, 83, 45, 7.1
Girls of the Big House, 1945, George Archainbaud,, 68, 2, 5.5
End of the Road, 1944, George Blair,, 51, 2, 5.7
Secrets of Scotland Yard, 1944, George Blair,, 68, 2, 6.1
*Silent Partner, 1944, George Blair,, 56, 0, NA
*Gangs of the Waterfront, 1945, George Blair, x, 54, 2, 6.2
Exposed, 1947, George Blair, x, 59, 8, 5.8
The Trespasser, 1947, George Blair,, 71, 3, 6.2
Homicide for Three, 1948, George Blair,, 60, 4, 5.4
King of the Gamblers, 1948, George Blair,, 60, 0, NA
Madonna of the Desert, 1948, George Blair,, 60, 5, 6.5
Alias the Champ, 1949, George Blair,, 60, 4, 6.2
*Flaming Fury, 1949, George Blair,, 60, 1, 7.3
Post Office Investigator, 1949, George Blair, x, 60, 2, 5.8
Streets of San Francisco, 1949, George Blair,, 60, 2, 5.9
Federal Agent at Large, 1950, George Blair, x, 60, 3, 5.9
Destination Big House, 1950, George Blair,, 60, 1, 6.9
Lonely Heart Bandits, 1950, George Blair, x, 60, 3, 6.6
Unmasked, 1950, George Blair,, 60, 3, 6.5
Women from Headquarters, 1950, George Blair, x, 60, 2, 5.3
Insurance Investigator, 1951, George Blair, x, 60, 5, 6.3
Secrets of Monte Carlo, 1951, George Blair, x, 60, 1, 5.4
*Woman in the Dark, 1952, George Blair, x, 60, 2, 6.1
X Marks the Spot †, 1942, George Sherman,, 55, 13, 5.3
London Blackout Murders, 1943, George Sherman,, 59, 9, 5.9
*The Mantrap, 1943, George Sherman,, 57, 4, 6.7
A Scream in the Dark, 1943, George Sherman,, 55, 8, 6.2
Storm Over Lisbon †, 1944, George Sherman,, 86, 2, 6.0
Jealousy, 1945, Gustav Machary,, 71, 6, 6.6
The Blonde Bandit, 1950, Harry Keller,, 60, 3, 6.7
Tarnished, 1950, Harry Keller,, 60, 2, 6.2
Whispering Footsteps, 1943, Howard Bretherton,, 54, 10, 6.0
The Girl Who Dared, 1944, Howard Bretherton, x, 56, 11, 6.0
OSS 117 Is Not Dead, 1957, Jean Sacha,, 80, 2, 5.8
Port of 40 Thieves, 1944, John English, x, 58, 6, 6.5
*Behind City Lights, 1945, John English,, 68, 1, NA
*Grissly’s Millions, 1945, John English, x, 71, 4, 6.8
Murder in the Music Hall, 1946, John English,, 84, 9, 6.0
The Devil Pays Off, 1941, John H. Auer,, 70, 2, 5.5
A Man Betrayed, 1941, John H. Auer,, 82, 16, 6.1
The Flame †, 1947, John H. Auer,, 97, 6, 6.6
I, Jane Doe †, 1948, John H. Auer,, 85, 2, 7.2
City That Never Sleeps, 1953, John H. Auer,, 90, 37, 6.8
Hell’s Half Acre, 1954, John H. Auer,, 90, 14, 6.2
Hoodlum Empire, 1952, Joseph Kane,, 98, 8, 5.9
Hell’s Outpost, 1954, Joseph Kane,, 90, 4, 5.9
Accused of Murder †, 1956, Joseph Kane, x, 74, 9, 5.8
The Crooked Circle, 1957, Joseph Kane, x, 72, 3, 7.4
The Man Who Died Twice, 1958, Joseph Kane,, 70, 6, 6.0
*The Notorious Mr. Monks, 1958, Joseph Kane,, 70, 3, 6.3
*Behind the News, 1940, Joseph Santley,, 75, 2, 5.1
Man from Tangier, 1957, Lance Comfort,, 66, 9, 4.9
The Fatal Witness, 1945, Lesley Selander,, 65, 7, 6.1
*Three's a Crowd, 1945, Lesley Selander,, 58, 2, 5.5
The Catman of Paris, 1946, Lesley Selander,, 65, 12, 5.5
Passkey to Danger, 1946, Lesley Selander, x, 58, 5, 5.9
Traffic in Crime, 1946, Lesley Selander,, 56, 1, 5.8
Blackmail, 1947, Lesley Selander,, 67, 8, 5.9
*The Wayward Girl, 1957, Lesley Selander,, 71, 2, 7.0
The Showdown, 1950, McGowan brothers,, 86, 11, 6.7
Scotland Yard Dragnet, 1958, Montgomery Tully,, 73, 10, 6.0
Johnny Guitar, 1954, Nicholas Ray,, 110, 127, 7.7
*Road to Alcatraz, 1945, Nick Grinde,, 60, 0, NA
Macbeth, 1948, Orson Welles,, 107, 54, 7.5
A Woman’s Devotion †, 1956, Paul Henreid,, 88, 5, 6.4
The Crooked Road, 1940, Phil Rosen,, 66, 6, 6.7
The Tiger Woman, 1945, Philip Ford, x, 57, 7, 6.6
*Crime of the Century, 1946, Philip Ford,, 56, 3, 6.3
The Inner Circle, 1946, Philip Ford,, 57, 21, 6.1
*The Invisible Informer, 1946, Philip Ford,, 57, 0, 7.4
The Last Crooked Mile †, 1946, Philip Ford,, 67, 6, 6.4
The Mysterious Mr. Valentine, 1946, Philip Ford,, 56, 6, 6.3
*Web of Danger, 1947, Philip Ford,, 58, 2, 6.0
Train to Alcatraz, 1948, Philip Ford,, 60, 3, 6.6
Hideout, 1949, Philip Ford, x, 61, 6, 6.2
Trial Without Jury, 1950, Philip Ford,, 60, 3, 6.0
Missing Women, 1951, Philip Ford, x, 60, 3, 6.6
*Angel in Exile, 1948, Philip Ford/Allan Dwan,, 90, 4, 6.4
Out of the Storm, 1948, R. G. Springsteen,, 61, 2, 6.0
Secret Service Investigator, 1948, R. G. Springsteen,, 60, 1, 6.2
The Red Menace, 1949, R. G. Springsteen,, 81, 9, 5.0
Harbor of Missing Men, 1950, R. G. Springsteen, x, 60, 4, 6.3
Million Dollar Pursuit, 1951, R. G. Springsteen,, 60, 3, 6.1
Street Bandits, 1951, R. G. Springsteen, x, 54, 1, 6.4
Double Jeopardy, 1955, R. G. Springsteen,, 70, 5, 6.3
I Cover the Underworld, 1955, R. G. Springsteen,, 70, 0, 5.8
Secret Venture, 1955, R. G. Springsteen,, 70, 2, 5.9
Track the Man Down, 1955, R. G. Springsteen,, 75, 4, 5.9
Affair in Reno, 1956, R. G. Springsteen,, 75, 3, 6.8
When Gangland Strikes, 1956, R. G. Springsteen,, 70, 4, 6.0
Lisbon, 1956, Ray Milland,, 90, 16, 5.9
*Street of Darkness, 1958, Robert G. Walker,, 60, 0, NA
Lady Possessed, 1952, Roy Kellino, William Spier, 87, 2, 6.0
The Undercover Woman, 1946, Thomas Carr,, 56, 3, 6.3
The Weapon, 1957, Val Guest,, 77, 6, 6.3
The Glass Alibi, 1946, W. Lee Wilder,, 68, 3, 6.4
The Pretender, 1947, W. Lee Wilder,, 69, 10, 6.5
Identity Unknown †, 1945, Walter Colmes,, 71, 10, 6.1
Woman Who Came Back, 1945, Walter Colmes,, 68, 16, 6.0
The French Key, 1946, Walter Colmes,, 64, 3, 6.3
Make Haste to Live †, 1954, Willam A. Seiter,, 90, 10, 6.0
Adventures of Captain Fabian, 1951, William Marshall,, 100, 11, 5.6
Mr. District Attorney, 1941, William Morgan,, 69, 6, 6.3
*Secrets of the Underground, 1942, William Morgan,, 70, 0, 6.7
The Madonna’s Secret, 1946, William Thiele, x, 79, 14, 6.5
City of Shadows, 1955, William Witney,, 70, 5, 5.5
Headline Hunters, 1955, William Witney,, 70, 3, 4.6
A Strange Adventure, 1956, William Witney,, 70, 7, 5.4
Juvenile Jungle, 1958, William Witney,, 69, 5, 6.2
Young and Wild, 1958, William Witney,, 69, 4, 6.0
As it's not easy in this format to pick out the films that Gord has reviewed, here's a breakout of the above data that lists only those films where there is a Gord review at IMDB. This list is in chronological order and not by director:
TITLE, Year, Director, GG, Time, IMDB, Rating
The Girl Who Dared, 1944, Howard Bretherton, x, 56, 11, 6.0
Port of 40 Thieves, 1944, John English, x, 58, 6, 6.5
*Gangs of the Waterfront, 1945, George Blair, x, 54, 2, 6.2
*Grissly’s Millions, 1945, John English, x, 71, 4, 6.8
The Tiger Woman, 1945, Philip Ford, x, 57, 7, 6.6
The Madonna’s Secret, 1946, William Thiele, x, 79, 14, 6.5
Passkey to Danger, 1946, Lesley Selander, x, 58, 5, 5.9
Exposed, 1947, George Blair, x, 59, 8, 5.8
Hideout, 1949, Philip Ford, x, 61, 6, 6.2
Post Office Investigator, 1949, George Blair, x, 60, 2, 5.8
Federal Agent at Large, 1950, George Blair, x, 60, 3, 5.9
Harbor of Missing Men, 1950, R. G. Springsteen, x, 60, 4, 6.3
Lonely Heart Bandits, 1950, George Blair, x, 60, 3, 6.6
Women from Headquarters, 1950, George Blair, x, 60, 2, 5.3
Insurance Investigator, 1951, George Blair, x, 60, 5, 6.3
Missing Women, 1951, Philip Ford, x, 60, 3, 6.6
Secrets of Monte Carlo, 1951, George Blair, x, 60, 1, 5.4
Street Bandits, 1951, R. G. Springsteen, x, 54, 1, 6.4
*Woman in the Dark, 1952, George Blair, x, 60, 2, 6.1
Accused of Murder †, 1956, Joseph Kane, x, 74, 9, 5.8
The Man is Armed, 1956, Franklin Adreon, x, 70, 7, 6.1
The Crooked Circle, 1957, Joseph Kane, x, 72, 3, 7.4
More on this (per the notions discussed at the top of the post) to come...
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