Shoot to Kill (1947 film)
| Shoot to Kill | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William Berke |
| Produced by | William Berke |
| Screenplay by | Edwin V. Westrate |
| Starring |
Robert Kent Luana Walters Edmund MacDonald |
| Music by |
Darrell Calker Gene Rodgers |
| Cinematography | Benjamin H. Kline |
| Edited by | Arthur A. Brooks |
Production company |
Robert L. Lippert Productions |
| Distributed by | Screen Guild Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 64 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Shoot to Kill, also known as Police Reporter is a 1947 American film noir directed by William Berke, and stars Robert Kent, Luana Walters, Edmund MacDonald and Russell Wade.[1]
Plot
Being pursued by police cars, a fleeing motor vehicle crashes off the side of the road. The survivor relates the events that preceded the chase in flashback format. A former gangster is framed by a corrupt district attorney. With his wife and an investigative reporter, he gathers proof of his innocence in hopes of clearing his name.
Cast
- Robert Kent as former gangster "Dixie" Logan aka Judge Joel Conroy
- Luana Walters as Logan's wife, Marian Logan
- Edmund MacDonald as the corrupt DA, Lawrence Dale
- Russell Wade as investigative reporter George "Mitch" Mitchell
- Vince Barnett as Charlie Gill
- Nestor Paiva as Gus Miller
- Charles Trowbridge as District Attorney John Forsythe
- Harry Brown as Jim Forman
- Ted Hecht as Al Collins
- Harry Cheshire as Mike Blake
- Joe Devlin as Smokey, Man Tailing Dale
- Eddie Foster as Bingo, Man Tailing Dale
- Frank O'Connor as Deputy Clem Sparks
- Sammy Stein as Blackie
- Robert Riordan as Ed Carter
- Gene Rodgers as Piano Player
Reception
Critical response
When the film was release The New York Times panned the film, writing, "Screeching tires and the barking of guns are the chief sound effects in Shoot to Kill, an all-around amateurish job of movie-making which found its way into the Rialto yesterday. An outfit called Screen Guild Productions is responsible for this dilly about an assistant district attorney who double-crosses all his racketeer pals and winds up his career on a slab in the morgue. William Berke as the director-producer did not get anything resembling a performance, much less characterization, out of his players, chief of whom are Russell Wade, Susan Walters, Edmund MacDonald and Douglas Blackley."[2]
Soundtrack
Gene Rodgers appears on screen performing two of his own compositions: "Ballad of the Bayou" and "Rajah's Blues"; the film's score was provided by Darrell Calker.
References
- ↑ Shoot to Kill at the Internet Movie Database.
- ↑ The New York Times, film review, May 17, 1947. Accessed: July 13, 2013.
External links
- Shoot to Kill at the Internet Movie Database
- Shoot to Kill at AllMovie
- Shoot to Kill at the TCM Movie Database
- Shoot to Kill is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Shoot to Kill complete film on YouTube