Riffraff (1947)A plane takes off from Peru (in a long no-dialogue scene) in a storm with two passengers; it lands in Panama with one. The missing man had valuable oil-location maps; everyone who is after ... See full summary » Director:Ted TetzlaffWriter:Martin Rackin |
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Title: Riffraff (1947)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Pat O'Brien | ... |
Dan Hammer
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| Anne Jeffreys | ... |
Maxine Manning
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Walter Slezak | ... |
Eric Molinar
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Percy Kilbride | ... |
Pop
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Jerome Cowan | ... |
Walter Gredson
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George Givot | ... |
Major Rues
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Jason Robards Sr. | ... |
Mr. Domingues
(as Jason Robards)
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Marc Krah | ... |
Charles Hasso
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A plane takes off from Peru (in a long no-dialogue scene) in a storm with two passengers; it lands in Panama with one. The missing man had valuable oil-location maps; everyone who is after them must deal with Dan Hammer, combination private eye, agent, and con man, who can "fix" anything for a fee. Nightclub singer Maxine is on Dan's side... or is she? The rest is lighthearted, white-suited tropical intrigue. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Certificate:
ApprovedParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 September 1947 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Riff-Raff See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Bar proprietor: You shouldn't do that, Mr. Hammer. It gives the place a bad reputation.
Dan Hammer: You mean a worse reputation.
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(uncredited)
Written by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney
Performed by Anne Jeffreys and backups
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Did You Know?
Quotes
[Hammer, annoyed with a bar hustler, sends him crashing into a table]Bar proprietor: You shouldn't do that, Mr. Hammer. It gives the place a bad reputation.
Dan Hammer: You mean a worse reputation.
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Soundtracks
"MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL"(uncredited)
Written by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney
Performed by Anne Jeffreys and backups
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Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffries and Walter Slezak star in "Riffraff," a 1947 noir from RKO. The film has some excellent qualities, one of which is the dazzling cinematography by George Diskant. This is shown to greatest effect in the very beginning of the film, which shows a cargo plane flying into Peru during a big storm.
There are two passengers on the plane, but only one, Hasso (Marc Krah) lands with the plane. Hasso finds an operative in the Canal Zone, Dan Hammer (O'Brien) and hires him for protection. Then Hammer is hired by an oil company to find a map which apparently his other client has. Hasso winds up dead fairly quickly, and a sinister man (Walter Slezak) shows up looking for the map. And he doesn't care how he gets it. Hammer, his driver (Percy Kilbride) and a singer (Anne Jeffreys) all try to find the map. The audience has always known where it is.
Very well directed by Ted Tetzlaff, Riffraff has a great atmosphere despite being filmed on RKO's back lot. The performances for the most part are excellent, except that for me, Pat O'Brien has never really been a leading man. Here he's tough but tired, and miscast. Anne Jeffreys is stunning (as she remains today), and Walter Slezak is vicious.
The end of the film is very effective. Some good touches here, worth seeing.