Roses Are Red (1947)

This script rode in right off of the range that had been ridden at least twice by Tim McCoy at Columbia. Writer Elmam did little other than moving it from a Western to a big-town Eastern. ... See full summary »

Director:

James Tinling

Writer:

Irving Elman

Stars:

Don Castle, Peggy Knudsen, Patricia Knight

Cast

Cast overview:
Don Castle	...	Robert A. Thorne / Don Carney
Peggy Knudsen	...	Martha McCormack
Patricia Knight	...	Jill Carney
Joe Sawyer	...	Police Lt. Rocky Wall
Edward Keane	...	Jim Locke
Jeff Chandler	...	John Jones aka The Knuckle
Charles McGraw	...	Duke Arno
Charles Lane	...	Lipton
Paul Guilfoyle	...	George 'Buster' Cooley
Douglas Fowley	...	Ace Oliver (as Doug Fowley)
James Arness	...	Ray (as James Aurness)

Storyline

This script rode in right off of the range that had been ridden at least twice by Tim McCoy at Columbia. Writer Elmam did little other than moving it from a Western to a big-town Eastern. Don Castle plays a newly-elected district attorney but, just before he takes office, the town's crooked political boss (Edward Keane) has his henchies (including Jeff Chandler)kidnap him with intentions of replacing him with an ex-convict(Don Castle in a dual role) who is his exact double. While the D.A.'s double/replacement is studying his mannerisms where he is being held captive, the D.A. knocks out the double, takes his clothes and manages to fool the gang boss into thinking he is the ex-con. The henchies then kill the ex-con thinking he is the D.A. The latter continues to impersonate his double until he has set and sprung the trap on the gang boss and his minions. Peggy Knudsen plays the D.A's. fiance, Patricia Knight the wife of the ex-con and Joe Sawyer pops up as a crooked police official.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1947 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sol M. Wurtzel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

A ridiculous plot that worked!

As the credits rolled, I noticed that this cheap film managed to have a rather interesting supporting cast. The likes of James Arness, Joe Sawyer, Jeff Chandler, Charles McGrawm Paul Guilfoyle and Charles Lane all appear in this movie--several of these before they went onto become stars.

The plot of "Roses Are Red" is dumb. It all rests on the clichéd idea that there are two identical strangers--one a crusading District Attorney and the other a crook! When you see this in the film, resist the urge to stop watching. That's because despite this, the filmmakers and actors did a great job in carrying off this silly idea. As far as the actors go, I really liked Joe Sawyer in his slimy cop role but no-name actor Don Castle also deserves kudos for being able to pull off the dual roles as the DA/crook. I won't tell you what happens next--it would spoil the fun--and this film noir movie is fun. If you don't believe me, get a load of some of the snappy dialog:

"No matter how you slice her, she can't be any deader!"

(after the cops look through a murder victim's purse and count her money--"...looks like her next ride will be on the city..."