Port of New York (1949)

Director:

Laslo Benedek

Writers:

Eugene Ling (screenplay)
Bert Murray (story)

Release Date:

28 November 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Plot:

Two narcotics agents go after a gang of murderous drug dealers who use ships docking at the New York harbor to smuggle in their contraband.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Ship | Yacht | Nightclub | Gunshot

Cast

Scott Brady	...	Michael 'Mickey' Waters
Richard Rober	...	Jim Flannery
K.T. Stevens	...	Toni Cardell
Yul Brynner	...	Paul Vicola
Arthur Blake	...	Dolly Carney
Lynne Carter	...	Lili Long
John Kellogg	...	Lenny
William Challee	...	Leo Stasser

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #14120) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Canal Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Aubrey Schenck Productions

Trivia:

Feature film debut of Yul Brynner.

Quotes:

Paul Vicola: Tie him up. Mr. Wylie's leaving the boat.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

The Brady Hunch and The Brady Punch

Hi, Everyone, Scott Brady has an idea how to steal a scene from Yul Brynner. Scott Brady has better hair, but Yul has the voice and facial expressions that show he was destined for a big Hollywood career.

This was 7 years before The King and I would make Yul Brynner a bald box office giant. Much of Yul's pleasant killer personality would be used in future bad guy roles such as Westworld, The Ten Commandments and Magnificent Seven. In this 1949 film, Yul seems to enjoy playing cat and mouse with his intended victims. He being the cat, of course.

Scott Brady did an excellent job as the good guy here. Lots of good action scenes with Scott apparently doing his own falls.

The plot basically is the bad guys want to bring one million dollars worth of narcotics into the U.S. One million dollars worth of narcotics today would be a misdemeanor.

This is a joy to watch just for the history. DeSoto Cabs follow Checker Cabs. Grand Central Station is shown during rush hour. Rush hour was anytime in the 1940s. Men's suits looked smart. Neville Brand is seen here shortly after his World War II service ended. He is the guy who is operating the ship's steering wheel in some scenes.

All of New York looks dressed up for a holiday but that is just what people wore in 1949. Good scenes, good plot, good cast.

The guy who plays Dolly Carney does an excellent job. His name was Arthur Blake. Interestingly, Yul Brynner, Scott Brady and Arthur Blake all died in 1985.

This one is worth watching.

Tom Willett