Scene of the Crime (1949)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Roy Rowland

Writers:

John Bartlow Martin (story)
Charles Schnee (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 July 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Plot:

Homicide detective Mike Conovan investigates the shooting of fellow detective Monigan...who apparrently was moonlighting as guard for a bookie...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Detective | Slang | Bookie | Homicide

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Van Johnson	...	Mike Conovan
Arlene Dahl	...	Gloria Conovan
Gloria DeHaven	...	Lili
Tom Drake	...	Det. 'C.C.' Gordon
Leon Ames	...	Capt. A.C. Forster
John McIntire	...	Det. Fred Piper
Donald Woods	...	Bob Herkimer
Norman Lloyd	...	Sleeper
Jerome Cowan	...	Arthur Webson
Tom Powers	...	Umpire Menafoe
Richard Benedict	...	Turk Kingby
Anthony Caruso	...	Tony Rutzo
Robert Gist	...	P.J. Pontiac
Romo Vincent	...	Hippo
Tom Helmore	...	Norrie Lorfield

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (certificate #13792) | Sweden:15

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

P.J. Pontiac: Lili, a sizzler at the Fol-de-Rol. A figure like champagne and a heart like the cork.

Soundtrack:

I CALL MYSELF A LADY

A Cop Killing In Los Angeles

Van Johnson plays it a lot rougher than usual when cast as a hardboiled police detective in Scene Of The Crime. He's got reason to be hard in this case. A fellow detective has been murdered, shot down in the mean streets of Los Angeles. The victim had a thousand dollars in his pocket and may have been doing some off duty guard duty for some bookmakers. Which would make the cop and incidentally Van's friend a crooked cop.

Which among other things is what Captain Leon Ames wants Van to find out as well as bring in the killer. What Van and his squad uncover is a gang of crooks who are robbing these illegal gambling establishments, be they bookmaking parlors, dice games, poker games, whatever.

This case is the main concern of this film, but Johnson has a whole lot of other things on his plate. A partner, John McIntire, who is slowing up with age, a young detective Tom Drake who is learning the ropes as fast as Van can teach him, and his wife Arlene Dahl who would like very much for her husband to get out of the cop business.

Two other performances really stand out in this film. First Gloria DeHaven as singer/gangster girl friend who's definitely the most hardboiled character in the film. Her reasons for her actions tread into adult areas that the Code frowned on, but are still implied. Secondly Norman Lloyd you will not forget as one of Van's stool pigeons who might just be missing a whole suit in his deck of cards. Lloyd will definitely make your skin crawl.

Scene Of The Crime is a good cop drama, atypical for MGM at that time, but they would soon be doing more of these.