711 Ocean Drive (1950)

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Richard English (writer) and
Francis Swann (writer)

Release Date:

1 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

Expose of the $8,000,000,000 gambling syndicate and its hoodlum empire!

Plot:

A telephone repairman in Los Angeles uses his knowledge of electronics to help a bookie set up a betting operation...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Telephone Repairman | Gambling | Number 7 In Title | Address As Title

Cast

Edmond O'Brien	...	Mal Granger
Joanne Dru	...	Gail Mason
Otto Kruger	...	Carl Stephans
Barry Kelley	...	Vince Walters (as Barry Kelly)
Dorothy Patrick	...	Trudy Maxwell
Don Porter	...	Larry Mason (as Donald Porter)
Howard St. John	...	Lieutenant Pete Wright
Robert Osterloh	...	Gizzi
Sammy White	...	Chippie Evans

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14447) | West Germany:16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Hoover Dam, Arizona-Nevada Border, USA

Company:

Frank Seltzer Productions

Trivia:

"Boulder Dam" is actually Hoover Dam. Congress authorized the Boulder Canyon Dam Project in 1931 and, it being traditional to name big federal dam projects after the sitting President, named it Hoover Dam. Franklin Roosevelt defeated Hoover in 1932 but could not officially change the name set by Congress. Harold Ickes (FDR's Interior Secretary) however issued a memo directing that his employees "...will refer to the dam as 'Boulder Dam' in this pamphlet as well as in correspondence and other references...." In 1947, after Roosevelt and Ickes had died, Congress passed a resolution to "restore" the name of Hoover Dam. But until that time, all official, tourist and other promotional materials called it "Boulder Dam." The public's recognition with the old name was still apparent in the movie (released in 1950) through the script and the highway signage seen enroute.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mal and Chippie first enter the loan company (the front for Walters' bookmaking organization), the signs on the windows both say "Libert Finance" - both "Libert"s clearly have a last letter - a "Y" - painted over. Eight minutes later in the film, when L.A.'s new "Gangster Squad" is going over a file about the company, both signs in a photo say "Libertt Finance" (with a "T" replacing the blacked out "Y" seen earlier).

Quotes:

Mal Granger: Time wounds all heels.

Excellent reflection of '50's style

A better than routine, if not exceptional, noir crime drama, with O'Brien excellent in the lead, and good casting throughout. Opening and closing textural comments convey the sense that this is more of a sensational expose of syndicate control of horse-race betting (a major West coast institution if there ever was one), produced "under threat". That remains to be seen. What is undeniable is that a well-paced tale of one man's ambition is engagingly portrayed. Of particular interest are the wonderful filming locations in the L.A. area -- rich streetscapes--full of marvelous period detail, "Modern" architecture as seen in circular drive-ins, open plan houses, groovy bars ands nightclubs, and some flavor of Palm Springs weekending. With the evolution of O'Brien's character from a telephone repairman into a major crime so well reflected in the improvements in his dress, along with the sartorial variety among the leads, one gets a nice sense of personal style in this period. Worth a look.