Night and the City (1950)

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Jo Eisinger (screenplay)
Gerald Kersh (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

April 1950 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Sport | Thriller

Plot:

A small-time grifter and nightclub tout takes advantage of some fortuitous circumstances and tries to become a big-time player as a wrestling promoter.

Plot Keywords:

Wrestling | Scheme | Wrestling Promoter | Nightclub | Hustler

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Harry Fabian
Gene Tierney	...	Mary Bristol
Googie Withers	...	Helen Nosseross
Hugh Marlowe	...	Adam Dunn
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Philip Nosseross
Herbert Lom	...	Kristo
Stanislaus Zbyszko	...	Gregorius
Mike Mazurki	...	The Strangler
Charles Farrell	...	Mickey Beer
Ada Reeve	...	Molly the Flower Lady
Ken Richmond	...	Nikolas of Athens (as Ken. Richmond)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adelaide Hall	...	Singer (scenes deleted)
Eliot Makeham	...	Pinkney (scenes deleted)
Betty Marsden	...	Undetermined Role (scenes deleted)
Derek Blomfield	...	Young Policeman (uncredited)
Clifford Buckton	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ernest Butcher	...	Street Musician Bert (uncredited)
Peter Butterworth	...	Thug (uncredited)
Edward Chapman	...	Hoskins (uncredited)
Clifford Cobbe	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Patricia Davidson	...	Night Club Hostess (uncredited)
Maureen Delaney	...	Anna O'Leary (Blackmarket) (uncredited)
Aubrey Dexter	...	Fergus Chilk, Kristo's Lawyer (uncredited)
Stanley Escane	...	Man (uncredited)
Thomas Gallagher	...	Bagrag a Bar Owner (uncredited)
Rex Garner	...	Waiter (uncredited)
James Hayter	...	Figler, King of the Beggars (uncredited)
George Hirste	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Hamilton Keene	...	Charles, American Bar Bartender (uncredited)
Kay Kendall	...	One of Helen's Girls (uncredited)
Hubert Leslie	...	Nightwatchman (uncredited)
Arthur Lovegrove	...	Thug (uncredited)
Walter Magnee	...	A second (uncredited)
John Mann	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Lew Marco	...	Referee (uncredited)
Gibb McLaughlin	...	Googin the Forger (uncredited)
MacDonald Parke	...	American from Chicago (uncredited)
Charles Paton	...	Watchman (uncredited)
Chunky Pattison	...	Dwarf (uncredited)
Frank Pettitt	...	Cabby (uncredited)
Philip Ray	...	Man (uncredited)
Eddy Reed	...	American from Chicago (uncredited)
John Rudling	...	Man (uncredited)
Johnnie Schofield	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Betty Shale	...	Mrs. Pinkney (uncredited)
John Sharp	...	Man (uncredited)
Leonard Sharp	...	Beggar (uncredited)
Ray St. Bernard	...	Strangler's Opponent (uncredited)
Tony Sympson	...	Cozen (uncredited)
Alan Tilvern	...	Beggar (uncredited)
C. Denier Warren	...	Small American from Chicago (uncredited)
Freddie Watts	...	Man (uncredited)
Brian Weske	...	Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Russell Westwood	...	Yosh, Kristo's Goon (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules Dassin

Writing credits
Jo Eisinger		(screenplay)
Gerald Kersh		(novel)
Austin Dempster		contributing writer (uncredited)
William E. Watts		contributing writer (uncredited)

Produced by
Samuel G. Engel	....	producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Benjamin Frankel		(British version)
Franz Waxman		(American version)

Cinematography by
Mutz Greenbaum		(director of photography) (as Max Greene)

Film Editing by
Nick DeMaggio		(as Nick De Maggio)
Sidney Stone

Casting by
Weston Drury Jr.		(uncredited)
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
C.P. Norman

Makeup Department
E. Attwright	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
David Aylott	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Barbara Ritchie	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Iris Tilley	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Percy Hermes	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Ronald Kinnoch	....	production manager (uncredited)
Bert Pearl	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack N. Green	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Tony Hearne	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)
Douglas Hermes	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Percy Hermes	....	assistant director (uncredited)
George Mills	....	assistant director (uncredited)
John Street	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
George Beech	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Ted Clements	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Peter Murton	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Peter Handford	....	sound recordist
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound recordist (as Roger Heman)
Hugh Strain	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
John Streeter	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)
Kevin Sutton	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
Charles Van der Goor	....	sound maintenance (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hal Britten	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
V. Butler	....	second grip (uncredited)
Austin Dempster	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Eddie Earp	....	clapper loader: second unit (uncredited)
Arthur Evans	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Godfrey A. Godar	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Jo Jago	....	cinematographer: second unit (uncredited)
Walter Lassally	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
David Oxenham	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
A. Southall	....	second grip (uncredited)
Joe Vincent	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
John Jones	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Oleg Cassini	....	costumes: Miss Tierney
Margaret Furse	....	costumes: Miss Withers
Ivy Baker	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Evelyn Gibbs	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	musical director: UK version
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator: USA version (as Edward Powell)
Maudie Edwards	....	singing voice: Gene Tierney (uncredited)
Bernard Mayers	....	orchestrator: Waxman (uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge	....	orchestrator: Waxman (uncredited)
Eric Rogers	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Arthur Alligan	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Ernest Betts	....	publicist (uncredited)
R.E. Dearing	....	assistant to producer (uncredited)
Robert E. Dearing	....	personal assistant to producer (uncredited)
Fred Fox	....	personal assistant to producer (uncredited)
Élise Girard	....	press attache France 2005 re-release (uncredited)
Noreen Hipwell	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Walter Magnee	....	wrestling trainer/adviser (uncredited)
Mike Mazurki	....	technical adviser: wrestling (uncredited)
Mike Mazurki	....	technical advisor: wrestling (uncredited)
Peggy McClafferty	....	continuity (uncredited)
Hazel Swift	....	assistant continuity (uncredited)
Mickey Wood	....	technical advisor: wrestling (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1950) (UK) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1951) (France) (theatrical)
• Oy Fox Films (1951) (Finland) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1963) (USA) (TV)
• Fox Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Actions Cinémas/Théâtre du Temple (2005) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Seven Films (2008) (Greece) (theatrical) (reissue)
• UFA/DVD (2008) (Germany) (DVD) (collection: Hollywood Highlights)
• Carlotta Films (200?) (France) (DVD)
• Oregon Filmes/Fox (200?) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Western Electric Recording  recording system

Also Known As:

Runtime:

101 min | USA:96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1950-1965) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #14096) | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | France:U | West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Dean Street, Soho, London, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Trivia:

Jules Dassin has stated that he did not read the novel "Night and the City" until after the film was completed.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Philip is meeting with Harry, and holding Kristo's business card, during a medium shot, Philip is holding the card with one hand, then in an immediately following close-up shot, he is holding the card with two hands, then in the immediately following medium shot, he is again holding it in one hand again.

Quotes:

Mary Bristol:[Opening dialogue as she suddenly comes in and sees Harry going through her purse] You won't find any money in there, Harry/

Movie Connections:

Referenced in L.A. Noire (2011) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Don't Fence Me In

Widmark Tops Out

My favorite Richard Widmark performance on the screen and probably his best work is Night and the City. This was director Jules Dassin's last film before settling in Europe in the wake of the blacklist and it has a first rate cast tuned to a fine pitch, like an orchestra without a bad note in it.

Harry Fabian is this smalltime American hustler/conman who's settled in London and always working that middle ground netherworld between the law and outright gangsterism. He really isn't a very likable man and the trick is to keep the audience care what's happening to him. This is the test of a great actor and Widmark is fully up to the challenge.

Fabian while working one of his cons overhears a piece of information about the father/son relationship between champion Graeco-Roman wrestler Gregorius the Great and gangster/promoter Cristo who is the London version of Vince McMahon. He cons Gregorius into thinking he wants to promote old style wrestling like Gregorius used to do. That con game sets in motion the events of the film that ultimately end in tragedy.

The cast is uniformly fine, but one performance really stands out, that of Stanislaus Zbyzsko as Gregorius. He was a real professional wrestling champion back in the day when it was real. Zbyzsko invests so much of his own life and reality as Gregorius that he's really something special. His scenes with Herbert Lom as his son are so good they go far beyond the plane of mere acting. It's some of the best work Lom has ever done as well.

How there weren't a few Oscar nominations from this is a mystery for me. For those who like film noir, this should be required viewing. Especially for you Richard Widmark fans.