Panic in the Streets (1950)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Richard Murphy (screenplay)
Daniel Fuchs (adaptation)

Release Date:

12 June 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

THE SCREEN'S GREATEST EXCITEMENT OF THE YEAR! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A doctor and a policeman in New Orleans have only 48 hours to locate a killer infected with pneumonic plague.

Plot Keywords:

Plague | Doctor | Illegal Immigrant | Epidemic | Autopsy

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 15

3:45 AM

AMC

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Lt. Cmdr. Clinton 'Clint' Reed M.D.
Paul Douglas	...	Capt. Tom Warren
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Nancy Reed
Jack Palance	...	Blackie (as Walter Jack Palance)
Zero Mostel	...	Raymond Fitch
Dan Riss	...	Neff - Newspaper Reporter
Tommy Cook	...	Vince Poldi - Younger Brother

Also Known As:

Outbreak (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14313)

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to Richard Widmark, Jack Palance did his own stunt of climbing the boat rope after two stuntmen failed.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Blackie and Fitch slide down a pile of coffee bags there is a crew member reclined on the pile they climb over on their way to escape

Quotes:

Nancy Reed: If there's a plague here, you're the most important guy in this town.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Temperatures Rising: Panic in the Sheets (#1.20)" (1973)

Whatever Its Label, It's Still Interesting

This is listed as a "film noir," a gangster film and I suppose it, is but it plays more like just a straight drama. It's the story of an immigrant who is infected with the pneuomic plague (but "bubonic," as listed on the back of the VHS cover) and the race to discover all the people he had come in contact with, including a criminal (Jack Palance) and his gang.

The great black-and-white cinematography helps put it in the film-noir category, I imagine, but the story still takes precedence over the stark photography here. The angular-faced Palance, listed as "Walter Jack Palance" in here, always makes for a good villain and Zero Mostel was an interesting part of his group.

Richard Widmark played an normal intense role, except this time as a good guy, and Barbara Bel Geddes was her normal wholesome character. Despite third billing, she didn't have as many lines as I would have preferred to hear. Frankly, I prefer Widmark as the crazy-type villain. He spends much of the time in this film as a frustrated doctor, yelling at the cop Paul Douglas. That gets tiresome after awhile.

It's a grim story: not a whole lot of laughs here, but it's entertaining and moves fast......and the ending chase scene is a knockout! A good addition to anyone's collection of classic films, whatever you want to label it.