Detective Story (1951)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Sidney Kingsley (play)
Robert Wyler (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

19 May 1952 (Denmark)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

The love story of a man whose wife was more woman than angel!

Plot:

On one day in the 21st Precinct squad room, assorted characters form a backdrop for the troubles of hard-nosed Detective Jim McLeod.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Infant Death | Marriage | Unwed Pregnancy | Police Brutality

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Det. James 'Jim' McLeod
Eleanor Parker	...	Mary McLeod
William Bendix	...	Det. Lou Brody
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Susan Carmichael
George Macready	...	Karl Schneider
Horace McMahon	...	Lt. Monaghan
Gladys George	...	Miss Hatch
Joseph Wiseman	...	Charley Gennini
Lee Grant	...	Shoplifter
Gerald Mohr	...	Tami Giacoppetti
Frank Faylen	...	Det. Gallagher
Craig Hill	...	Arthur Kindred
Michael Strong	...	Lewis Abbott
Luis Van Rooten	...	Joe Feinson
Bert Freed	...	Det. Dakis
Warner Anderson	...	Endicott Sims
Grandon Rhodes	...	Det. O'Brien
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Det. Pat Callahan
Russell Evans	...	Patrolman Barnes
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles D. Campbell	...	Newspaper photographer (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb	...	Ed (uncredited)
Ann Codee	...	French woman (uncredited)
Catherine Doucet	...	Mrs. Farragut (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	Desk sergeant (uncredited)
Harper Goff	...	Gallantz (uncredited)
Howard Joslin	...	Patrolman Gus Keogh (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Coleman (uncredited)
James Maloney	...	Albert R. Pritchett (uncredited)
Lee Miller	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ralph Montgomery	...	Finney (uncredited)
Burt Mustin	...	Willie (uncredited)
Mark Roberts	...	Mulvey (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Desk sergeant #2 (uncredited)
Kay Wiley	...	Hysterical woman (uncredited)

Directed by
William Wyler

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sidney Kingsley		play
Robert Wyler		writer
Philip Yordan		writer

Produced by
Lester Koenig	....	associate producer
Robert Wyler	....	associate producer
William Wyler	....	producer

Cinematography by
Lee Garmes

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Art Direction by
A. Earl Hedrick		(as Earl Hedrick)
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Emile Kuri

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Del Armstrong	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Lavaughn Speer	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
William Woods	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Leon Becker	....	sound supervisor
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Loyal Griggs	....	transparencies (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Detective Story (Australia) (TV title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:16 (1952) | USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #15300)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The play ran on Broadway for 581 performances, from 23 March 1949 through 12 August 1950. It starred Ralph Bellamy as Det. McLeod. Meg Mundy played his wife. Maureen Stapleton played Miss Hatch.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In some of the close-up shots of McLeod and Schneider in the back of the paddy wagon, McLeod's shadow can be faintly seen on the rear-projection screen showing the street behind them. (Other shadows can also be seen.)

Quotes:

Detective James McLeod: You shouldn't drink so much. It melts the lining of your brain.

Movie Connections:

Featured in ... A Father... A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2005) (TV)

Brilliant

Detective Story (1951)

**** (out of 4)

William Wyler's brilliant drama about a police detective (Kirk Douglas) who breaks his back trying to put criminals behind bars but there's a secret from his wife that's going to toss all his beliefs in the air. The last time I watched this film was when I was around eleven years old and it left a vivid aftertaste in my mouth after all these years. At the time I was just expecting another "old, dated" film but the realistic nature of this film remains quite powerful and very brutal even in today's jaded world. The entire cast delivers strong performances from the lead Douglas to the smallest of parts in the film. These performances certainly help the film seem all the more real, which is an added bonus. The best performance is of course the one by Douglas who brings all that energy and power to the film. Watching his character slowly breakdown and eventually lose it is something hard to forget.