Code Two (1953)

The adventures of motorcycle cops, from their academy days, to chasing crooked truckers.

Director:

Fred M. Wilcox

Writer:

Marcy Klauber

Stars:

Ralph Meeker, Elaine Stewart, Sally Forrest

Cast

Cast overview:
Ralph Meeker	...	Chuck O'Flair
Elaine Stewart	...	Jane Anderson
Sally Forrest	...	Mary Hartley
Keenan Wynn	...	Police Sgt. Jumbo Culdane
Robert Horton	...	Russ Hartley
James Craig	...	Police Lt. Redmon
Jeff Richards	...	Harry Whenlon
Robert Burton	...	Police Capt. Bill Williams
Jonathan Cott	...	Truck Driver
William Campbell	...	Companion
Fred Graham	...	Motor Squad Duty Sgt. Payne

Storyline

Chuck O'Flair and two buddies, Russ Hartley and Harry Whenlon, enter the Los Angeles Police Academy as cadets. Cocky and sure of himself, O'Flair almost gets washed out as unfit material. After they graduate, one of them accidentally stumbles on a gang of black marketeers and is murdered. O'Flair requests the assignment to track down the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle cop | bare chested male | policeman

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Taglines:

MGM's fastest drama on two wheels.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'auto sanglante

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Movie cops soon to become TV cowboys

The first half of this modest 69-minute movie tells, in semi-documentary fashion, of the training of rookie cops in early 1950s Los Angeles. Needless to say, all these rookies are white males but it's the "dated" quality of the movie which lends it a curiosity value as an artifact of its time. Police buffs should enjoy looking over the equipment, the uniforms, the training techniques, the investigation methods, etc.

A let's-catch-the-cop-killers plot takes over in the second half. It's minor stuff but affords an opportunity to look over a cast soon to find greater success in TV westerns. There's Robert ("Wagon Train") Horton and Jeff ("Jefferson Drum") Richards and -- in a small part -- Chuck ("The Rifleman") Connors. Rounding out the cast of cops are Ralph Meeker and Keenan Wynn. There's a certain "fetish" appeal in seeing these men in boots and leather jackets and motorcycle pants, and Meeker, Horton, and Richards also do a "beefcake" scene by a lake where they appear in swimsuits. (Richards must have tipped the wardrobe department to give him the snuggest-fitting suit.)

A few scenes appear to be shot on actual L.A. streets but much of it is recognizable as the MGM back-lot. Somewhere, on one of those hills, Robert Horton would soon be stripped to his shorts and tortured by North Korean guards in "Prisoner of War."

Director Fred Wilcox later helmed the classic "Forbidden Planet."