The Big Combo (1955)

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis

Writer:

Philip Yordan (by)

Release Date:

13 February 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

The Most Startling Story The Screen Has Ever Dared Reveal!

Plot:

A police lt. is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown, because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He then goes after Brown's girlfriend who despises him, for information instead.

Plot Keywords:

Homosexual Subtext | Corruption | Gay | Gangster | Killing Spree

Cast

Cornel Wilde	...	Police Lt. Leonard Diamond
Richard Conte	...	Mr. Brown
Brian Donlevy	...	Joe McClure
Jean Wallace	...	Susan Lowell
Robert Middleton	...	Police Capt. Peterson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Fante
Earl Holliman	...	Mingo
Helen Walker	...	Alicia Brown
Jay Adler	...	Detective Sam Hill
John Hoyt	...	Nils Dreyer
Ted de Corsia	...	Ralph Bettini
Helene Stanton	...	Rita
Roy Gordon	...	Audubon
Whit Bissell	...	Doctor (scenes deleted) (as Whit Bissel)
Steve Mitchell	...	Bennie Smith, Boxer
Baynes Barron	...	Young Detective
James McCallion	...	Frank - Lab Technician
Tony Michaels	...	Photo Technician
Brian O'Hara	...	Attorney Malloy
Rita Gould	...	Nurse
Bruce Sharpe	...	Detective
Michael Mark	...	Fred - Hotel Clerk
Philip Van Zandt	...	Mr. Jones (scenes deleted)
Donna Drew	...	Miss Hartleby
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eve Bernhardt	...	Cabaret Showgirl (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Waiter (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Dance Extra at Club (uncredited)
Jakob Gimpel	...	Pianist (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Waiter (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph H. Lewis		(as Joseph Lewis)

Writing credits
Philip Yordan		(by)

Produced by
Sidney Harmon	....	producer
Walter Mirisch	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Cornel Wilde	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
David Raksin

Cinematography by
John Alton		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert S. Eisen		(as Robert Eisen)

Production Design by
Rudi Feld

Set Decoration by
Jack McConaghy

Makeup Department
Larry Butterworth	....	makeup artist
Carla Hadley	....	hair stylist

Production Management
George Moskov	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert H. Justman	....	assistant director (as Robert Justman)
Mack V. Wright	....	assistant director (as Mack Wright)

Sound Department
Earl Snyder	....	sound

Special Effects by
Louis DeWitt	....	special photographic effects
Jack Rabin	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Harry Sundby	....	lighting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Don Loper	....	wardrobe designer: Jean Wallace

Music Department
Jakob Gimpel	....	musician: piano solo (as Jacob Gimpel)
Robert Tracy	....	music editor

Other crew
Mary Chaffee	....	set continuity

Production Companies

• Security Pictures (a Security-Theodora production)
• Theodora Productions (a Security-Theodora production)

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• NWDF (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Geneon Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• Delta Films (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Nederland NV (195?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Union-Film (1956) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Go Video Australia (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Olive Films (2013) (Canada) (DVD)
• Olive Films (2013) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 (nf) | France:-16 | Portugal:17 (censored) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1955) | UK:PG (DVD rating)

Company:

Security Pictures

Trivia:

This film skirted the Production Code by making several not-too-subtle hints that Mr. Brown's henchmen, Fante and Mingo (played by Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman), were a homosexual couple.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Susan is having a drink in her apartment, there are shadows of plant leaves on a door in the background. However when Mr Brown comes in via another door, these shadows have vanished in the ensuing shots.

Quotes:

Joe McClure:Mr. Brown is a very reasonable man. You don't know him.
Leonard Diamond:Oh, is he? Well I'm not. I intend to make life very difficult for your Mr. Brown.
Joe McClure:You shouldn't talk like that, Lieutenant. You're overstepping your authority.
Mr. Brown:Joe, the man has reason to hate me. His salary is $96.50 a week. The busboys in my hotel make better money than that. Don't you see, Joe? He's a righteous man.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Rules of Film Noir (2009) (TV)

unacknowledged film noir classic!

It is surprising that the brilliance of this film has not been adequately recognised by the viewing public or the critics. Probably inspired by the prototypical rogue cop in Fritz Lang's "The Big Heat", this film features the crusade of one man - Lieutenant Diamond (Cornel Wilde in a super performance) to pin down Richard Conte's smooth-tongued gangster. Struggling to keep away the departmental bureaucracy, he battles singlehandedly against organised crime with a devotion to duty bordering on the obsessional ("It's my sworn duty to push too far").

Despite the absence of any big name in the cast, this film presents all the elements that we have come to love about American film noir - great lighting and photography, tight script ("First is first, and second is nobody"), a great storyline, and some superb performances (Susan Lowell as a society girl - the gangster's moll - is ravishing).

Watch this film. It's time it got recognition amongst the greatest films to come out of Hollywood. Ever.