House of Bamboo (1955)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writers:

Harry Kleiner (written by)
Samuel Fuller (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

1 July 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Planted in a Tokyo crime syndicate, a U.S. Army Investigator attempts to probe the coinciding death of a fellow Army official.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Police Officer | Villain Played By Lead Actor | Pachinko | Street Shootout

Cast

Robert Ryan	...	Sandy Dawson
Robert Stack	...	Eddie Kenner
Shirley Yamaguchi	...	Mariko
Cameron Mitchell	...	Griff
Brad Dexter	...	Captain Hanson
Sessue Hayakawa	...	Inspector Kito
Biff Elliot	...	Webber
Sandro Giglio	...	Ceram
Elko Hanabusa	...	Japanese Screaming Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clifford Arashiro	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sandy Azeka	...	Charlie's Girl at Party (uncredited)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	John (uncredited)
Barry Coe	...	Captain Hanson's Aide (uncredited)
Fred Dale	...	Man (uncredited)
John Doucette	...	Skipper (uncredited)
Fuji	...	Pachinko Manager (uncredited)
Samuel Fuller	...	Japanese policeman (uncredited)
Peter Gray	...	Willy (uncredited)
Reiko Hayakawa	...	Mariko's Girl Friend (uncredited)
Robert Hosai	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Kazue Ikeda	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Kinuko Ann Ito	...	Servant (uncredited)
Frank Jumagai	...	Pachinko Manager (uncredited)
DeForest Kelley	...	Charlie (uncredited)
Robert Kino	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Kwanaga	...	File Clerk (uncredited)
Richard Loo	...	Inspector Kito's Voice (voice) (uncredited)
Jack Maeshiro	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Harris Matsushige	...	Office Clerk (uncredited)
Joanna Mitchell	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
Rollin Moriyama	...	Pearl Man (uncredited)
Neyle Morrow	...	Cpl. Davis (uncredited)
Bob Okazaki	...	Mr Hommaru (uncredited)
Robert Quarry	...	Phil (uncredited)
Reiko Sato	...	Charlie's Girl (uncredited)
Teru Shimada	...	Nagaya (uncredited)
May Takasugi	...	Bath Attendant (uncredited)
Barbara Uchiyamada	...	Japanese Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Samuel Fuller

Writing credits
Harry Kleiner		(written by)
Samuel Fuller		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Buddy Adler	....	producer

Original Music by
Leigh Harline

Cinematography by
Joseph MacDonald		(as Joe MacDonald)

Film Editing by
James B. Clark

Art Direction by
Addison Hehr
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Saul Wurtzel	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Silver	....	assistant director

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
John D. Stack	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects
Fred Etcheverry	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Cory	....	key grip (uncredited)
Hugh Crawford	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Les Everson	....	head electrician (uncredited)
Frank V. Phillips	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Dick James	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	conductor
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator
Ken Darby	....	vocal supervisor (uncredited)

Other crew
Teresa Brachetto	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
John Campbell	....	publicity director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1964) (USA) (TV)
• 20th Century Fox (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Les Films Jacques Leitienne (1966) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (Special Collection)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #17450) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to Samuel Fuller, originally, Gary Cooper was to play the role of Eddie Spanier. But because he was too well known in Japan he could not act incognito among passers-by without being recognized so Robert Stack, a less popular actor at the time, was chosen instead. However, according to STEP BY STEP sheet by script writer Harry Kleiner written in November 1954, the names of Robert Stack and Victor Mature were listed.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Eddie Spanier (Robert Stack) is first knocked unconscious by members of Sandy Dawson's gang, Dawson tells one of his underlings to awaken him by tossing a bucket of ice on him. As he lies on the floor, however, Eddie flinches as soon as Dawson gives this command, before any ice actually hits Eddie's face.

Quotes:

Sandy Dawson:Who are you working for?
Eddie Kenner:[posing as Eddie Spanier] Spanier.
Sandy Dawson:Who's Spanier?
Eddie Kenner:Me.
Sandy Dawson:Who else you working for?
Eddie Kenner:Eddie.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

House of Bamboo

The Chicago mob who comes in to take over Tokyo!

After World War II, Hollywood saw the Far East as simply a new background for familiar heroics... "House of Bamboo" was in fact a remake of a 1948 gangster melodrama called "The Street With No Name" with Richard Widmark...

An army cop (Robert Stack) with a charming widow (Shirley Yamaguchi) moves into undercover action in collaboration with the Japanese security authorities against Tokyo gangsters, and their leader Robert Ryan, an intellect mastermind racketeer, head of an impressive organization engaged in robberies, fraudulent businesses, and murder whose plots challenge the magnificent effort of the international police..

With fascinating Japanese locations and photographed in CinemaScope and Technicolor, the film depicted the wonders of Fujiyama, the extraordinary city of Tokyo and its back streets in water ways invoking mystery and intrigue...