The Burglar (1957)

Dan Duryea and his cronies rob a fake spiritualist and then take it on the lam to Atlantic City.

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writers:

David Goodis (screenplay), David Goodis (novel)

Stars:

Dan Duryea, Jayne Mansfield, Martha Vickers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Duryea	...	Nat Harbin
Jayne Mansfield	...	Gladden
Martha Vickers	...	Della
Peter Capell	...	Baylock
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Dohmer
Wendell K. Phillips	...	Police Captain
Phoebe Mackay	...	Sister Sara
Stewart Bradley	...	Charlie
John Facenda	...	News Commentator
Sam Elber	...	Gerald
Frank Hall	...	News Reporter
Bob Wilson	...	Newsreel Narrator
Steve Allison	...	State Trooper
Richard Emery	...	Harbin as a Child
Andrea McLaughlin	...	Gladden as a Child

Storyline

Dan Duryea and his cronies rob a fake spiritualist and then take it on the lam to Atlantic City.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Taglines:

A trail of perfume...and violence!

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Thriller | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Toter lügt nicht

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Samson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Louis W. Kellman cast the relatively unknown Jayne Mansfield as Gladden after seeing the normally jaded and unflappable film crew's "overheated" reaction to her on the set of Pete Kelly's Blues.

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Crazy Credits

All credits are in lower case, including title card, cast list, crew names and occupations, and "the end".

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Connections

Remade as The Burglars (1971)

User Reviews

Dan Duryea -- Honorable Thief

A showy medium has a set of fancy jewels. Dan Duryea, THE BURGLAR, intends to steal them with the help of gang member Jayne Mansfield. Will the stresses and strains of the criminal lifestyle wreck their lives, or will the gang finally make the big score that will let them all retire?

This is one of those movies, following in the wake of the Asphalt Jungle, that shows how the tiny character flaws of the criminals involved in a caper all work to mess up their enterprise. If you like the genre, you'll like this. If you are not a noir/crime movie enthusiast, you might determine that all this seems pretty derivative from better movies. The director has definitely seen his Orson Welles movies (Citizen Kane and Lady from Shanghai are sampled here), but he only has a B-movie plot to drive the action. Later in the movie, this becomes a problem when the mechanics of inevitable doom require Duryea to show an implausible lack of judgment.

Nevertheless, Dan Duryea, who plays his role without an ounce of his usual scuzzy smarm, responds quite well to being cast somewhat against type. Jayne Mansfield, who had not yet developed her inflatable sex doll persona (this movie was shot well before Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?), does well with a fairly nuanced part that makes use of her looks, but does not require her to be either stupid or sleazy. The movie, when not being overly showy with its visuals, gets in some great location shooting in both Philadlphia and Atlantic City.

This is worth seeing, if you like crime movies. But you will get the feeling there was a lot of potential that went unfulfilled here.