Short Cut to Hell (1957)

Director:

James Cagney

Writers (WGA):

Graham Greene (novel)
Ted Berkman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A professional hitman is hired by a friend to commit two murders. His friend pays him off in what turns out to be stolen money...

Plot Keywords:

Gagged And Bound | Chanteuse | Murder | Hit Man | Police Detective

Cast

William Bishop	...	Stan
Robert Ivers	...	Kyle
Georgann Johnson	...	Glory Hamilton
Yvette Vickers	...	Daisy
Murvyn Vye	...	Nichols
Jacques Aubuchon	...	Bahrwell
Peter Baldwin	...	Adams
Richard Hale	...	AT
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roscoe Ates	...	Extra road driver (uncredited)
Joe Bassett	...	Patrolman (uncredited)
Jacqueline Beer	...	Waitress (uncredited)
James Cagney	...	Himself - Pre-credits sequence (uncredited)
Douglas Evans	...	Mr. Henry (uncredited)
Joseph Forte	...	Ticket seller (uncredited)
Milton Frome	...	LAPD captain (uncredited)
John Halloran	...	Guard (uncredited)
Gail Land	...	Girl (uncredited)
Hugh Lawrence	...	Patrolman (uncredited)
John Lee	...	(uncredited)
Danny Lewis	...	Piano player (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	(uncredited)
Dennis McMullen	...	LAPD officer (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Hotel manager (uncredited)
Max Power	...	(uncredited)
William Pullen	...	Used car lot dealer (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Insp. Ross (uncredited)
Sarah Selby	...	Adam's secretary (uncredited)
Court Shepard	...	(uncredited)
Douglas Spencer	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Melody Starr	...	(uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	(uncredited)
Russell Trent	...	Trainman (uncredited)
Dick Whittinghill	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
James Cagney

Writing credits (WGA)
Graham Greene		(novel "A Gun for Sale")
Albert Maltz		(1942 screenplay This Gun for Hire) originally uncredited and
W.R. Burnett		(1942 screenplay This Gun for Hire) originally uncredited
Ted Berkman		(screenplay) &
Raphael Blau		(screenplay)

Produced by
A.C. Lyles	....	producer

Original Music by
Irvin Talbot		(as Irvin Colbert)

Cinematography by
Haskell B. Boggs

Film Editing by
Ken McAdo

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Frank R. McKelvy

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special effects

Music Department
Irvin Talbot	....	musical director
Harry Sukman	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Victor Young	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• A.C. Lyles Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

A.C. Lyles Productions

Quotes:

[Kyle just told Glory that he's a professional killer]
Glory Hamilton: Is there anything you like about yourself?
Kyle: Yeah. I never miss.

Movie Connections:

Version of This Gun for Hire (1991) (TV)

Directed by James Cagney

As B movies go, SHORT CUT TO HELL makes it pretty far. This is a tawdrier remake of Graham Greene's source novel for THIS GUN FOR HIRE with lower-rent sets, and lead actors less charismatic, but still very effective. In fact, it's the acting that most impresses about this odd little film. Robert Ivers embodies the diminutive, tightly wound hit-man pretty convincingly; his body language and hard-edged line deliveries are spot-on. Opposite him is Georgann Johnson, who has a disarming, natural acting style. The oil and water combination of these two sustains an interesting tension for the whole movie. Their first meeting aboard a train is a case in point: a very effectively played scene. Talented Johnson never made much of a mark until television later in the 50s and 60s. In the role of Bahrwell, Jacques Aubuchon is very well cast, as are Murvyn Vye and assorted other smaller roles, including Yvette Vickers and Douglas Spencer. Scarce prints of SHORT CUT TO HELL don't always include director James Cagney's spoken introduction and sometimes a jump cut suggests editorial trimming. A restored version of this film would do justice to Cagney's gift for directing actors and a couple of fine action sequences.