Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Arnold Laven

Writers:

William J. Keating (book) and
Richard Carter (book) ...

Release Date:

1 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

More Tense Action On The Waterfront! (original poster)

Plot:

Three men gun down Solly Pitts, 'rebel' against the racket-ridden Longshoremen's Union. Before dying...

Plot Keywords:

Testimony | New York City | Surgeon | Juror | Held At Gunpoint

Cast

Richard Egan	...	William "Bill" Keating
Jan Sterling	...	Madge Pitts
Dan Duryea	...	John Jacob Masters
Julie Adams	...	Daisy 'Dee' Pauley
Walter Matthau	...	Al Dahlke
Charles McGraw	...	Lt. Anthony Vosnick
Sam Levene	...	Howard Rysdale
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Solly Pitts
Harry Bellaver	...	Benjy Karp
Nick Dennis	...	Midget Dock Worker
Joe Downing	...	Eddie 'Cockeye' Cook
Ned Wever	...	Captain Sid Wallace
Billy M. Greene	...	Monk Mohler
John McNamara	...	Judge Craiger
Amzie Strickland	...	Mrs. Cavanagh

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Even though the story takes place in December and January in New York City, the sun is always shining, all the principals are dressed in lightweight clothing, and there is no sign of snow or winter conditions anywhere.

Dig That Theme Music!

Surely no other film noir has had such an illustrious composer responsible for its theme music. I studied "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue," the musical suite, in elementary school! The movie itself is quite good. It is a gritty story about life on the waterfront. The director isn't famous but I notice he also directed one of my favorites, which I haven't seen in many a long year: "Down Three Dark Streets"! And what a cast! Most people watching today will single out Walter Matthau, who is fine in a relatively small role. But Richard Egan is excellent as an ambitious young cop. Jan Sterling, always good in tough roles, is excellent as the wife of the man who falls victim to the title event. Julie Adams is appealing as Egan's wife. And Dan Duryea gives a bravura performance as a smart but not very admirable lawyer.

The rest of the cast includes such noir staples as Charles McGraw, Sam Levene, and Mickey Shaughnessy.

Initially, I have to admit that I found the music a little distracting. But I got used to it. And the movie hits pretty hard.