GANGS OF THE WATERFRONT – 1945
Low rent Republic Pictures fare with a doppelganger theme. This one has Robert Armstrong as mobster "Dutch Malone" and his double, "Peter Winkly".
Mobster Armstrong runs a bunch of rackets based on the local waterfront. He runs numbers, and also a profitable protection racket preying on businesses in the area. Bodies tend to turn up with unneeded bullet holes if they fail to play nice with Mister Armstrong and his boys.
Armstrong is going off for a couple of weeks to get in a spot of deer hunting. (It helps with his blood lust) Armstrong puts his number two, Martin Kosleck in charge during his absence. Kosleck is a sneaky s.o.b. who really wants to take over the mob.
Anyways, Armstrong is driving out to his hunting lodge when he has a bad car wreck. He is severally hurt and slapped in the hospital. The city DA, William Forrest, and Police Commissioner, Wilton Graff, have a bright idea. They have a man who is a dead ringer for Armstrong. They want to send him in to get the goods on Armstrong's mob. The real Armstrong is kept in hospital under guard and away from any phones etc.
The "new" Armstrong gets a crash course in all the mobster's crew, rackets and enemies etc. He hits the mobster's lair and takes up the reins. Everything seems to be running smooth as the doppelganger gathers info on Armstrong and the other area mob's workings. There is of course needs to be a bump in the road. The bump is the rather curvaceous Marion Martin. Martin is the real Armstrong's main squeeze. Martin of course notices something different about "this" Armstrong. He tells her he is just upset over some mob business.
Also in the mix here is local company owner, Stephanie Bachelor. Miss Bachelor is not amused with gangster Armstrong. She is quite sure that the man had her father killed, when he refused to knuckle under to the protection shakedown.
Needless to say all these loose ends are going to come together with a large crash. The real Armstrong happens to see a carelessly left newspaper, on which he happens to be the front page story. He of course wonders how this can be if he is in the hospital. Armstrong, breaks out, and is soon back in play. Bodies will pile up because of this, and that underling Kosleck now decides to make his move for power. It is only the last minute arrival of the Police that saves the fake Armstrong from death.
Note great, but, at only 54 minutes it moves along quick enough to never get boring. Stephanie Bachelor managed to get work in a total of 24 films during a 5 year career. (She married money and quit show business) She was quite good as a femme fatale in, PORT OF 40 THIEVES. Armstrong of course was famous as film maker Carl Denham in the original KING KONG. The prolific Armstrong appeared in over 200 film and television roles.
The director was long time Republic Pictures fixture, George Blair. The talented Blair scored with a series of solid low rent film noir such as, END OF THE ROAD, EXPOSED, POST OFFICE INVESTIGATOR, UNMASKED, FEDERAL AGENT AT LARGE, LONELY HEART BANDITS, SECRETS OF MONTE CARLO and INSURANCE INVESIGATOR. I always wondered what the man could have done with a bigger budget.
The story was supplied by future, writer, producer and director, Sam Fuller.
Low rent Republic Pictures fare with a doppelganger theme. This one has Robert Armstrong as mobster "Dutch Malone" and his double, "Peter Winkly".
Mobster Armstrong runs a bunch of rackets based on the local waterfront. He runs numbers, and also a profitable protection racket preying on businesses in the area. Bodies tend to turn up with unneeded bullet holes if they fail to play nice with Mister Armstrong and his boys.
Armstrong is going off for a couple of weeks to get in a spot of deer hunting. (It helps with his blood lust) Armstrong puts his number two, Martin Kosleck in charge during his absence. Kosleck is a sneaky s.o.b. who really wants to take over the mob.
Anyways, Armstrong is driving out to his hunting lodge when he has a bad car wreck. He is severally hurt and slapped in the hospital. The city DA, William Forrest, and Police Commissioner, Wilton Graff, have a bright idea. They have a man who is a dead ringer for Armstrong. They want to send him in to get the goods on Armstrong's mob. The real Armstrong is kept in hospital under guard and away from any phones etc.
The "new" Armstrong gets a crash course in all the mobster's crew, rackets and enemies etc. He hits the mobster's lair and takes up the reins. Everything seems to be running smooth as the doppelganger gathers info on Armstrong and the other area mob's workings. There is of course needs to be a bump in the road. The bump is the rather curvaceous Marion Martin. Martin is the real Armstrong's main squeeze. Martin of course notices something different about "this" Armstrong. He tells her he is just upset over some mob business.
Also in the mix here is local company owner, Stephanie Bachelor. Miss Bachelor is not amused with gangster Armstrong. She is quite sure that the man had her father killed, when he refused to knuckle under to the protection shakedown.
Needless to say all these loose ends are going to come together with a large crash. The real Armstrong happens to see a carelessly left newspaper, on which he happens to be the front page story. He of course wonders how this can be if he is in the hospital. Armstrong, breaks out, and is soon back in play. Bodies will pile up because of this, and that underling Kosleck now decides to make his move for power. It is only the last minute arrival of the Police that saves the fake Armstrong from death.
Note great, but, at only 54 minutes it moves along quick enough to never get boring. Stephanie Bachelor managed to get work in a total of 24 films during a 5 year career. (She married money and quit show business) She was quite good as a femme fatale in, PORT OF 40 THIEVES. Armstrong of course was famous as film maker Carl Denham in the original KING KONG. The prolific Armstrong appeared in over 200 film and television roles.
The director was long time Republic Pictures fixture, George Blair. The talented Blair scored with a series of solid low rent film noir such as, END OF THE ROAD, EXPOSED, POST OFFICE INVESTIGATOR, UNMASKED, FEDERAL AGENT AT LARGE, LONELY HEART BANDITS, SECRETS OF MONTE CARLO and INSURANCE INVESIGATOR. I always wondered what the man could have done with a bigger budget.
The story was supplied by future, writer, producer and director, Sam Fuller.
