The Bribe (1949)

Federal agent Rigby, in Central America to trace stolen plane engines, falls for the gorgeous wife of the chief suspect.

Directors:

Robert Z. Leonard, Vincente Minnelli (uncredited)

Writers:

Marguerite Roberts (screen play), Frederick Nebel (short story)

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Rigby
Ava Gardner	...	Elizabeth Hintten
Charles Laughton	...	J.J. Bealer
Vincent Price	...	Carwood
John Hodiak	...	Tug Hintten
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Dr. Warren
John Hoyt	...	Gibbs
Tito Renaldo	...	Emilio Gomez
Martin Garralaga	...	Pablo Gomez

Storyline

In pursuit of stolen aircraft engines on a Central American island, federal agent Rigby meets chief suspect Hintten and his wife Elizabeth, a sultry cafe singer; and is watched by Bealer, a "pie-shaped man" with sore feet. Rigby knows he's on the right track when Bealer offers him money to leave Carlota. When Rigby and Elizabeth are drawn to each other, the gang realizes there's more than one kind of bribe. Everybody sweats.

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Plot Keywords:

federal agent | cafe singer | island | bribe | ex pilot | 

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Taglines:

5 Great Stars in a Daring Drama of Love and Adventure !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 August 1949 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Geheimaktion Carlotta

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,984,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,559,000, 31 December 1949

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,510,000, 31 December 1949

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

MGM paid the author Frederick Nebel $10,000 (over $100,000 in 2017) for the rights to his story that appeared in the September, 1947 edition of Heart's International Cosmopolitan magazine.

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Quotes

Elizabeth Hintten: [singing] Getting tired of waiting, Getting kinda blue, Situation wanted, With someone, But who?

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Connections

Edited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

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Soundtracks

Fiesta
(uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by William Katz
[Sung by extras in fiesta scenes]

User Reviews

Slow crime drama with redeeming qualities

"The Bribe" is a somewhat slow noir drama starring Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, John Hodiak, and Vincent Price. With a cast like that, nothing is all bad. Though the story drags in spots and the bad guys are somewhat obvious, it still makes for good viewing. Taylor is Rigby, a fed investigating war surplus violations involving the sale of airplane motors in a place called Carlotta in South America. The suspects have been narrowed down to two Americans, Tug Hintten (Hodiak) and his wife, Elizabeth, a singer (Gardner). Once in Carlotta, Rigby meets J.J. Bealer, portrayed by Charles Laughton, and Carwood (Vincent Price). They're worth watching, too, though Rigby becomes instantly distracted by Elizabeth. Their love story develops overnight, which might seem strange, but it's Ava at her most gorgeous and Taylor at his most ruggedly handsome. You can hardly blame either one of them. The questions for Rigby are: Where are the motors being hidden, who's the head guy, who's involved...and how involved is Elizabeth? The movie, with the exception of the finale, is fairly routine stuff. Laughton and Price have the best roles. Laughton is fabulous as a slovenly loser whose feet hurt, and Price is excellent. Everyone else is good, including Hodiak, his career in major nosedive as he appears in a supporting role, though a showy one as a drunk with a weak heart. The big action takes place at the finale, which is exciting and visually marvelous. We could have used a little more of that type of thing throughout the film.