Mystery Street (1950)

A small-town policeman is assisted by a Harvard professor after the discovery of a human skeleton on a Massachusetts beach.

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Sydney Boehm (screenplay), Richard Brooks (screenplay)

Stars:

Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ricardo Montalban	...	Peter Moralas
Sally Forrest	...	Grace Shanway
Bruce Bennett	...	Dr. McAdoo
Elsa Lanchester	...	Mrs. Smerrling
Marshall Thompson	...	Henry Shanway
Jan Sterling	...	Vivian Heldon
Edmon Ryan	...	James Joshua Harkley
Betsy Blair	...	Jackie Elcott
Wally Maher	...	Tim Sharkey
Ralph Dumke	...	A Tattooist
Willard Waterman	...	A Mortician
Walter Burke	...	An Ornithologist
Don Shelton	...	A District Attorney

Storyline

Vivian, a B-girl working at "The Grass Skirt," is being brushed off by her rich, married boyfriend. To confront him, she hijacks drunken customer Henry Shanway and his car from Boston to Cape Cod, where she strands Henry...and is never seen again. Months later, a skeleton is found (sans clothes or clues) on a lonely Cape Cod beach. Using the macabre expertise of Harvard forensic specialist Dr. McAdoo, Lt. Pete Morales must work back from bones to the victim's identity, history, and killer. Will he succeed in time to save an innocent suspect?

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a pregnant woman | pregnancy | beacon hill boston | blackmail attempt | diner | 

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Taglines:

Anything can happen !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The concept of a forensic procedural is common in the 21st century, but was brand new when this movie was made. To cap it off, the hero was played by a Hispanic actor, Ricardo Montalban, who was a big star in Mexico, but who had been mostly cast in Hollywood flicks as a Latin lover before this picture.

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Goofs

When Vivian is talking on the phone early in the movie, initially she has a thin band ring on her finger. During the same conversation she has on a different ring with a large stone on it.

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Quotes

Detective Tim Sharkey: Ha-ha, lieutenant, you're not young enough to start on this case.
Lieutenant Peter Morales: Maybe, but I'm dumb enough.

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Crazy Credits

Although it was filmed almost entirely in and around Boston, the end title still carries the traditional "Made in Hollywood, USA" tag.

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Connections

Referenced in Leverage: The Frame-Up Job (2012)

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Soundtracks

The Johnson Rag
Music by Guy R. Hall & Henry Kleinkauf (uncredited)
Played on the jukebox at the Dunes Diner on Cape Cod

User Reviews

Great locations, some terrific acting, interesting plot...worth a casual look!

Mystery Street (1950)

There are so many charming and sharply seen moments in this movie, and a plot that's strong and curious, you wonder why it doesn't quite pull together and zoom. Director John Sturges is neither a legend nor as slouch, one of those really competent directors who made some pretty famous films. "Mystery Street" might be revealing as to what makes a Sturges film what it is.

I mean, there's the Mexican-American lead male, Ricardo Montalban, who is far more believable than, say, Humphrey Bogart. But we prefer Bogart? Maybe because Montalban is so everyday, not a star, just wonderfully convincing as one of us. (He has a great line, probably added just for him, about being fully an American even though his family has only been in the country for less than a hundred years.) The story starts with a real bang, and with the crisp, edgy acting of Jan Sterling, and a couple of fast twists. It never gets dull, even if it levels out (it makes a potential mistake by letting us know fairly early on who the killer is, and then doesn't make this killer much of the plot until the very end). And there are other great roles, particularly the landlady, played by the incomparable Elsa Lanchester.

And check out the locale--not L.A., not even New York, but Boston area location shooting. And some great field work on Cape Cod. The whole feel of the movie is just outside the usual stuff, you know, the escape to the Mexican border or up into the California mountains, it makes it worth watching just for that. The photography is not extroverted, but it's really smart, tightly seen stuff, by John Alton, a Hollywood Veteran who later did the "Big Combo" and "Lonelyhearts."

Most of us don't watch films for all the insider stuff, or even just to salivate over the photography, as I tend to do, so we are back to the functional if not quite riveting story, held up by a handful of great performances. Better than CSI.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1950 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Murder at Harvard

Filming Locations:

Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$730,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1