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Drive a Crooked Road

  • 19541954
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Mickey Rooney, Kevin McCarthy, Dianne Foster, and Jack Kelly in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:58
1 Video
17 Photos
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir

An upright car mechanic falls in love with the girlfriend of a gangster. This forces him to participate in the criminal underworld.An upright car mechanic falls in love with the girlfriend of a gangster. This forces him to participate in the criminal underworld.An upright car mechanic falls in love with the girlfriend of a gangster. This forces him to participate in the criminal underworld.

IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Richard Quine
  • Writers
    • Blake Edwards(screen play)
    • Richard Quine(adaptation)
    • James Benson Nablo(from a story by)
  • Stars
    • Mickey Rooney
    • Dianne Foster
    • Kevin McCarthy
Top credits
  • Director
    • Richard Quine
  • Writers
    • Blake Edwards(screen play)
    • Richard Quine(adaptation)
    • James Benson Nablo(from a story by)
  • Stars
    • Mickey Rooney
    • Dianne Foster
    • Kevin McCarthy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 29User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Drive a Crooked Road
    Trailer 1:58
    Drive a Crooked Road

    Photos17

    Kevin McCarthy and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney, Kevin McCarthy, and Jack Kelly in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
    Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1954)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mickey Rooney
    Mickey Rooney
    • Eddie Shannonas Eddie Shannon
    Dianne Foster
    Dianne Foster
    • Barbara Mathewsas Barbara Mathews
    Kevin McCarthy
    Kevin McCarthy
    • Steve Norrisas Steve Norris
    Jack Kelly
    Jack Kelly
    • Harold Bakeras Harold Baker
    Harry Landers
    Harry Landers
    • Ralphas Ralph
    Jerry Paris
    Jerry Paris
    • Philas Phil
    Paul Picerni
    Paul Picerni
    • Carlas Carl
    Dick Crockett
    Dick Crockett
    • Donas Don
    Irene Bolton
    • Pretty Girlas Pretty Girl
    • (uncredited)
    John Close
    John Close
    • Police Officeras Police Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Richard H. Cutting
    Richard H. Cutting
    • Bit Roleas Bit Role
    • (uncredited)
    John Damler
    John Damler
    • Police Officeras Police Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Linda Danson
    • Pretty Girlas Pretty Girl
    • (uncredited)
    Diana Dawson
    • Pretty Girlas Pretty Girl
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Engstrom
    • Bit Roleas Bit Role
    • (uncredited)
    Mike Mahoney
    • Police Officeras Police Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Peggy Maley
    Peggy Maley
    • Margeas Marge
    • (uncredited)
    Patrick Miller
    • Telleras Teller
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Richard Quine
    • Writers
      • Blake Edwards(screen play)
      • Richard Quine(adaptation)
      • James Benson Nablo(from a story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    Eddie Shannon is an undersized, sports-car mechanic who dreams of racing an expensive car in a European meet. He meets and falls in love with Barbara Mathews, and thinks she loves him. She introduces him to Steve Norris and Harold Baker, who ask him to drive the getaway car in a bank robbery they are planning. He refuses, but changes his mind after some gentle persuasion from Barbara. The job is pulled off and, following a wild getaway, Eddie learns that Barbara was just using him and that Steve and Harold have plans to kill him. Gritty retribution is just around the corner. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
    revolverattempted murderhoney potfemme fatalefacial scar31 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A Lonely Little Guy - A Wrong Dame
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Film-Noir
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie has a similar story line to the Ernest Hemingway movie The Killers (1946), starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, which was remade (The Killers (1964)) with Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Angie Dickinson, and Ronald Reagan.
    • Goofs
      (at around 10 mins) Eddie pulls up at Barbara's apartment and parks behind a gray Ford. When Barbara drives off a few minutes later, Eddie's MG is missing, but the Ford is still there.
    • Quotes

      Marge: Could I peel this onion? I can't stand to see a grown man cry.

      Steve Norris: Take it with you, beautiful; drop it into a large martini.

    • Soundtracks
      From Here to Eternity
      by Fred Karger and Robert Wells

      played instrumentally as source music

    User reviews29

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    A nice change of pace for Mickey Rooney
    "Drive a Crooked Road" is an excellent picture--written by Blake Edwards and starring Mickey Rooney. Most would probably consider it an example of film noir, though its camera-work and dialog aren't exactly typical for noir.

    When the story begins, you learn that Eddie (Rooney) is a small-time race car driver and mechanic. He also is rather quiet and is treated rather poorly at times due to his being so small. Because of that, he's vulnerable when a pretty lady (Dianne Foster) begins showing him a lot of attention. But she is not such a nice lady and halt ulterior motives. It seems her boyfriend (Kevn McCarthy) is a mobster and they are actually setting him up to become part of their robbery scheme! What's next? See the film.

    Most Mickey Rooney films, particularly those earlier in his career, are similar because Mickey plays nice guys or guys who become nice guys. Here, however, he agrees to become entangled with gangsters...gangsters who really are scum. Overall, well acted and interesting throughout...and well worth seeing. If you are interested, it's currently posted on YouTube.
    helpful•10
    0
    • MartinHafer
    • May 29, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 26, 1954 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Le destin est au tournant
    • Filming locations
      • 1769 N. Orange Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White

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