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IMDbPro

Tight Spot

  • 19551955
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
30,817
10,202
Tight Spot (1955)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:14
1 Video
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir
A female inmate is whisked out of prison and into a police-guarded hotel until the district attorney can convince her to testify against the mob.A female inmate is whisked out of prison and into a police-guarded hotel until the district attorney can convince her to testify against the mob.A female inmate is whisked out of prison and into a police-guarded hotel until the district attorney can convince her to testify against the mob.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
30,817
10,202
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Phil Karlson
    • Writers
      • William Bowers(screen play)
      • Leonard Kantor(play "Dead Pigeon")
    • Stars
      • Ginger Rogers
      • Edward G. Robinson
      • Brian Keith
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Phil Karlson
    • Writers
      • William Bowers(screen play)
      • Leonard Kantor(play "Dead Pigeon")
    • Stars
      • Ginger Rogers
      • Edward G. Robinson
      • Brian Keith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 50User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Tight Spot
    Trailer 2:14
    Tight Spot

    Photos153

    Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith, and Ginger Rogers in Tight Spot (1955)
    Brian Keith and Ginger Rogers in Tight Spot (1955)
    Brian Keith and Ginger Rogers in Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)
    Ed Hinton, John Larch, and Alfred Linder in Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)
    Ed Hinton and Alfred Linder in Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)
    Tight Spot (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ginger Rogers
    Ginger Rogers
    • Sherry Conley
    Edward G. Robinson
    Edward G. Robinson
    • Lloyd Hallett
    Brian Keith
    Brian Keith
    • Vince Striker
    Lucy Marlow
    Lucy Marlow
    • Prison Girl
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    • Benjamin Costain
    Katherine Anderson
    Katherine Anderson
    • Mrs. Willoughby
    Allen Nourse
    • Marvin Rickles
    Peter Leeds
    • Fred Packer
    Doye O'Dell
    Doye O'Dell
    • Mississippi Mac
    Eve McVeagh
    Eve McVeagh
    • Clara Moran
    Dean Cromer
    • Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Tom De Graffenreid
    • Doctor
    • (uncredited)
    Kevin Enright
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Gerstle
    Frank Gerstle
    • Jim Hornsby
    • (uncredited)
    Kathryn Grant
    Kathryn Grant
    • Girl Honeymooner
    • (uncredited)
    Tom Greenway
    • Elevator Mechanic
    • (uncredited)
    Joseph Hamilton
    Joseph Hamilton
    • Judge
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Hinton
    • Second Detective
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Phil Karlson
    • Writers
      • William Bowers(screen play)
      • Leonard Kantor(play "Dead Pigeon")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The story was inspired by Senator Estes Kefauver's tactics in coercing Virginia Hill to testify in the Bugsy Siegel prosecution.
    • Goofs
      When the police bring in Clara Moran (Sherry Conley's sister), Sherry is not wearing any earrings. During her verbal exchange, dangling pearl earrings appear.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      [Sherry has just been sworn in on the witness stand with Hallett beginning his questioning]

      Lloyd Hallett: Your name please.

      Sherry Conley: Sherry Conley.

      Lloyd Hallett: What is your present address?

      Sherry Conley: Upstate Women's Prison.

      Lloyd Hallett: Occupation?

      Sherry Conley: [defiantly] At present, gang buster.

      [the courtroom erupts to Sherry's answer]

    • Connections
      Referenced in A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954)
    • Soundtracks
      The Girl from Cactus Valley
      (uncredited)

      Performed by Doye O'Dell and his band during the telethon

    User reviews50

    Review
    Top review
    Ginger Gets a Revival
    I love it when Mississippi Mac bangs out a tune on his head using a rubber mallet, a clever touch getting comedy relief from a TV parody of a country and western telethon. Otherwise, it's a pretty somber movie and extended showcase for Rogers then coming off a reverse blacklist of Hollywood right-wingers.

    As it is, Rogers gets ninety minutes of snappy dialog with more brass than spent cartridges on a rifle range. But, frankly, all the tough talk and attitude does get tiresome despite her spirited effort. The fact that she's 40-something and starting to bulge strikes me as just right for the aging party-girl part. Remember, Sherry (Rogers) is supposed to have been around the block more than a few times and is now looking back over what she suspects is a misspent life. That's what makes her otherwise hardened character rather poignant and vulnerable.

    What a shrewd piece of casting to pair the high-key Rogers with the low-key Bryan Keith. At this career stage, Keith was one of the more subtle actors around, able to convey a lot by doing very little. Director Karlson apparently liked him too, casting him also in his 5 Against the House (1955). And for Robinson and Rogers, it must have seemed like old home week at Warner Bros.

    But truth be told, cult director Karlson is wasted in a crime drama that any one of a dozen lesser directors could have handled. At the same time, I didn't see the major plot twist coming which strikes me as the most memorable part of a too-stagey film; although, like other reviewers, that family spat with sister Clara (McVeagh) is a real barn burner and high point. Anyway, the film's an okay crime story that really serves as a vehicle for a Ginger Rogers career revival.
    helpful•14
    3
    • dougdoepke
    • Sep 12, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 15, 1955 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dead Pigeon
    • Filming locations
      • Manhattan Municipal Building - 1 Centre Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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