Tight Spot (1955)

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 in the upcoming trial.

Director:

Phil Karlson

Writers:

William Bowers (screenplay), Leonard Kantor (play) (as Lenard Kantor)

Stars:

Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ginger Rogers	...	Sherry Conley
Edward G. Robinson	...	Lloyd Hallett
Brian Keith	...	Vince Striker
Lucy Marlow	...	Prison Girl
Lorne Greene	...	Benjamin Costain
Katherine Anderson	...	Mrs. Willoughby
Allen Nourse	...	Marvin Rickles
Peter Leeds	...	Fred Packer
Doye O'Dell	...	Mississippi Mac
Eve McVeagh	...	Clara Moran

Storyline

Sherry Conley, a street tough and cynical woman with an unhappy family background, is taken from prison to a hotel, where the DA tries to convince her to testify against a mobster. Sherry is reluctant because the last witness was murdered before he made it to the stand, and why should she stick her neck out? At the hotel, several attempts are made on her life, and she falls for Vince, the policemen guarding her.

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Plot Keywords:

witness | women's prison | police protection | district attorney | based on play | 

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Taglines:

THE WORD IS OUT! THE WORD IS "GREAT"!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 1955 (France)

Also Known As:

Dead Pigeon

Filming Locations:

Manhattan Municipal Building - 1 Centre Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The characters Ginger Rogers and Brian Keith portrayed were supposed to be around the same age. In real-life, Ginger Rogers was over a decade older than Brian Keith.

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Quotes

Sherry Conley: Well, if we're not the real life-size Boston blackies!

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Connections

Referenced in A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954)

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Soundtracks

Give My Shoes to Cousin Helen
(uncredited)
Performed by Doye O'Dell and his band during the telethon

User Reviews

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.