The Burglar (1957)

Dan Duryea and his cronies rob a fake spiritualist and then take it on the lam to Atlantic City.

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writers:

David Goodis (screenplay), David Goodis (novel)

Stars:

Dan Duryea, Jayne Mansfield, Martha Vickers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Duryea	...	Nat Harbin
Jayne Mansfield	...	Gladden
Martha Vickers	...	Della
Peter Capell	...	Baylock
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Dohmer
Wendell K. Phillips	...	Police Captain
Phoebe Mackay	...	Sister Sara
Stewart Bradley	...	Charlie
John Facenda	...	News Commentator
Sam Elber	...	Gerald
Frank Hall	...	News Reporter
Bob Wilson	...	Newsreel Narrator
Steve Allison	...	State Trooper
Richard Emery	...	Harbin as a Child
Andrea McLaughlin	...	Gladden as a Child

Storyline

Dan Duryea and his cronies rob a fake spiritualist and then take it on the lam to Atlantic City.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | psychotronic film | big breasts | staring at butt | pretty woman | 

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Taglines:

A trail of perfume...and violence!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Toter lügt nicht

Filming Locations:

1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in the summer of 1955 but not released until 1957, in order to cash in on the sudden fame of Jayne Mansfield.

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Goofs

The 1951 Chevy driven by Nat Harbin is described as "light gray" over the police radio and in the teletype voice-over, yet the description on the teletype reads that the car is "green."

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Quotes

Della: [slaps Nat Harbin] Just to let you know I'm... not selling anything.

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Crazy Credits

and introducing stewart bradley

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Connections

References Utopia (1951)

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Soundtracks

You Are Mine
Vocal by Vince Carson
Music and Lyrics by Bob Marcucchi and Pete DeAngelo

User Reviews

Jayne's a legacy

For a chance to look at Atlantic City in the Fifties before the casinos moved in The Burglar is the film for you. Dan Duryea stars in this small B film from Columbia as a professional burglar looking to make a big score with a necklace robbed from a fake spiritualist.

Duryea's team consists of Peter Capell jewelry expert, Mickey Shaughnessy muscle and hormones, and Jayne Mansfield who gives his hormones their exercise. Jayne's kind of a legacy for Duryea, if you can believe he thinks of her as kind of a kid sister. Duryea was raised by Jayne's father who was also a burglar and taught him the trade.

The robbery goes, but Duryea is spotted by cop Stewart Bradley who's on the take. So he has real police as well as this crooked one looking to get in on the score.

You'll note the similarities between The Burglar and The Asphalt Jungle. Both Duryea here and Sterling Hayden in the John Huston classic seem to be drawn inexorably to disaster. The difference is that Huston had that MGM shine to his film and this is a routine B film that's a cut above average.

Usually when a film is held up for a couple of years for release that spells problems. But The Burglar shot in 1955 and released in 1957 is moody and atmospheric and a nifty noir feature. Jayne Mansfield gets some competition in the sex pot department from Martha Vickers best remembered as Lauren Bacall's psychotic sister in The Big Sleep. She's working with Bradley who's working on Mansfield. All I can say is nice work if you can get it.

Around this time there was an attempt to make a lead of Dan Duryea, but he never really transitioned into that category. But The Burglar represents a fine bit of work from him and the rest of the cast.