Angel's Flight (1965)

A series of murders involving a stripper (Indus Arthur) are investigated by a hard-drinking reporter (William Thourlby) in this late-entry film-noir.

Directors:

Raymond Nassour, Kenneth W. Richardson (as K.W. Richardson)

Writers:

Dean Romano, William Brownell (additional dialogue)

Stars:

William Thourlby, Warren J. Kemmerling, Michael Fox

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Thourlby	...	Ben Wiley
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	(as Warren Kimmerling)
Michael Fox	...	Jake the Bartender
Kathleen Gallant
Jayne Drennan
James Mastin
Lawrence Homer
Elliott Fayad	...	(as Elliot Fayad)
Rue McClanahan	...	Dolly (as Rhue McClanahan)
Jean Cartwright
Edward P. Martin
Clint Prentice
James Cavanaugh
John Walker
Burt Conroy

Storyline

A series of murders involving a stripper (Indus Arthur) are investigated by a hard-drinking reporter (William Thourlby) in this late-entry film-noir.

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | los angeles california | downtown | crime writer | serial killer | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

A DVD label once planned to release this film on home video. However, according to the label, one of the copyright holders made demands that prevented the release.

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Soundtracks

Angel's Flight
Sung by Ann Richards
Music & Lyrics by Frank Romano

User Reviews

Effective time and timeless capsule noir

I just saw what was said to be the first screening of a more complete cut of this film here in 2006 as part of the noir festival. Let me mention real briefly that the post synced dialog, at least in this version, wasn't bad at all, and the motives for the killings are not what is stated in one of the other comments here. This film feels a bit cheap at first but the performances and the film quickly grows on you. What you have is a film shot in the early 60's that seems to have never been released, shot in Black and White with more of a modern sick city undercurrent to it that renders the whole thing fascinating. The grunge of the soon to be demolished buildings are like the story about to degenerate into the chaos of the 60's. It has elements, like the title song, that are pure 40's but the frank, if not explicit, sexual back story--not to give anything away, are more modern. So it works well as a later noir. The location photography with a handful of memorable shots and one cool police flashers superimposed in the eyes of the killer moments work well. The script is pretty well done and other than a sort of wide eyed crazy old lady--who adds to the fun but takes away from the other better actors--this holds together as drama. The end is abrupt but totally works. This should be released on DVD, the back-story of the film and filming are as noir as the film itself. Worth seeing and better made than either Blast of Silence or Dementia.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Shock Hill

Filming Locations:

Angels Flight Railway - 351 S Hill St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1