CALIFICACIÓN DE IMDb
6.3/10
271
TU CALIFICACIÓN
En un montaje, un policía golpea a su jefe, es despedido y se infiltra en la mafia, pero cuando el jefe de policía es asesinado, el ex-policía es incapaz de demostrar su inocencia y es aband... Leer todoEn un montaje, un policía golpea a su jefe, es despedido y se infiltra en la mafia, pero cuando el jefe de policía es asesinado, el ex-policía es incapaz de demostrar su inocencia y es abandonado en el lado equivocado de la ley.En un montaje, un policía golpea a su jefe, es despedido y se infiltra en la mafia, pero cuando el jefe de policía es asesinado, el ex-policía es incapaz de demostrar su inocencia y es abandonado en el lado equivocado de la ley.
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Elenco
Peter Ashley
- Reporter
- (sin créditos)
George Campeau
- Man Leaving Katie's
- (sin créditos)
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Todo el elenco y el equipo
- Producción, taquilla y más en IMDbPro
Opiniones destacadas
Adventurous old fashion Warner Brothers crime drama, and an early role for Oscar nominee Arthur Kennedy, showing off talent to come. Kennedy plays cop Joe Geary who strikes up a "secret" deal with police chief Sprague (played by Jonathan Hale, famous as Mr. Dithers in the Blondie series). In order to nab a killer of a key witness, he gets himself tossed off the force, thus making himself available for the rats.
Not so fast. What happens when the chief is murdered, leaving Joe with absolutely no alibi, getting carted off to prison. The story rolls here and duck for cover; Howard Da Silva taking center stage as one brute of a guard. A nightmare for Joe, although he has the good fortune of having resourceful gal friend Alice (Joan Perry) helping him on the outside. Veteran actress Florence Bates (who had previously appeared in REBECCA for Hitchcock) has a good role, and some other familiar B film actors. Warner Brothers always had worthy backup for both large scale and small scale productions, that you can count on.
The biggest bit of trivia about this film is Joan Perry would shortly retire and marry Harry Cohn, president of Columbia Pictures, making her one of the most influential women in Hollywood for years.
Thanks TCM for running this golden oldie. Always on remastered dvd. Shop online for dvd and blu ray updates via WB.
Not so fast. What happens when the chief is murdered, leaving Joe with absolutely no alibi, getting carted off to prison. The story rolls here and duck for cover; Howard Da Silva taking center stage as one brute of a guard. A nightmare for Joe, although he has the good fortune of having resourceful gal friend Alice (Joan Perry) helping him on the outside. Veteran actress Florence Bates (who had previously appeared in REBECCA for Hitchcock) has a good role, and some other familiar B film actors. Warner Brothers always had worthy backup for both large scale and small scale productions, that you can count on.
The biggest bit of trivia about this film is Joan Perry would shortly retire and marry Harry Cohn, president of Columbia Pictures, making her one of the most influential women in Hollywood for years.
Thanks TCM for running this golden oldie. Always on remastered dvd. Shop online for dvd and blu ray updates via WB.
Detective Arthur Kennedy hits chief of police Jonathan Hale and gets booted from the force. But don't worry; it's a frame-up so Kennedy can go undercover to investigate who killed an important witness. When Hale is killed, Kennedy is framed and winds up in prison. Can he escape? And how can a corpse prove his innocence?
This Warner Brothers B movie sure packs a lot of plot switches into its 62 minutes, something that's possible because it's Kennedy in the lead, one of the premier character actors of the movies, given a rare lead because it is, after all, a cheapie. That's probably why they got away with so much police corruption on view, and even Howard Da Silva as a brutal prison guard. With Joan Perry, Florence Bates, and Stanley Andrews.
This Warner Brothers B movie sure packs a lot of plot switches into its 62 minutes, something that's possible because it's Kennedy in the lead, one of the premier character actors of the movies, given a rare lead because it is, after all, a cheapie. That's probably why they got away with so much police corruption on view, and even Howard Da Silva as a brutal prison guard. With Joan Perry, Florence Bates, and Stanley Andrews.
Strange Alibi harks back to the quick, crude Warners crime-and-corruption movies of the 1930s, showing none of the more nuanced, ambiguous style that started to coalesce in the early 40s. It's a rough and ready programmer, just watchable because of a few of its cast members.
Arthur Kennedy, in one of his earliest roles, plays a cop who stages a dishonorable discharge from the force in order to work the shady side of the street. But, framed for the murder of the one man who can vouch for his honesty, he ends up in the Big House, a target both of other cons (since he was a cop) and the guards (since they think he was a dishonest one; Howard Da Silva plays a particularly sadistic screw). He's in for life, which promises to be nasty, brutish and short, but a few fast friends on the outside are trying to get him exonerated. Chief among them is gold-hearted vice queen Florence Bates, one of the movies' most formidable old battleaxes (before taking to acting, she was the first woman to practice law in Texas).
The plot races and bumps along but manages to work itself out with passable cleverness: Kennedy contrives a scheme in which his innocence is proved by the "testimony" of a corpse.
Arthur Kennedy, in one of his earliest roles, plays a cop who stages a dishonorable discharge from the force in order to work the shady side of the street. But, framed for the murder of the one man who can vouch for his honesty, he ends up in the Big House, a target both of other cons (since he was a cop) and the guards (since they think he was a dishonest one; Howard Da Silva plays a particularly sadistic screw). He's in for life, which promises to be nasty, brutish and short, but a few fast friends on the outside are trying to get him exonerated. Chief among them is gold-hearted vice queen Florence Bates, one of the movies' most formidable old battleaxes (before taking to acting, she was the first woman to practice law in Texas).
The plot races and bumps along but manages to work itself out with passable cleverness: Kennedy contrives a scheme in which his innocence is proved by the "testimony" of a corpse.
Catch that hair-raising car chase as Geary (Kennedy) escapes prison. It's a dilly, but the crash is not one you walk away from. The movie's a 60-minute gangster programmer from the specialists, Warner Bros. Nothing memorable here, but there are highlights—the great Howard de Silva as a cruel prison guard (I'd rather serve my time in heck); battle-axe Florence Bates in an actual sympathetic role; and the race between fleeing car and speeding train. Okay, I kept a notepad so I could keep up with the maze-like plot. Seems cop Geary goes undercover to get goods on city corruption. But things don't go as planned. Meanwhile characters come and go, which is where the notepad comes in. Then too, there're more than the usual plot contrivances, but they go down easily, since director Lederman keeps things moving in typical Warners fashion.
Can't help noticing the work party scenes were filmed at all-purpose Bronson Canyon. Despite appearances, it's plumb in the middle of LA, next door to the studios. That's why it turns up in so many cheapo films, especially from the sci-fi 1950's. And get a load of leading lady Perry (Alice). No wonder Columbia's ogre Harry Cohn grabbed her off as his wife. Looks like she had a knack for marrying rich guys, so no surprise she left the business. Anyhow, it's a decent little slice of thick-ear, with a good chance to catch one of Hollywood's best actors honing his skills, the great Arthur Kennedy. Besides, who can resist a name like 'Fido Durkin'.
Can't help noticing the work party scenes were filmed at all-purpose Bronson Canyon. Despite appearances, it's plumb in the middle of LA, next door to the studios. That's why it turns up in so many cheapo films, especially from the sci-fi 1950's. And get a load of leading lady Perry (Alice). No wonder Columbia's ogre Harry Cohn grabbed her off as his wife. Looks like she had a knack for marrying rich guys, so no surprise she left the business. Anyhow, it's a decent little slice of thick-ear, with a good chance to catch one of Hollywood's best actors honing his skills, the great Arthur Kennedy. Besides, who can resist a name like 'Fido Durkin'.
Arthur Kennedy is a police sergeant who goes undercover to root out crooked cops, only to get framed by those very cops for the murder of the police chief he was working for, and winds up being sent to prison. Kennedy, in an early role, is quite good and the film is chock full of the great character actors that pop up in these neat old Warners "B"s--guys like Jonathan Hale, Dick Rich, John Ridgely, Ben Welden and, in a scene-stealing role, Howard Da Silva as a sadistic prison guard. Director D. Ross Lederman, an old hand at these kinds of pictures, keeps things moving at lightning speed, and it has the sneering thugs, tough cops, gun molls with a heart of gold, screaming sirens, screeching tires, breakneck car chases and everything else that made so many of the Warners "B" pictures of the '40s worthwhile. Check it out.
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaThe only states that did not have the death penalty in 1941 were Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
- ErroresWhen Captain Allen surprises Joe Geary (just escaped from prison), Alice Devlin and Katie at Katie's place as they try to figure out what to do after Benny McKaye dies, and Allen tells the others that corrupt policeman Pagle was promoted to Detective Captain, Geary repeats the news but refers to Pagle as "Lieutenant Captain" Pagle.
- Bandas sonorasThe Japanese Sandman
(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting
First tune played by the band at Durkin's Cafe
Selecciones populares
Inicia sesión para calificar y agrega a la lista de videos para obtener recomendaciones personalizadas
Detalles
- Fecha de lanzamiento
- País de origen
- Idioma
- También se conoce como
- Strange Alibi
- Locaciones de filmación
- Productora
- Ver más créditos de la compañía en IMDbPro
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora 3 minutos
- Color
- Relación de aspecto
- 1.37 : 1
Contribuir a esta página
Sugiere una edición o agrega el contenido que falta
Principales brechas de datos
By what name was La muerte por testigo (1941) officially released in India in English?
Responda