The old plane seen outside the airport hangar at the end, was a captured Japanese Nakajima B5N ("Kate") Torpedo Bomber from World War II. It had been shot down at the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The plane had been sent to Arizona and stored at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson, Arizona for warfare aeronautical studies during the beginning of the war. It was lent to the movie producers.
The plane had been sent to Arizona and stored at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson, Arizona for warfare aeronautical studies during the beginning of the war. It was lent to the movie producers.
A good part of the cast for Johnny Stool Pigeon will appear the following year,1950, in the Western Classic Winchester 73: Dan Dutyea, Shelly Winters, Tony Curtis (in a minor appearance), John McIntire, Charles Drake. Universal knew how to use their contracted actors.
This is Tony Curtis' second film in 1949, following his uncredited debut in "Criss Cross," which also costarred Dan Duryea. Not coincidentally, "Johnny Stool Pigeon" reuses Miklos Rosza's score from "Criss Cross," as other Universal-International noirs had done.
Pilar Del Rey's debut.