Violence

From 1947, Violence stars Nancy Coleman, Michael O'Shea, Sheldon Leonard, and Emory Parnell.

Coleman is Ann Mason, a reporter working undercover as a secretary for United Defenders, a fascist group using veterans by taking their money and encouraging them to be violent over issues such as housing and jobs.

Veterans had problems readjusting to society after World War II, and in this and another film I saw recently, their disenfranchisement made them a target for both communist and fascist groups.

Nancy is gathering evidence for her editor in Chicago, but on a trip there, she's in a car accident and develops amnesia. She meets a man, Steve (Michael O'Shea) who claims they are engaged.

Little by little, Ann remembers she works for the Defenders but not that she's undercover. Steve returns to Los Angeles with her and goes to work for the organization.

Ann begins to believe Steve is working against the Defenders and informs her boss. Trouble follows.

Cliche-ridden noir with Coleman constantly touching her head when she's trying to remember. And we all know what brings a memory back - another hit on the head.

Well, Ann falls and hits her head. A woman staying with her, whose husband was murdered by the Defenders, puts a dry handkerchief over her forehead. Big help.

You knew that charming, lively Michael O'Shea could never be evil. Sheldon Leonard was your typical meanie.

Interesting for what was going on in the US at the time, but not great.

There's a corruption plot here, and in almost every movie with a corruption plot, it is the dogooder politician behind the corruption. I'm not giving any secrets here. This movie is markedly different for some reason. My suspicion is they either ran out of film, money or time and had to wrap it up.

With peter whitney as the joker (no it's not set in gotham city) and sheldon leonard (no, he's not telling anyone which elevator or railroad train to take), the stage is set for a great reveal at the end of mr x's identity (no it's not elon musk or pierre watkin), but then the story just ends and michael o'shea goes off with the cute muckraking reporter. Also featured in here, as a doctor, was john (no he's not telling the copyboy don't call me chief) hamilton, a star on early tv. The most important thing in this movie is it prepared us for a corrupt, much bankrupted businessman to make a lot of noise about cleaning out the swamp, so to speak, while corrupting it himself.

This 1947 Poverty Row film noir about some racketeers organizing returning vets into strong-arm squads has an awful score of overwrought music from Edward J. Kay. Nancy Coleman is investigating the organization, but comes down with amnesia.

Since we know the set-up before she comes down with memory loss, there's no sense of noirish what-in-hell-is-going-on suspense. It all comes down to a cozy non-mystery shot on small sets with occasional bouts of rear projection, punctuated by loud, frantic musical stings. Besides Coleman, we get Sidney Sheldon, Michael O'Shea and Emory Parnell.

"Violence" is a 1947 low budget black and white film dealing with the problem of veterans adjusting to a society that seemingly doesn't provide adequately for their post-war needs. Most viewers today may not understand the topic but in 1947 this was a major topic as returning servicemen tried to adjust to society and as society tried to absorb them back into the workforce and life in general.

During the War strikes were forbidden and women took on major roles in the workforce. With millions of returning servicemen looking for jobs, businesses took the opportunity to reduce wages. So jobs were in short supply and wages were low. Many industries were scaling down from war production. Strikes began in major industries.

In the Great Strike Wave of 1945-46 Truman threatened to take over railroads if strikes persisted. Democrats lost the election in 1946 and the Republicans passed the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the ability of unions to strike.

On top of this, many veterans had mental health problems that were not being treated, promoting Truman to establish NIMH in 1946.

In the middle of this turmoil, HUAC was created in 1945 and became extremely active in 1947.

By the early 50s the Cold War was well in progress and the U.S. experienced enormous prosperity, and this transitional period between 1945 and 1950 was forgotten.

This film, as ordinary as it is, reflects some of the concerns of the times.

My favorite films about this era are "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Till the End of Time" (1946), "Home of the Brave" (1949), and "The Men" (1950).

(1947) Violence CRIME DRAMA

Co-produced and directed by Jack Bernhard that has two men beating up a guy name Joe Donahue (Jimmy Clark) for some information before he is killed and murdered. All this ruckus was happening down inside a basement, and it appears that Fred Stalk (Sheldon Leonard) gives out orders while the person who does all the beatings his name is "Joker'(Peter Whitney), both of them are working for a wannabe politician, True Dawson (Emory Parnell) as he has just finished speaking on front of a group of war veterans. As they are interacting with the secretary, Ann Mason (Nancy Coleman) before True Dawson come out and takes him into a private office. We then find out that the guy both Fred and Joker had just murdered, Troy Donahue apparently used to work for the True Dawson campaign until he did some investigating of his own. And that Tony was able to uncover some incriminating dirt on the candidate True Dawson, the reason why he was murdered so that this info cannot get out. And during them discussing matters, is when Ann the secretary walks in to discuss her departure to visit friends in Chicago. We find out later by the time we see her at her apartment that she too is also investigating True Dawson's shady past for a magazine called "View" for an editor, Ralph Borden (Pierre Watkin).

Things takes a turn for the worse as soon as Ann comes off from the Chicago airport and she notices someone following her and she asks the driver to lose him. And gets into an accident that causes her to lose her memory wondering her purpose to visit Chicago in the first place. We are then introduced to another person, claiming to be her fiance who happens to be a war veteran himself, Steve Fuller (Michael O'Shea). And upon Ann return back to LA with Steve at her side, she very slowly begins to recount what happened as well as her purpose including her role as a secretary. And it is not long, Steve is doing some sleuthing himself, he does this by discovering a letter addressed with Joe Donahue's name on it. And of course, he also associates himself with Fred and his brute Joker after working for the True Dawson campaign called the "United Defenders". It becomes complicated when Joe Donahue's wife, Sally Donahue (Cay Forester) shows up looking for her husband and Ann gets involves her self in her husband's disappearance.

With a short running time of an hour and 12 minutes, this movie is not bad if not for the predictable scenes their is a happy ending.