La nuit désespérée

From 1948, Race Street, starring George Raft and directed by Edwin L. Marin.

Slower moving than an iceberg with two tuneless musical numbers to boot.

Raft plays bookie Dan Gannin, who is leaving the racket and has opened his own nightclub featuring his sister (Gale Robbins). When his buddy (Harry Morgan) is killed after refusing mob protection, Dan goes after the killers. This doesn't sit well with Runson (William Bendix) a cop and friend, who feels Dan is putting himself in danger.

Race Street has no zip, no pace, and the plot just meanders along. It seemed as if the same scenes were repeated over and over - Runson asking Dan if he had any info, Gannin's friends discussing the problem, Gannin being threatened.

Marilyn Maxwell as a brunette is Gannin's girlfriend. Charles Lane, who died at 102, is a switchboard operator - his last credit was in 1995 after a 65-year career. Jason Robards Sr. Is uncredited as a hotel clerk. Frank Faylen plays a bad guy.

You can skip this.

George Raft and director Edwin Marin made several films together: JOHNNY ANGEL, INTERIGUE; NOCTURNE and this very one, which is for me the best of them all, also showing William Bendix in an unusual cop character. Bendix should have made more films like this one, he had the face and charisma for it. This crime noir is excellent for me, a pretty exciting RKO feature which I watch regularely with great pleasure. Fast paced, not too long, the ending is also in the line of the story and far better than other movies from this era; Good directing and camera work emphasize the power of this story. I recommend it;

This is a superior crime noir let down by a most nondescript title! Harry Morgan ("Hal") is found at the bottom of a flight of stairs - George Raft ("Gannin") and detective "Barney" (William Bendix) know his death is a bit fishy, and decide to investigate (separately!). Soon it transpires that the former is involved in dodgy bookmaking, as was the deceased, and that someone is trying to muscle in on their business. Raft is good as he tries to avenge his dead friend, never quite sure to trust, as are femme fatale Marilyn Maxwell as "Robbie" and Gale Robbins as his sister "Elaine" who sings a couple of quite decent numbers too. It's quite a tense short feature with plenty of darkly lit scenes and a tight dialogue to keep the suspense going until, I have to say, a rather silly ending. Well worth a watch, though.

Noted San Francisco bookie and club owner George Raft is being muscled by the syndicate. He shrugs it off until pal Harry Morgan is thrown down a flight of stairs and killed. After that Raft is hot for revenge.

Though this film was produced by RKO it has a Paramount look to it because of the presence of William Bendix as a police lieutenant and Frank Faylen as the syndicate's man in San Francisco.

Raft gets a lot of good advice from Bendix in the film, most of which he ignores. Raft also has some very treacherous associates as the viewer will find out.

George Raft films are always art imitating life when they are about gangsters. Except for horror film stars like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, I doubt there was ever a major star whose own life so closely got involved in the roles he played.

Raft was hardly a great actor, but in gangster films he knew the mob literally from the inside out so it was never acting.

Bill Bendix of course is always good, films with him in it should be seen if for no other reason than to watch him.

Race Street is an average noir film which I'm sure entertained the audiences who came to see whatever A picture was playing with it.

George Raft is a well respected bookie in San Francisco. He's got a cute girlfriend in Marilyn Maxwell, a sister who's a lounge singer in Gale Robbins, and a cop friend in Lieutenant William Bendix. Raft doesn't play ball with him, but Bendix figures so long as things are quiet, he's doing his job. But when a mysterious stranger played by Frank Faylen decides to set up a protection racket for bookies, they resist. Harry Morgan winds up dead. Bendix investigates because it's his job. Raft, because Morgan is his friend.

The most interesting part of Raft's last film for RKO is the handsome shots of San Francisco shot by DP Roy Hunt. Miss Robbins' musical numbers are good, and Bendix is interesting in a straightforward, amiably corrupt role. Meanwhile, Raft continues to fail to impress me with his minimal performance, although he does manage to grit his teeth when he has been shot. With Russell Hicks, Tom Keene, Franklyn Farnum, and Charles Lane.