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The Underworld Story

  • 1950
  • Passed
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Dan Duryea, Howard Da Silva, and Gale Storm in The Underworld Story (1950)
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir

The story of the fight of a small-town newspaper to free an innocent girl of a murder charge, with the publisher of a metropolitan city newspaper heading, by forced circumstances, the opposi... Read allThe story of the fight of a small-town newspaper to free an innocent girl of a murder charge, with the publisher of a metropolitan city newspaper heading, by forced circumstances, the opposing forces.The story of the fight of a small-town newspaper to free an innocent girl of a murder charge, with the publisher of a metropolitan city newspaper heading, by forced circumstances, the opposing forces.

  • Director
    • Cy Endfield
  • Writers
    • Henry Blankfort
    • Cy Endfield
    • Craig Rice
  • Stars
    • Dan Duryea
    • Herbert Marshall
    • Gale Storm
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Cy Endfield
    • Writers
      • Henry Blankfort
      • Cy Endfield
      • Craig Rice
    • Stars
      • Dan Duryea
      • Herbert Marshall
      • Gale Storm
    • 24User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos37

    Douglas Evans in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Mervin Williams in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Harry Shannon in The Underworld Story (1950)
    The Underworld Story (1950)
    Mary Anderson in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Herbert Marshall and Gar Moore in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Dan Duryea and Mervin Williams in The Underworld Story (1950)
    The Underworld Story (1950)
    Gale Storm in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Dan Duryea in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Gale Storm in The Underworld Story (1950)
    Dan Duryea in The Underworld Story (1950)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Duryea
    Dan Duryea
    • Mike Reese
    Herbert Marshall
    Herbert Marshall
    • E.J. Stanton
    Gale Storm
    Gale Storm
    • Cathy Harris
    Howard Da Silva
    Howard Da Silva
    • Carl Durham
    • (as Howard da Silva)
    Michael O'Shea
    Michael O'Shea
    • Ralph Munsey
    Mary Anderson
    Mary Anderson
    • Molly Rankin
    Gar Moore
    Gar Moore
    • Clark Stanton
    Melville Cooper
    Melville Cooper
    • Major Redford
    Frieda Inescort
    Frieda Inescort
    • Mrs. Eldridge
    Art Baker
    Art Baker
    • Lt. Tilton
    Harry Shannon
    Harry Shannon
    • George Parker
    Alan Hale Jr.
    Alan Hale Jr.
    • Shaeffer
    Stephen Dunne
    Stephen Dunne
    • Chuck Lee
    Roland Winters
    Roland Winters
    • Stanley Becker
    Sue England
    Sue England
    • Helen
    Lewis L. Russell
    • Calvin
    Frances Chaney
    • Grace Calvin
    Jay Adler
    Jay Adler
    • Munsey's Assistant
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Cy Endfield
    • Writers
      • Henry Blankfort
      • Cy Endfield
      • Craig Rice
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The $5,000 for the half interest in the small town newspaper would equate to approximately $60,000 in 2022.
    • Goofs
      At the funeral, there is a headstone marked "Robert Elis 1720-1777". After the service, as the mourners are leaving, the same headstone appears in a completely different place.
    • Quotes

      District Attorney Ralph Munsey: Take it easy, Reese. Things are tough all over. Pretty soon a man won't be able to sell his own mother.

    • Connections
      References The Song of Bernadette (1943)

    User reviews24

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    An opportunist slowly becomes a crusader...
    When the story begins, newspaper man Mike Reese (Dan Duryea) is fired from a big city paper for unethical conduct...conduct that resulted in someone's murder by the local mob boss, Durham (Howard Da Silva). Not surprisingly, he's fired and no one will hire him.

    He soon finds himself in a small town and gets himself a job with a tiny, unimportant paper. However, when a rich and very important lady is murdered, he sees it as a chance to make it back to the big time papers. He champions the cause of the woman accused of the murder-- even though he probably doesn't believe in her innocence at all. However, through the course of the film something interesting happens...folks, including Durham, start pressuring Mike to drop the story. So, there must be something to all this and the fix is on...and suddenly the opportunistic and soulless guy is read to risk his life to do what is right! But he might just get himself killed in the process...and folks seem more than ready to oblige.

    While this film isn't strictly a traditional film noir picture in some ways, as the plot isn't at all typical of noir, but it sure is noir in spirit. There are many dark and evil characters you'd see in a noir picture and there also is the morally challenged hero. But what's most noir about this film is the camera-work...with camera angles and shadows that you'd find in any decent noir picture.

    This film proves that Dan Duryea was a heck of an actor. While he's normally known for playing greasy, pusillanimous jerks, here he has so much more to him and he is a great combination of grit, cynicism and, believe it or not, decency! Overall, a fantastic film that's undergone a recent revival in interest and is now seen by many as a classic. Classic? Yes, I can see that.
    helpful•13
    0
    • planktonrules
    • Mar 31, 2017

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 26, 1950 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Whipped
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles City Hall - 200 North Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA("The Turk" was murdered on the steps of City Hall)
    • Production company
      • FilmCraft Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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