Shakedown

Future husband of film noir legend Ida Lupino and the voice of Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade on radio for five years, handsome Howard Duff appeared in a wide variety of noirs but never achieved the level of stardom of the cycle’s biggest names. In Joseph Pevney’s Shakedown, Duff has a rare starring role as a mercenary photographer determined to succeed no matter the price to his integrity, his relationships, or, ultimately, himself (“Decency and integrity never kept anyone well-fed, and I’ve got quite an appetite”). Jack Early (Duff) secures himself a newspaper job by charming photo editor Ellen Bennett (Peggy Dow) into persuading her managing editor David Glover (Bruce Bennett) to hire him, despite Glover’s strong misgivings. As Early continues dating Ellen for job security, he accepts a gig from racketeer Nick Palmer (Brian Donlevy), which turns him into prey for gangster Harry Colton (Lawrence Tierney) and predator for Palmer’s beautiful wife Nita (Anne Vernon). Pevney injects a few moments of perverse comedy as Early’s ambition reveals him to be a sociopath, such as when he stops to photograph citizens in distress — a man about to drown, a woman about to jump from a burning building — rather than offering them assistance (comparisons to the cynicism of 1951’s Ace in the Hole are unavoidable). For those looking for the visual splendor of noir, there’s not much of that here, but the film makes excellent use of location shooting (streets, parking lots, even a bowling alley). Watch for a baby-faced Rock Hudson in a bit part as a doorman named Ted.