Bunco Squad ** (1950, Robert Sterling, Joan Dixon, Ricardo Cortez, Douglas Fowley) – Classic Movie Review 11,665

Director Herbert I Leeds’s 1950 American crime film thriller Bunco Squad is written by George Callahan, based on the novel Fortuneer by Reginald Taviner, and stars Robert Sterling, Joan Dixon, Ricardo Cortez, Douglas Fowley and Elisabeth Risdon.

Police detective sergeant Steve Johnson (Robert Sterling) finds slimy villain Tony Weldon (Ricardo Cortez)’s confidence men have posed as spiritualists and robbed wealthy widow Jessica Royce (Elisabeth Risdon) of $2 million through a phony séance.

Sterling, Joan Dixon as Grace Bradshaw and, especially, Cortez are all good value in this pot-boiling crime thriller with a pretty fair plot, delivered fast, atmospherically and realistically.

It is partly a remake of 1938’s Crime Ring.

The film was released on 1 September 1950 by RKO Pictures. It was shot in 13 days.

The cast are Robert Sterling as Det. Sgt. Steve Johnson, Joan Dixon as Grace Bradshaw / Bride in film, Ricardo Cortez as Tony Weldon, Douglas Fowley as Det. Sgt. Mack McManus, Elisabeth Risdon as Jessica Royce, Marguerite Churchill as Barbara Madison, John Kellogg as Fred Reed, Bernadene Hayes as Princess Liane, Robert Bice as Drake, Vivien Oakland as Annie Cobb, Harry August Jansen as Dante the Magician, Frank Wilcox as Dr. Largo, and Dante the Magician as Himself, with Tol Avery, Rand Brooks, James Craven, Dick Elliott, John Hamilton, Earle Hodgins, Harry Lauter, Ann Tyrrell, Pauline Garon, Marguerite Churchill and Marie Osborne.

Joan Dixon is known for Bunco Squad (1950), Roadblock (1951) and Gunplay (1951).

Dante the Magician lent the RKO studio $50,000 worth of his magic equipment.

It is the final film of actresses Pauline Garon, Marguerite Churchill and Marie Osborne.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,665

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