I, the Jury ** (1953, Biff Elliot, Preston Foster, Peggie Castle, Margaret Sheridan) – Classic Movie Review 11,396

The 1953 3D film noir I, the Jury is notable for being the first movie based on a Mike Hammer novel.

Writer-director Harry Essex’s 1953 film noir crime film I, The Jury stars Biff Elliot as Mickey Spillane’s private eye Mike Hammer, who investigates the murder of his buddy Jack Williams (Robert Swanger), a one-armed insurance investigator, shot dead in his apartment.

Based on the 1947 novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane, it is the first film based on a Mike Hammer novel.

I, The Jury is a crude black and white 3D action thriller, made with some energy, a decent, interesting cast and John Alton’s moody noir cinematography, but nothing much else. The strict censorship code of 1953 takes away much of the novel’s guts.

It is remade as I, The Jury by Richard T Heffron in 1982 with Armand Assante as Hammer.

It is produced by Victor Saville’s company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists as the first in a series of three United Artists Hammer films, followed by Kiss Me Deadly (1955) and My Gun Is Quick (1957).

Also in the cast are Peggie Castle, Preston Foster, Elisha Cook Jr, John Qualen, Margaret Sheridan, Alan Reed, Frances Osborne, Robert Cunningham, Paul Dubov, John Qualen, Tom Powers, Joe Besser  and Mary Anderson, plus twin sisters Tani Seitz and Dran Seitz.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,396

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