Mr Ace *** (1946, George Raft and Sylvia Sidney, slong with Stanley Ridges, Sara Haden, Jerome Cowan, Sid Silvers)

The engaging 1946 American film noir Mr Ace stars Sylvia Sidney as a society woman who uses a gangster (George Raft) for his political support to run for Congress.

Director Edwin L Marin’s engaging 1946 film Mr Ace is written by Fred F Finklehoffe, and stars George Raft and Sylvia Sidney, along with Stanley Ridges, Sara Haden, Jerome Cowan, and Sid Silvers.

George Raft plays a gangster again, this time Mr Eddie Ace, being used for his political support to help her election by an unscrupulous wealthy socialite politician, Margaret Wyndham Chase (Sylvia Sidney), on her way to the top in Congress.

The film is in safe hands with practised performers Raft and Sidney, who show they know what they are doing in this modest but effective and entertaining melodrama about gutter politics. The lesser known support cast is stalwart too.

Filming started January 30, 1946, but the production was shut down for three weeks when Raft was struck with pleurisy.

Release date: August 2, 1946.

Running time: 84 minutes.

The film was unexpectedly George Raft’s first box-office failure in many years and started a steep decline in his career.

Sylvia Sidney and Raft starred together 13 years earlier in Pick-Up (1933).

Cast: George Raft as Mr Eddie Ace, Sylvia Sidney as Margaret Wyndham Chase, Stanley Ridges as Toomey, Sara Haden as Alma Rhodes, Jerome Cowan as Peter Craig, Sid Silvers as Pencil, Roman Bohnen as Professor Joshua Adams, Alan Edwards as Pembroke Chase III, Joyce Bryant as nightclub singer, Joe Gray, Mack Gray, Eric Wilton, Charles Sullivan, Dewey Robinson, Bert Moorhouse, Al Hill, Sam Harris, Bess Flowers, Mary Field, Lester Dorr, Truman Bradley, Walter Baldin, Stanley Andrews.

© Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 13,960

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