Undertow *** (1949, Scott Brady, John Russell, Dorothy Hart, Peggy Dow, Bruce Bennett, Rock Hudson) – Classic Movie Review 4962

William Castle’s 1949 B-movie gangland tale Undertow is good, sturdy film noir crime thriller starring Scott Brady, John Russell, Dorothy Hart and Peggy Dow. Rock Hudson has a small role as a detective.

‘Every bullet in Chicago had his name on it!’

Director William Castle, later the showman film-maker of deliciously cheesy spatter-flicks like The Tingler (1959), is responsible for this interesting, slightly above-par 1949 B-movie gangland tale. Undertow is good, sturdy film noir crime thriller fare of the era. It stars Scott Brady, John Russell, Dorothy Hart and Peggy Dow.

Here is the plot. When an ex-con called Tony Reagan (Scott Brady) is accused of murdering a high-ranking Chicago mob boss, in a conspiracy set-up arranged by his duplicitous buddy Danny Morgan (John Russell) and girlfriend Sally Lee (Dorothy Hart), he finds he must solve the case for himself, with the help of trusty stranger Ann McKnight (Peggy Dow), or be sent to jail.

The fast-moving, solid (if familiar) plot in the screenplay by Lee Loeb and Arthur T Horman from Horman’s story The Big Frame, the four intense star performances and the well-chosen Chicago locations lift Undertow out of the rut.

Keep an eye open for an early performance by a young Rock Hudson in a small role as a detective. It is the second film to feature Hudson and the first in which he got a film credit, though he is billed as Roc Hudson. Also in the cast are Bruce Bennett as Detective Charles Reckling, Charles Sherlock, Robert Easton, Gregg Martell, Robert Anderson, Daniel Ferniel, Anne P Kramer [Ann Pearce] and Marjorie Bennett.

Undertow is directed by William Castle, runs 71 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by Lee Loeb and Arthur T Horman from Horman’s story The Big Frame, is shot in black and white by Irving Glassberg, is produced by Ralph Dietrich, is scored by Milton Schwarzwal.d and is designed by Bernard Herzbrun and Nathan Juran.

It was released on 3 December 1949.

It is film debut of Peggy Dow and Robert Easton.

The cast are Scott Brady as Tony Reagan, John Russell as Danny Morgan, Dorothy Hart as Sally Lee, Peggy Dow as Ann McKnight, Bruce Bennett as Detective Charles Reckling, Gregg Martell as Frost, Robert Anderson as Stoner, Dan Ferniel [Daniel Ferniel] as Gene, Rock Hudson [Roc Hudson], Charles Sherlock as Cooper, Anne P Kramer [Ann Pearce] as telegraph clerk, Robert Easton (uncredited) as parking lot valet Fisher and Marjorie Bennett (uncredited as wife at Reno bar).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4962

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com