Hell on Frisco Bay (1955)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Good movie but grossly overrated

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

HELL ON FRISCO BAY 1955This 1955 film was made by Alan Ladd's production company, Jaguar, and released by Warner Brothers. The film stars, Ladd, E.G. Robinson, Joanne Dru, Paul Stewart, William Demarest, Fay Wray, Stanley Adams and an early bit by Rod Taylor. Former San Francisco Police Detective, Alan Ladd has just been released from San Quentin Prison. He just finished a 5 year stretch on a manslaughter beef over the death of a suspect. Ladd is not in the least amused and swears the whole thing had been a frame job. He blames a waterfront rackets boss, E.G. Robinson. Also in the mix here are Ladd's wife, Joanne Dru and his ex partner, William Demarest. Ladd is upset with Dru because she had stepped out on him while he was in the joint. Demarest just wants to help but Ladd will have none of it. He intends to prove that he was set up for the prison tour. Ladd hits various bars etc looking for possible witnesses. The problem here is that everyone ends up dead before, or just after he talks with them. Mobster Robinson is planning a big move to take more of the dockside "trade" and Ladd is becoming a pest. He sends his chief "controller", Paul Stewart along with ex-pug, Stanley Adams to have a few words with Ladd. Stewart, a former death row inmate, had been sprung from jail by Robinson's expensive legal boys. Stewart's heart is not really in his work since he got out. He has found love with a dolly, Fay Wray. Anyways, Stewart and Ladd, who knew each other years before, have a few words about Ladd's quest. Stewart suggests to Ladd that it would be best for his health if he laid off annoying, Robinson any further. Ladd will of course have none of this idea. He then lays a severe beating on mob heavy Stanley Adams when the pug steps into Ladd. Stewart picks up the battered Adams and heads back to report to Robinson. Ladd keeps stirring the pot and puts the grab on Robinson's nephew, Perry Lopez. Lopez is a minor link in Robinson's outfit, and not a very strong one. A couple of slaps and a dunking in a bathroom sink quickly has the kid spilling everything he knows. Ladd also gets a few clues from the pug, Stanley Adams. Adams was fired by Robinson after he was thumped by Ladd. Wanting to get back in the mobster's good books, Adams tries to shoot Ladd. This plan goes sideways and Adams collects some lead himself. Adams spills to Ladd before he dies that Ladd needs to go looking for a hired muscle type, Rod Taylor, who works for Robinson.As all this is going on, Ladd's wife is still trying to get Ladd to forgive her for her romantic dalliance while he was in jail. Ladd is not the forgiving type at the moment so Miss Dru is out of luck. Ladd gets a grip on Rod Taylor and hands him over to his Police buddy, Demarest. The Police are now starting to suspect that maybe Ladd had been framed after all. The pot starts to boil as Robinson turns up the heat. He has his nephew Lopez murdered for talking. Robinson also decides he can do without his executioner, Stewart. He sends a crooked cop to take care of this. (Unsuccessfully as it turns out) With Robinson's mob falling to pieces under Ladd's pressure, he decides it is time to leave San Fran. Now there is a quick series of events with several gun battles, Miss Dru getting kidnapped, and a high speed powerboat chase across the Bay ending in a thunderous crash. The film is okay, but it could have been a thundering good revenge film. The story, by veteran writers, Sydney Boehm and Martin Rackin, has its moments, but needed to supply more tension. It story also under uses Miss Dru for the most part. The colour and the Cinemascope also detract from any real film noir look. The film, shot on location, provides some great vistas of San Francisco but black and white would have worked better story wise.The director here was long time Ladd friend, Frank Tuttle. Tuttle was the helmsman on Ladd's first hit, "This Gun for Hire". He also directed the Ladd film, "Lucky Jordon". Seven-time Oscar nominated cinematographer John F Seitz, was in the director of photography chair. Another Ladd pal, Seitz lensed 20 of Ladd's films.Also in the cast is Anthony Caruso, Tina Carver, Willis Bouchey, Peter Hansen, former silent star Mae Marsh and with an early bit, Jayne Mansfield. While the cast are all competent, Robinson does stand out as he does a take on his role from "Little Caesar". The film is not a waste of time by any means, but I for one was expecting a bit more. On a sad note, stuntman and bit actor, Louis Tomei was fatally injured during the final chase scenes. He suffered a bad head injury and died that same day.

A film noir shot in colour, in cinemascope, with scenes set mostly outdoors during daylight hours, and making ample use of San Francisco's picturesque landscape, starts out with several counts against it.But contravention of most if not all of the conventions of the noir genre is the least of this movie's problems.The biggest drag on the story is its star. Alan Ladd strolls through the plot like a Californian Redwood on legs. If it weren't a clash of materials, it would not be unfair to characterise his woodenness as robotic. There's not an ounce of enthusiasm or conviction in his performance as Steve Rollins, an ex-cop wrongly convicted of manslaughter, who leaves jail vowing vengeance on the gangsters who framed him.Ridiculously attired in a linen suit that never creases or stains despite several bare knuckle dust ups, he fearlessly provokes corrupt waterfront boss Victor Amato (Edward G Robinson) into a showdown that can only result in death or victory.Along the way, just to demonstrate what a straight-up, honorable guy he is, Rollins rebuffs his wife (Joanne Dru) for a moment of weakness while he was in jail (but only after he'd refused to let her visit him for three years) and comes to the aid of a nightclub singer (Fay Wray) whose life Amato is threatening. All of which Ladd achieves without once moving a facial muscle.So thank god for Edward G.Robinson! He singlehandedly saves HELL ON FRISCO BAY with a performance that is considerably better than the film deserves. Robinson's career was in a slump in 1955, mostly as a result of the anti-communist blacklist, and he was no longer getting A-list parts, but he never stopped giving his best to whatever work came his way. He's as great here as he was in 'Little Caesar' and 'Key Largo.' His Victor Amato is a fully-rounded, believable and disturbing character, a psychopath who can charm the parish priest one moment and order the murder of his own nephew the next. When Robinson's on screen it's almost possible to forget he's inhabiting the same story as dreary lifeless Alan Ladd.Credit is also due to Paul Stewart who makes the most of his underwritten part as Amato's put-upon right hand man, and watch out for an uncredited but instantly recognisable Jayne Mansfield in her last bit part before exploding into America's consciousness with 'The Girl Can't Help It' a few months later.HELL ON FRISCO BAY is a decidedly mediocre tale but a fine example of an actor proving himself better than the material he's given to work with. Watch this and you may well be put off Alan Ladd for life but you'll definitely want another serving of the wonderful Edward G Robinson.Read more of my reviews at http://thefilmivejustseen.blogspot.com/

**Spoilers** Getting framed by the mob in the bar-room brawl death of Mr. Dinetto SFPD cop Steve Rollins, Allen Ladd, is sent away to San Quentin for five years for manslaughter. It's while he was incarcerated that Rollins gets the news through the prison grapevine from a man high up in the Victor Amato, Edward G. Robinson, Mob known only as Mr. Ragoni that he has proof that he is innocent of Dinetto death and he's more then willing to prove that fact once Rollins' get out of prison.Released from prison Rollins soon finds out that the person who can clear his name Mr. Ragoni had disappeared, and is later found murdered. Rollins is now only interested in getting even with Victor Amato and his mob and even his long-suffering wife night-club singer Marcia, Joanne Dru,is thrown aside in his efforts to get Amato. Rollins is determined t get even regardless of who or what get's in his way even if it's the entire mob running the San Francisco waterfront. One of Allen Ladd's better late, after Shane, movies as he as ex-cop Steve Rollins does a Dirty Harry bit without a badge or gun and rids the docks of that city of the mobsters and crooked politicians who control them.Getting at Amato through his wimpy nephew Mario, Perry Lopez, Rollins beats the truth out of him about who was responsible for Dinetto's death. Mario implicating both his gangster boss uncle Victor and the hoodlum he hired to do it John Brodie Evens, Rod Taylor. Amato getting the news from his police informant Det. Connors,Peter Hansen, of the scared to death little Mario ratting on him has his top henchman Scarface Joe Lye, Paul Stewart, do a job on Mario making it look like he killed himself. Where the clever as a fox Victor Amato screwed himself up was when he opened his big mouth in Scarface's apartment about him doing in Mario. Amato boasted of his crime in the presence of Scarface's girlfriend actress Kay Stanly ,Fay Wray, who overheard it. With that eyewitness evidence as well as Amato's brutal treatment of the person, Kay Stanly, who witnessed it that was all that was needed to get the slippery eel Victor Amato indited tried and sentenced behind bars for life or a one way trip to the San Quentin gas chamber.Working over a number of Amato's hoods Rollins gets the boss of bosses trapped in a corner where he can't get out, As all the murders including that of his top henchman who later fell out with him, over how Amato treated his girlfriend Kay Stanly, Scarface Joe Lye comes back to haunt him. Amato is then forced to make his getaway on a motorboat in San Francisco Bay with the now really mad, if he wasn't already, as hell ex-cop Steve Rollins more then willing to swim the length and breath of that waterway in order to get his hands on him. Very brutal crime movie for it's time, 1955, with Allen Ladd's Steve Rollins somewhat of a precursor to the later ruthless and no holds barred San Francisco cop Inspector Dirty Harry Calahan who gets things done his way and his way only. Edawrd G. Robinson as big boss Victor Amato is far more convincing as a Mafioso bigwig then even Marlon Brando Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were in "The Godfather" movies. Robinson comes across as a man completely in charge and knowing just what strings to pull to get what he want's done. Thats until he overreaches himself by mindlessly overreacting to the I don't give a damn Steve Rollins who showed the Mafia chieftain that what he feels is Rollins' most important commodity, his life, doesn't mean a thing to him unless he puts his butt behind bars or in the grave for what he, Amato, did in destroying it.

In Hell on Frisco Bay Alan Ladd who also produced this film plays an ex-cop who's served five years on a manslaughter rap for which he was wrongly convicted. Of course as in the case of noir films he's on a mission to find the real killer and clear himself.It doesn't take him long to sniff out a trail that leads to San Francisco underworld boss Edward G. Robinson. Robinson is easily the best in the cast. He's as malevolent as he was in Little Caesar or at least in Key Largo. It's not that Hell on Frisco Bay is a bad film, but it's all so routine for Alan Ladd. He would not transition into character roles as he hit his forties. His legion fans which were gradually dwindling by this time still wanted their guy in action hero parts.He's not terribly animated here. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was ill during the making of this. In a way that might have helped the believability factor. Five years in jail would have given him a certain prison pallor to his complexion.Alan Ladd liked having friends around and the cast here is filled with players who were close personal friends and/or co-workers from his Paramount days. They include, Anthony Caruso, George J. Lewis, Peter Hansen, Perry Lopez, William Demarest. Look for young Rod Taylor as a contract killer and Jayne Mansfield in her screen debut as a bimbo.Joanne Dru plays the estranged Mrs. Ladd and was probably grateful to be in a modern setting. Paul Stewart gives a memorable performance as Robinson's chief henchman along with his lady love Fay Wray who played a former movie star who was keeping company with Stewart. Their relationship with Robinson is the key to the story.Cinemascope and noir usually don't mix, but in this case with the final scene being a police chase and fight with speedboats across San Francisco bay, cinemascope helped greatly.Fans of both Alan Ladd and Edward G. Robinson will enjoy this film.