711 Ocean Drive (1950)

Just perfect...

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Yes, I was heavily rooting for O'Brien to prevail in this flick. The cops seemed to get too much out of the smallest bits of info in taking him down. The crappy preach at the ending, and the inevitability that O'Brien wold be foiled spoiled it somewhat. And it was much too long to get to the predictable conclusion.But Dorothy Patrick as Trudy was a nice plus! O'Brien's aide, "Chippie" was good as his reliable 2nd man. Constant visible Cash profits from vigorish helped the realism.Also enjoy the gambling lingo. This is year 2013 and I believe 'past posting' is still prevalent today!

Edmond O'Brien (as Mal Granger) is an ordinary telephone repairman who must supplement his measly salary by betting on a few horse races; he decides to use his electronics skills to help racetrack "bookies" illegally wire results to Bad Barry Kelley (as Vince Waters). Later, Badder Otto Kruger (as Carl Stephans) takes over as head villain. Joanne Dru (as Gail) and Dorothy Patrick (as Trudy) add femininity to the film. "711 Ocean Drive" addresses, interestingly, an unsolved socio-economic problem: You can make more money in criminal activities than in most average paying jobs. Mr. O'Brien does not feel he financially able to start a home / family with his income, so he opts for the higher pay offered by his "bookie". The first "job" he takes is difficulty to accept as illegal (obviously, they had no cell phones back then); but, later on, O'Brien gets in deeper. Boulder Dam and some Los Angeles-area locations are highlights. This is a "flashback" film, describing the rise and fall of O'Brien's character Granger, accompanied by a dreadfully gooey sermon. O'Brien and the performers are enjoyable in a disappointing premise. **** 711 Ocean Drive (1950) Joseph M. Newman ~ Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto Kruger

After seeing this movie, you may not look at a telephone repairman the same way again. Actually the result seems closer to the Cagney films of the thirties than to the noirs of the forties. For phone lineman Eddie O'Brien, it's a success story, as opportunity, know-how, and drive propel him to the top of the bookie racket. Fortunately the always energetic O'Brien makes the transition from working stiff to bookie king-pin both dynamic and believable. Then too, we meet some interesting people along the way, including smoothie Otto Kruger doing his best imitation of a smiling cobra, even as young marrieds Joanne Dru and Don Porter practice their 1950's version of open marriage. And in a usual thankless part, moon-faced Barry Kelley who bull-dozes everyone within reach through eyes so pinched, they're barely more than razor slits. Still, it's unheralded bit actors like him that really make movies like this work. Director Joe Newman keeps things moving nicely, even the colorless scenes featuring the forces of law and order don't bog down the pacing. There're also some good location shots in and around LA, with an exhausting climax up and down the the stairwells of Boulder Dam as the giant turbines hum in the background. (I wonder how they get ordinary people who probably just happened to be at the dam that day, to be so natural with a movie camera and crew staring them in the face. Somehow they do.) My favorite part is setting up the "past-posting" scheme, showing how every technical innovation presents a criminal mastermind with a twisted opportunity. All in all, 7-11 may not be a jack-pot dice roll, but it is a decent thriller, entertaining if not exactly memorable.

A lot of complicated stuff about phone lines etc. At one point a horse parlor is suggestive of the set up in the Sting, wherein they rip off some gambling boss. We look for a big climax at Boulder Dam above Vegas, plenty of running around through tunnels etc. I saw this film on the Mystery Channel on premium cable and thought we would get a payoff with O'Brien getting blown off the dam or diving in the dam or whatever. Since he was also in White Heat wherein Jimmy Cagney got blown to kingdom come! (top of the world ma!!). Unfortunately this thing cheated the ending and the guy just gets shot down next to some cars, just in time for a sermony coda about the evils of gambling. It is nice to watch since it is so dated, but not much art in this picture.