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99 River Street

99 River Street
99riverstreet.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Phil Karlson
Produced by Edward Small
Screenplay by Robert Smith
Story by George Zuckerman
Starring John Payne
Evelyn Keyes
Brad Dexter
Frank Faylen
Peggie Castle
Music by Arthur Lange
Emil Newman
Cinematography Franz Planer
Edited by Buddy Small
Production
company
Edward Small Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • August 21, 1953 (1953-08-21) (Los Angeles, California)
  • October 2, 1953 (1953-10-02) (New York City, New York)
  • October 3, 1953 (1953-10-03) (United States)
Running time
83 minutes
Country United States
Language English

99 River Street is a 1953 film noir starring John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. The film was directed by Phil Karlson, produced by Edward Small, with cinematography by Franz Planer.

Ernie Driscoll is a former boxer who had to give up prize fighting after sustaining an injury in the ring and is now a New York taxi driver.

His wife, Pauline, unhappy living a poor life, is having an affair with a richer man who happens to be a criminal. The thief, after being unable to sell some stolen diamonds, kills Pauline and then attempts to frame her husband for the crime.

The film was originally known as Crosstown.

The New York Times film critic gave the film a negative review, writing, "...is one of those tasteless melodramas peopled with unpleasant hoods, two-timing blondes and lots of sequences of what purports to be everyday life in the underworld. In this stale rehash, John Payne is a cabbie seething with dreams of what he might have been in the boxing world ... To say that this film is offensive would be kind; to point out that it induces an irritated boredom would be accurate. The defendants in this artistic felony are Robert Smith, the scenarist, and Phil Karlson, the director. It is interesting to ponder how Mr. Karlson managed to slip some objectionable scenes past the production code. Maybe it was just artistic license."


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