City Across the River

City Across the River
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Maxwell Shane
Produced by	Maxwell Shane
Screenplay by	Maxwell Shane Dennis J. Cooper
Based on	the novel The Amboy Dukes by Irving Shulman
Starring	Stephen McNally Thelma Ritter Luis Van Rooten and Jeff Corey
Music by	Walter Scharf
Cinematography	Maury Gertsman
Edited by	Ted J. Kent
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	April 7, 1949 (1949-04-07) (New York City)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

City Across the River is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Maxwell Shane and starring Stephen McNally, Thelma Ritter, Sue England, Barbara Whiting, Luis Van Rooten and Jeff Corey. The screenplay is based on the novel The Amboy Dukes by Irving Shulman.

The film is notable as the credited screen debut of Tony Curtis (billed onscreen as "Anthony Curtis").

Two members of a tough Brooklyn street gang accidentally kill one of their teachers.

Frank Cusack is a leading member of the Amboy Dukes teenage gang based in a slum-ridden area of Brooklyn. His activities with the gang ultimately lead from vandalism and hooliganism to complicity in the murder of a school teacher. His hopes—and those of his parents—for an escape from the bleakness of slum life are dashed by his willingness to accept the gang code of not informing to the police.

The film lacks big stars and consists mainly of unrecognizable actors, possibly making it more convincing. Most importantly, the film emphasizes the terrible consequences of the son's thoughtless actions for his parents and sister.

The parents, especially the mother (Thelma Ritter), are shown as decent, thoughtful working-class people devoting their efforts to provide their children with an education that will enable both siblings to rise out of the tenements. It is a tragic irony that these efforts mean their supervision and guidance of Frank is neglected.

Although the film does suggest that lack of parental supervision is a reason for juvenile delinquency, it squarely pins the blame on living conditions as the chief cause: squalid and unhygienic surroundings, run-down tenements, cramped living space, overcrowding. The moods of frustration and hopelessness created by such an environment, the movie insists, are the reasons behind juvenile delinquency. City Across the River highlights the parents' efforts to obtain a good education for their children as a way of uplifting the next generation from a sordid and dangerous environment.