Hell on Frisco Bay
| Hell on Frisco Bay | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Frank Tuttle |
| Produced by | George C. Bertholon |
| Written by | Martin Rackin |
| Based on | novel The Darkest Hour by William McGivern |
| Starring |
Alan Ladd Edward G. Robinson Joanne Dru |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | John F. Seitz |
| Edited by | Folmar Blangsted |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2 million (US) |
Hell on Frisco Bay is a 1955 American Warnercolor film noir crime film directed by Frank Tuttle, starring Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson and Joanne Dru. It was made for Ladd's own production company, Jaguar.
The film featured an early Hollywood appearance by Australian actor Rod Taylor. His part was written especially by Martin Rackin, who worked with Taylor on Long John Silver (1954).
After five years in San Quentin prison, former policeman Steve Rollins is released. Unjustly convicted of manslaughter in an arrested man's death, Steve is met by a friend from the force, Dan Bianco, and by wife Marcia, whom he shuns because she has been unfaithful to him.
Steve goes to the San Francisco waterfront looking for a fisherman named Rogani who supposedly has proof that can clear his name. The docks are run by racketeer Victor Amato, who is forcing out dock leader Lou Flaschetti. A couple of thugs who work for the mobster, Lye and Hammy, come to confront Steve, warning him not to take this any further.
Marcia tries to explain to Steve that she was lonely while he was in prison and cheated on him just once. He is reluctant to trust her. Rogani and Flaschetti, meantime, both end up dead. Steve manages to get valuable information from Amato's mild-mannered nephew, Mario, and when the henchman Hammy opens fire, Steve's cop friend Bianco kills him.
Lye is told by Amato to murder Mario, even though the boy is the mob boss's blood relative. Lye reluctantly follows orders, but when he discovers Amato behind his back has made a pass at Kay Stanley, an actress Lye is in love with, then slapped her after being rejected, Lye is enraged. And so is Amato's long-suffering wife, Anna, who tells Steve where to find him.
With the cops closing in and others after him, too, Amato has decided to leave the country. In a showdown, Amato gets the better of Lye, then attempts to flee on a speedboat. Steve swims to the boat and fights with Amato on board. The boat crashes into a lighthouse. Amato, dazed and defeated, is taken into custody. Steve, his reputation restored, considers going back to police work and also giving Marcia a second chance.
The film was based on the novel The Darkest Hour by William P. McGivern. Film rights were bought by Alan Ladd's Jaguar Productions in August 1954 as a vehicle for Ladd. The movie was financed by Warner Bros, which had just made Drum Beat with Ladd.
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