John Conroy (Edmond O'Brien) is a Special Prosecutor given extraordinary powers to break up the crime syndicate in a large midwestern town. His investigation will focus on Neil Eichelberger (Ed Begley) and his criminal operation. A local journalist, Jerry McKibbon (William Holden), is sympathetic to this but feels Conroy isn't experienced enough to handle the task. Matt Conroy (Tom Tully), John Conroy's father, is a local policeman assigned to be his chief investigator.
McKibbon discovers that Matt Conroy is a crooked cop who works for Eichelberger. McKibbon demands that Matt break with the mobster or he'll inform his son, John Conroy, of the duplicity. To vindicate himself, it is decided that Matt Conroy will procure a damning file from the D.A.'s office that Eichelberger has requested, but he will retain a copy.
Even before this double-cross is exposed, Eichelberger decides to have Matt Conroy murdered in order to instill fear in his operation showing that Eichelberger is in control of the situation, since John Conroy's investigation is more serious than expected. Matt Conroy is killed during a phony robbery, and his assassin, Monty LaRue (Tony Barr), is immediately killed in turn.
John Conroy's investigation is systematically uncovering Eichelberger's crimes, and in anticipation of having their books subpoenaed, Eichelberger has the building housing them burned. He has callous disregard for the people renting there, and all but 1 or 2 are killed. An expose of Matt Conroy's murder reveals that Eichelberger had LaRue killed also.
His widow Carmelina LaRue (Adele Longmire) can prove this. She contacts McKibbon in order to exact revenge but is chased away by Eichelberger's henchmen. Since McKibbon is the only one that can identify Carmelina LaRue, her husband's murderer, Roy Ackerman (Danny Dayton), demands that McKibbon be killed, but Eichelberger refuses. Ackerman then hires a hit man himself whereby McKibbon is lured to a boxing match where he can be shot.
Meanwhile, Carmelina manages to reach John Conroy. Her testimony is sufficient, along with already acquired information, to topple Eichelberger. The hired gun, Red,shoots McKibbon. As he lies dying, Eichelberger and his crew are arrested. McKibbon dies before John Conroy can arrive.
John Conroy's epitaph for McKibbon is something McKibbon himself has previously said: "Sometimes someone has to pay an exorbitant price to uphold the majesty of the law."
A 1952 American Black & White political film-noir crime film directed by William Dieterle, produced by Irving Asher, screenplay by Warren Duff, based on Horace McCoy’s novel “Storm in the City”, cinematography by Lionel Lindon, starring William Holden, Edmond O'Brien, Alexis Smith, Tom Tully, Ed Begley, Danny Dayton, Adele Longmire, Ray Teal, Ted de Corsia, Don Porter, Howard Freeman, and Neville Brand. Screen debut appearance of Carolyn Jones.
Tom Tully, who portrays Edmond O'Brien's father, is only seven years older than O'Brien.
William Holden and Neville Brand reunited the following year in Billy Wilder's "Stalag 17" (1953), with Holden in his Oscar-winning performance as Sgt. J.J. Sefton and Brand as the short tempered yet dedicated fellow POW, Duke, who constantly needles Sefton.
This was inspired by the U.S. Senate's Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime (the Kefauver Committee) chaired by first-term senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, which was active 1950 to 1951. In 1949 the federal government was petitioned to crack down on the long-term social infection of interstate crime. The hearings of the five-member Kefauver Committee, captured the interest of American television audiences. In March of 1951 some 30 million Americans tuned in to watch the live proceedings. Schools even dismissed students so they could view the hearings.
Carolyn Jones' character is a caricature of Bugsy Siegel's moll Virginia Hill who testified before the anti-crime committee.
Several locations of historical interest in Downtown Los Angeles can be seen in this film. The original Angel's Flight funicular railway is part of one scene. The Hotel Belmont can also be seen. Other buildings that can be seen are the San Fernando Building in the Bank District and a Metropolitan Water District building at 3rd and Broadway. The final scene is at the Olympic Auditorium, the premiere boxing arena in Los Angeles for many years.
Released the same year as Robert Wise’s "The Captive City" (1952). Both cover similar territory.
This was presented on Broadway Playhouse May 13, 1953. The 30-minute adaptation starred Dane Clark.
A well-woven, well-made, fast-paced, forgotten noir crime thriller that holds up very well today and is even relevant. The seedy LA locations lend a patina of urban realism. It moves fast, it makes sense, it has drama and romance, and a great shoot-em-up ending in a boxing arena. All of this and a surprisingly good blend of a complexly constructed narrative make this worth catching up with.