Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (film)
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Richard Egan, Jan Sterling, Dan Duryea, Julie Adams, Walter Matthau, Charles McGraw and Sam Levene.[1]
| Slaughter on Tenth Avenue | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Arnold Laven |
| Produced by | Albert Zugsmith |
| Screenplay by | Lawrence Roman |
| Starring | Richard Egan Jan Sterling Dan Duryea Julie Adams Walter Matthau Charles McGraw Sam Levene |
| Music by | Herschel Burke Gilbert |
| Cinematography | Fred Jackman, Jr. |
| Edited by | Russell F. Schoengarth |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film is a story of crime on New York's waterfront. It is based on the non-fiction book The Man Who Rocked the Boat, an autobiography by William Keating, played by Egan in the film. The book chronicles Keating's experiences as an assistant district attorney and as counsel to the New York City Anti-Crime Committee. In the portion of the book depicted in the film, Keating pursued a murder prosecution for a waterfront hit despite widespread corruption that stretched all the way into the district attorney's office.
The title comes from the Richard Rodgers ballet of the same name, which was featured in the 1936 play On Your Toes. The plot line of the movie has no relation to the play, but the composition by Rodgers is indeed heard in the film, in an adaptation by Herschel Burke Gilbert (under the direction of music supervisor Joseph Gershenson) that was praised as "magnificent".[2]
Plot
Thugs working for union boss Al Dahlke ambush and shoot Solly Pitts, an honest man who hires longshoremen on the docks. Solly is wounded and hospitalized, looked after by wife Madge, who trusts Lt. Tony Vosnick to see that justice is done.
The district attorney, Howard Rysdale, turns over the investigation to a relative novice, Bill Keating. As his marriage to fiancee Daisy Pauly draws near, Keating tries in vain to get longshoremen to speak with him about activities on the docks. An intermediary tries to persuade Keating to collude with Dahlke, who issues vague threats after Bill rejects him.
With witnesses intimidated and discredited by attorney John Jacob Masters in court, Bill and Daisy receive an anonymous death threat on their wedding day. Keating goes to the docks for a direct confrontation with Dahlke's men and triggers a near-riot. As the dust settles, the men hear on the radio that Solly's attackers have been found guilty.
Cast
- Richard Egan as William Keating
- Jan Sterling as Madge Pitts
- Dan Duryea as John Jacob Masters
- Julie Adams as Daisy Pauly
- Walter Matthau as Al Dahlke
- Charles McGraw as Lt. Anthony Vosnick
- Sam Levene as Howard Rysdale
- Mickey Shaughnessy as Solly Pitts
- Harry Bellaver as Benjy Karp
- Nick Dennis as Midget Dock Worker
- Joe Downing as Eddie 'Cockeye' Cook
- Ned Wever as Captain Sid Wallace
- Billy M. Greene as Monk Mohler
- John McNamara as Judge Craiger
- Amzie Strickland as Mrs. Cavanagh
- Mickey Hargitay as Big John
See also
References
- Hal Erickson. "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957) - Arnold Laven | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
- TV Guide. "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957)". TV Guide. Retrieved 2018-10-08.