Overview of highway dragnet, 1954, directed by nathan juran, with richard conte, joan bennett, wanda hendrix, at turner classic movies. So the producers put the two titles together in an effort to reach a wider audience. Theyve been releasing dvds and blurays of a variety of independently producedreleased films from midcentury hollywood. This film, based on the popular dragnet tv series, involves the murder of former syndicate member dub taylor.
Highways working title was a leonard cohen afterworld, a reference to a lyric from kurt cobains song pennyroyal tea. Highway dragnet stars richard conte, joan bennett and wanda hendrix. Cummings, a freelance magazine photographer and a recent widow after her husband committed suicide, and her model, susan, are on an assignment to. The screenplay, both a parody of and homage to the longrunning television series, was written by aykroyd, mankiewicz and alan zweibel. It was this film that gave jack webb the idea for dragnet. Joe friday and officer frank smith the following weapons were used in the film dragnet 1954. Dragnet 1954 internet movie firearms database guns. That opening bar scene with richard conte and mary beth hughes is a tacky. Instead, its an inconsistent, if intermittently splendorous, work. If not for the films tendency to drift off into the ether to the complete loss of all its momentum and purpose, and for the horribly awkward conclusion, highway might be a very good movie indeed. Dragnet is a 1987 american buddy cop comedy film, directed and cowritten by tom mankiewicz in his directorial debut. Solid 1950s crime drama noir film that features a man accused of a crime he did not commit, some beautiful women. Dragnet, this wellmade film has friday and gannon linking the slaying of photographers models to the disappearance of a war widow. The film stars richard conte, joan bennett and wanda hendrix.
Dragnet was the 1954 feature film adaptation of the popular television crime series that had premiered in 1951. Joe friday dan aykroyd is partnered with the wisecracking pep streebeck tom hanks, a hip upstart cop, and the mismatched duo is ordered to investigate a strange series of ritual killings. The actors do a pretty good job and the look of the film is quite nice. From the loud, confident opening chords of the famous dragnet theme music, i was filled with confidence that this 1987 dragnet knew what it was doing. Highway dragnet 1954 bluray kino lorber home video. Highway dragnet 1954 an exmarine richard conte accused of murder hitches a ride with a photographer joan bennett and her model wanda hendrix. Cummings joan bennett, the woman in the window, scarlet street and her model susan willis wanda hendrix, prince of foxes, ride the. Passed 1h 11min crime, drama, filmnoir 27 january 1954 usa. Highway dragnet is best known to modern movie buffs as the first film to carry roger cormans name in the credits. Then the original music segued into some kind of dreadful disco rap unmusic, and my heart sank. Get it today with same day delivery, order pickup or drive up.
In a bar, jim carelessly insults terry flynn, a blowsy, blonde gold digger and former fashion model, and she picks a fight with him, but they end up embracing. Highway dragnet 1954 richard conte, joan bennett, wanda. Lapd sergeants joe friday and frank smith follow the trail of. After a shouting match in a barroom with a buxom overthehill blonde exmodel, richard conte, finds himself hitch hiking to the salton sea where his house is rapidly disappearing from the rising shoreline. This may or may not have worked, but it was a clever marketing idea. With dan aykroyd, tom hanks, christopher plummer, harry morgan. Cummings, a freelance magazine photographer and a recent widow following her husband committed suicide, along with her version, susan, are within a mission to cover hotels california and nevada. This film is a real treat to watch due to the many absurdities that abound from scene to scene. Highway dragnet is a 1954 film noir b film crime film directed by nathan juran from a story by u.
Highway dragnet is directed by nathan juran and written by herb meadow, u. For the best experience please update your browser. Cummings joan bennett and model susan wanda hendrix offers henry a chance to escape the title manhunt in this gripping bsuspenser. One drink, and for 65 cents i bought a martini mixed with dynamite. Jim henry, a marine sergeant in the korean war, has recently been discharged and is in las vegas to visit an old army buddy.
Richard conte is as steady as ever, but joan bennett is done a great disservice, and devotees of hers. Highway dragnet 1954 dvd richard conte joan bennett. Starring dan aykroyd and tom hanks, the film is based on the radio and television crime drama of the same name. Island of doomed men 1940 68 min peter lorre full movie version classic rare duration. Solid 1950s crime drama noir film that features a man. With richard conte, joan bennett, wanda hendrix, reed hadley. Wrongly accused of killing a bargirl he was seen with earlier, a korean war vet flees from the police in the company of a woman photographer and her young female model.
A roadside encounter with magazine photographer mrs. Dan aykroyd must have practiced for months to perfect his jack webb inflections for dragnet. In this film noir classic, an exmarine jim henry richard conte, cry of the city, thieves highway, wrongly accused of killing a barmaid, hitches a ride with a photographer mrs. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Though friday and pep do their share of quarreling, they eventually trace the clues to an ominous cult, and the officers interrupt a. Jack webb and ben alexander appeared in the film as sgt. Highway dragnet 1954 is a crime, drama movie starring richard conte and joan bennett. Screenwriter tom mankiewiczs directorial debut also written by mankiewicz, along with aykroyd, and alan zweibel is a gentle spoof of the legendary 50s television police drama pitting 50s conservatism smack up against the attitudes of the 80s.
Corman was one of six screenwriters contributing to this locationfilmed suspense melodrama, which stars richard conte as an exmarine on the lam from a. A kitschly comic take on the longrunning tv crime series that began in the 1950s, this film features dan aykroyd as bythebook sergeant joe friday with tom hanks as his unconventional and streetwise partner, pep streebeck. Highway dragnet 1954 nathan juran, richard conte, joan bennett, wanda hendrix, crime, drama, filmnoir may 21, 2018 mrs. Dragnet 1967 the big mother episode dragnet 1967 uploaded a video 6 years ago 25.
That opening bar scene with conte and hughes is a tacky gem. For over a decade, gregory and i have maintained, updated and altered the dvdbeaver complete list of generically labeled film noir titles with over entries located here. It stars richard conte, joan bennett, wanda hendrix and reed hadley. Highway dragnet 1954 nathan juran, richard conte, joan. The correctlooking widescreen image is perfect, allowing us to check out every aspect of the production. The update on the hilltop house reminded me of the film highway dragnet 1954, which was partly filmed in apple valley, at another area landmark, the apple valley inn located in the valley just below the hilltop house. An exmarine richard conte accused of murder hitches a ride with a photographer joan bennett and her model wanda hendrix. How could they possibly make a movie called dragnet and think. Highway dragnet is essentially a combination of two popular police television shows of that time, highway patrol and dragnet.
Highway dragnet bluray disc details highdef digest. Tensions rise when the woman realize the man with them may be a killer. The film was made in docudrama style with technical advisors capt. Highway dragnet 1954 posters the movie database tmdb. The equallystraightlaced and by the book nephew of joe friday must work with his more laidback partner to solve a mystery. The kl studio classics bluray of highway dragnet is a sharp and smart encoding said to be a 4k scan of this minor but historically notable allied artists picture, that was surely relegated to second feature use before being sold to television. The title was changed to highway dragnet on december 15 and it opened. There are, to be perfectly clear, far worse things in life. The following information has been provided by the distributor. Highway dragnet may also be available with public performance rights ppr and digital site licensing dsl for colleges and universities. Passed 1h 11min crime, drama, filmnoir, thriller january 1954 usa wrongly accused of killing a bargirl he was seen with earlier. Highway dragnet 1954 bluray kino lorber studio classics. Mary beth hughes, reed hadley, iris adrian, nathan juran.
It tells the story of a korean war vet, played by conte, who is wrongly accused of killing a woman he was seen with earlier inside a las vegas bar. Highway dragnet 1954 crime, drama, filmnoir, thriller video. The movie works for what it was designed to do, namely to tell a story, raise the stakes, and provide a satisfactory conclusion in which the good. He hitches a ride from glamormagazine photographer, who is travelling crosscountry with her principal model. In fact, the film is filled with so many logical holes that it resembles cheese. Highway dragnet 1954 is available on bluray from kino lorber. Korean war vet jim henry richard conte, falsely accused of killing a woman he met in a las vegas bar, escapes from police custody.
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