Tight Spot

Tight Spot
Theatrical release lobby card
Directed by	Phil Karlson
Produced by	Lewis J. Rachmil
Written by	Screenplay: William Bowers Story: Leonard Kantor
Starring	Ginger Rogers Edward G. Robinson Brian Keith Lorne Greene and Eve McVeagh
Music by	George Duning
Cinematography	Burnett Guffey
Editing by	Viola Lawrence
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	March 19, 1955
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Tight Spot (1955) is an American film noir directed by Phil Karlson and written by William Bowers, based on the play Dead Pigeon, by Leonard Kantor.^[1] It stars Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith, Lorne Greene, and Eve McVeagh .^[2] The story was inspired by Senator Estes Kefauver's tactics in coercing Virginia Hill to testify in the Bugsy Siegel prosecution.^[3]

Plot

Sherry Conley (Ginger Rogers) is a model who is in prison for a crime she did not knowingly commit. She is offered a deal for her freedom by U.S. attorney Lloyd Hallett (Edward G. Robinson) if she will testify as a witness in the trial of mobster Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene). Hallett hides her in a hotel under the protection of a squad of detectives led by Lt. Vince Striker (Brian Keith), where she stalls making a final decision while she enjoys expensive meals from room service. Despite the presence of the prison matron escort Willoughby (Katherine Anderson), sparks begin to fly between cop and potential witness.

Through his corrupt inside contacts, Costain finds out where Conley is being kept. She survives an assassination attempt when Striker kills the assailant, but Willoughby is shot and seriously injured. Costain and his thugs grab Striker, who is revealed to be one of Costain's insiders. Costain has learned that Conley is being transferred to jail, where Striker will have to kill Conley himself if he does not arrange another attempt at the hotel. He is told to leave a window unlocked for another killer. Conley remains uncooperative, especially after Hallett attempts to use her sister to persuade her.

Inadvertently, Striker almost reveals his duplicity to Hallett, but a phone call to Hallett interrupts. Willoughby has died in the hospital. Conley, who shared a respect for and friendship with Willoughby, then agrees to testify against Costain. Striker, who cares for Conley, fails to dissuade her and reluctantly proceeds with the plan. Hallett returns to escort Conley to jail moments before the killer strikes. Talking with Striker while she changes her clothes in another room, Hallett's banter brings a jumpy Striker to a breaking point. Striker abruptly kicks open her door and saves Conley, but at the cost of his own life. The opened window tells Conley and Hallett that he had set up her murder but changed his mind.

Conley takes the stand at Costain's trial, giving her occupation as "gang buster".

Cast

• Ginger Rogers as Sherry Conley
• Edward G. Robinson as Lloyd Hallett
• Brian Keith as Vince Striker
• Lorne Greene as Benjamin Costain
• Eve McVeagh as Clara Moran
• Lucy Marlow as Prison Girl
• Katherine Anderson as Mrs. Willoughby
• Allen Nourse as Marvin Rickles
• Peter Leeds as Fred Packer
• Doye O'Dell as Mississippi Mac
• Helen Wallace as Warden
• Frank Gerstle as Jim Hornsby
• Gloria Ann Simpson as Miss Masters
• Robert Shield as Carlyle
• Norman Keats as Arny

Critical reception

When the film was released The New York Times gave it a positive review and wrote, "Tight Spot is a pretty good little melodrama, the kind you keep rooting for, as generally happened when Lenard Kantor's Dead Pigeon appeared on Broadway a while back...Along the way are some nice, realistic trimmings Mr. Karlson, or somebody, had the bright idea of underscoring the tension with sounds of a televised hillbilly program (glimpsed, too unfortunately). For our money, the best scene, whipped up by scenarist William Bowers, is the anything-but-tender reunion of Miss Rogers and her sister, (Eve McVeagh) — no competition to the two Anastasia stars down the street, but an ugly, blistering pip...Indeed, Miss Rogers' self-sufficiency throughout hardly suggests anybody's former scapegoat, let alone a potential gone goose. But she tackles her role with obvious, professional relish. Mr. Keith and Mr. Robinson are altogether excellent. Lorne Greene makes a first-rate crime kingpin and Katherine Anderson is a sound, appealing matron."^[4]

References

1. ^ Dead Pigeon at the Internet Broadway Database
2. ^ Tight Spot at the Internet Movie Database.
3. ^ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, 2003.
4. ^ The New York Times. Film review, March 19, 1955. Last accessed: February 20, 2008.

External links

• Tight Spot at the Internet Movie Database
• Tight Spot at the TCM Movie Database
• Tight Spot at AllRovi
• Tight Spot at DVD Beaver (includes images)
• Tight Spot film clip at You Tube (Brian Keith and Ginger Rogers)