Sunday, February 7, 2010

NAKED CITY the movie

Recently I watched the Criterion dvd of this noir classic....first movie to be filmed mostly on location, thus making the City of New York another chracter in the film. Stars Barry Fitzgerald, radio's Sam Spade Howard Duff (here playing a character on the other side of the law), Don Taylor (he of FIVE MAN ARMY fame) and Ted de Corsia (memorable in numerous westerns as an overweight henchman/villain) but here as a fit, exercise conscious bad guy.

What really got me is the numerous actors, here uncredited, that went on to become well known character actors....James (Barney Miller-The Manchurian Candidate-Sons of Katy Elder) Gregory, Paul (Sgt. Bilko-The Music Man-A Big Hand For The Little Lady) Ford, Kathleen (Jerry Lewis's favorite foil) Freeman, John (A Man Called Sledge-The Godfather), Bruce (The Untouchables) Gordon, John (Serpico), Arthur (Man of the West-Picnic) O'Connell, Nehemiah (Day Of The Outlaw-The Badlanders) Persoff, David (numerous guest appearances in all genres) Opatoshu, Molly(Fiddler On The Roof-but never in a western) Picon, Russ (who at one time seemed to be on every tv show at the same time) Conway and Walter (36 western appearancs) Burke.