Chicago Confidential (1957)
melodrama suspenseful despite its predictability.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A weak B-film “expose”crime thriller that is based on the tabloid
true-crime series popularized by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer in the 1950s.
The fine cast keeps this muddled melodrama suspenseful despite its predictability,
holes in the plot, and reliance on uninteresting stock characters. It’s
adequately directed by Sidney Salkow and written by Robert T. Marcus. It
tells about the mob infiltrating a Windy City union, and an ambitious crusading
DA cleaning up the mess he inadvertently contributed to.
The treasurer of the Workers National Brotherhood, Mickey Partos,
calls in a panic the state DA, Jim Fremont (Brian Keith), about racketeers
taking over the union and he has the proof in the crooked books in his
possession. Set to meet the DA in his house that night, Mickey is kidnapped,
his accountant books stolen, and then he’s murdered by goons working for
crooked union veep Ken Harrison (Douglas Kennedy). The thugs dump his body
and car into the river, and leave the murder weapon by the dock for the
cops to find in order to frame honest union president Artie Blane (Dick
Foran) who won’t be part of their corruption. Wino derelict Candymouth
Duggan (Elisha Cook, Jr.), a former union member kicked out because of
his alcohol problem, finds the gun and turns it over to crooked bartender
Milt for some free booze. Milt contacts Harrison, and he contacts the big
boss behind the mob operation, disbarred mob lawyer Alan Dixon (Gavin Gordon),
who schemes to get an airtight case against Blane as the killer of Mickey.
DA Fremont is assured he’ll get the nod for his party’s nomination
for guv if he gets a conviction on Blane. Fremont’s breezing along until
two witnesses come forth giving Blane an alibi, Blane’s girl friend Laura
Barton (Beverly Garland) and nightclub singer Sylvia Clarkson (Beverly
Tyler). But a fake tape recording suddenly materializes fudging the testimony
and Sylvia after threatened by the hoods commits perjury on the witness
stand, resulting in Blane’s death sentence conviction.
Laura insisting she told the truth, presses the DA to look again
at the case. The DA discovers a showbiz voice impersonator by the name
of Jordan (Buddy Lewis) was used to imitate Blane’s voice on the phony
tape. The DA is now convinced he prosecuted the wrong man and gets police
captain Jake Parker to help locate the missing witnesses. It results in
a trail of bodies, as the ruthless mobsters have taken over the union and
brought in gambling, vice, and narcotics, and are capable of doing anything
to keep their power. The final scene has the thugs at the airport prepared
to take off in a private plane with the last witnesses, Laura and Sylvia,
when the police arrive to stop them. Everything turns out according to
Hoyle, as Blane is returned as prez, the union cleaned up, the mobsters
arrested, and the DA hailed as a hero and shoo-in to be the next guv.