The Street With No Name 1948

For a while back in the late 40's 20^th Century Fox got into the business of making hard boiled Noirs with plenty of noir and lots of seasoning. Films included “Kiss Of Death”, “Boomerang”, “The House on 92^nd Street”, “Where The Sidewalk Ends”, “Cry Of The City”, “Call Northside 777”, “ The Dark Corner” “I Wake Up Screaming” and this little nugget of shame and sorrow, “The Street With No Name”. The plot is simple and vivid. The Likable and good looking Mark Stevens plays a rookie F.B.I. Agent who goes goes undercover for the agency to get the goods on a band of thieves and killers led by Richard Widmark in another one of his early nasty roles. Here he plays Alec Stiles a germ phobic psycho with a nasal inhaler up his nostril who likes to beat on his wife played by the always good Barbara Lawrence. That this nasty film actually played at the Roxy with a spectacular stage revue kinda boggles my mind.

His gang of goons who he refers to as his “pretty boys” (a touch of homoerotica here) hang out in a run down boxing gym where they plot and plod their latest heist, which when the film opens has led to several murders including a young mother enjoying an evening out with her hubby at a nightclub and brings the wrath of J. Edgar down on them setting the plot spinning.

There is plenty of patent leather wet streets, fedoras and trench coats along with the authentic look of run down flea bag hotels, diners, dives and amusement arcades because it was filmed on location in an L.A. Skid row neighborhood. These Fox noir's were known for their docu drama looks and their on location filming whether it be New York City or L.A. In this one there is also on location footage showing the workings of the F.B.I. Circa late 40's that is both charming and dated. All those weird looking machines and index card files.

The supporting cast is good with Lloyd Nolan reprising his role as F.B.I. Inspector George A Briggs a part he originated in The House on 92^nd Street. Also the always great Ed Begley and John McIntire as Steven's F.B.I. contact who signal each other with lit matches from their tattered hotel room windows that face each other from across the street.

There is also a slew of character actors some known to me including Joseph Pevney who acted in a few films including the great Body and Soul before turning to an interesting career as a director of a wide range of films and genres including many B crime movies (Six Bridges To Cross) along with a Martin and Lewis comedy and Tammy flick along with lots of t.v.

Directed by the more than competent and sometimes very good William Keighley who started at Warner Bros. In the early 30's with some titles like Kansas City Princess, Big Hearted Herbert, Mary Jane's Pa & God's Country and The Woman that make me sit up and take notice. He also directed some sweaty gangster flicks like G Men, Bullets or Ballots and Each Dawn I Die along with a couple of swell tangy comedy romances with James Cagney including Torrid Zone with the great Ann Sheridan and the equally swell Cagney and Bette Davis romp The Bride Came C.O.D, both favorites of mine.
He is also credited with co direction for The Adventures Of Robin Hood which some report that he was removed from the film and replaced with Michael Curtiz

With cinematography by the great veteran cinematographer Joseph MacDonald who was at home doing stunning black and white noirs along with great wide screen color work on films such as Sam Fuller's remake of “Street” 1955's “House of Bamboo” and “Bigger Than Life”. House of Bamboo's location is moved from America to an early post war Japan and the homoerotic feel to it is much more pronounced than the earlier “Street With No Name”.

No doubt that “Street” was a favorite of Scorsese's as he has a scene in "Goodfellas" that is an almost direct lift of a scene from this movie. The print is not great and needs restoration but still this is a keeper.