The Naked Street

The Naked Street
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Maxwell Shane
Screenplay by	Maxwell Shane Leo Katcher
Story by	Leo Katcher
Produced by	Edward Small
Starring	Farley Granger Anthony Quinn Anne Bancroft
Cinematography	Floyd Crosby
Edited by	Grant Whytock
Music by	Ernest Gold Emil Newman
Production company	Edward Small Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	August 1955 (1955-08)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Naked Street is a 1955 American crime film noir directed by Maxwell Shane. The drama features Farley Granger, Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft in a story about an enforcer who tries to control his sister's life by falsely clearing her boyfriend of murder.^[1]

Plot

Phil Regal (Anthony Quinn), a tough racketeer, pulls strings to get his pregnant unmarried sister Rosalie's punk boyfriend, Nicky, out of a death penalty sentence for killing Barricks, so that they can get married. Later, after Rosalie loses the baby and Phil learns that Nicky is cheating on her, the gangster arranges for Nicky to be framed for a murder. Nicky threatens to expose how Phil got Nicky out of the first murder rap. Nicky is executed for the murder. Phil dies while trying to escape the police.

Cast

• Farley Granger as Nicholas 'Nicky' Bradna
• Anthony Quinn as Phil Regal
• Anne Bancroft as Rosalie Regalzyk, Phil's sister
• Peter Graves as Joe McFarland, journalist at New York Chronicle
• Else Neft as Mrs. Regalzyk
• Sara Berner as Millie Swadke
• Jerry Paris as Latzi Franks
• Mario Siletti as Antonio Cardini
• James Flavin as Attorney Michael X. Flanders
• Whit Bissell as District Attorney Blaker
• Joe Turkel as Shimmy
• Joyce Terry as Margie
• Harry Tyler as I. Barricks
• Jerry Hausner as Louie
• Lee van Cleef as Harry Goldisch (uncredited)
• Jeanne Cooper as Evelyn (uncredited)

Reception

When the film was released, The New York Times film critic, Bosley Crowther, panned the film, writing, "The whole spectacle is dismal and uninspiring. The only cheerful thing that occurs is that the sister and wife, played by Anne Bancroft, falls in love with and marries a newspaper man."^[2] The Buffalo Evening News praised Quinn, Bancroft, and Granger for their acting, but was critical overall: "If there were not a ribbon of ludicrousness running through its violence and brutality-laden scenes, one could call it vicious."^[3] TV Guide rated it 3/5 stars and called it a "solid, fast-paced crime tale".^[4]

Farley Granger wrote in his autobiography that he thought the movie was "preachy, trite, and pedestrian," although he welcomed the opportunity to work with Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft.^[5]

It was shown on the Turner Classic Movies show 'Noir Alley' with Eddie Muller on September 17, 2022.

See also

• List of American films of 1955

References

1. TCM.com's article has a huge mistake: It says that Phil is Rosalie's father. The Synopsis is correct.
2. Crowther, Bosley, The New York Times, film review, October 1, 1955. Last accessed: February 28, 2011.
3. Taussig, Ellen. "Cast is Sincere in 'Crime Drama' on Center Screen." Buffalo Evening News, 10 December 1955.
4. "The Naked Street". TV Guide. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
5. Granger, Farley, Include Me Out. New York: St. Martin's Press 2007. ISBN 0-312-35773-7, p. 177-178

External links

• The Naked Street at IMDb
• The Naked Street at the TCM Movie Database
• The Naked Street at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• The Naked Street at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Naked Street at YouTube