An aircraft designer falls for the wife of an imprisoned gangster. All goes well until the gangster gets out of prison...An aircraft designer falls for the wife of an imprisoned gangster. All goes well until the gangster gets out of prison...An aircraft designer falls for the wife of an imprisoned gangster. All goes well until the gangster gets out of prison...
Joe Sawyer
- Charley
- (as Joseph Sawyer)
Carol Adams
- Chorus Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHitchcock shot some scenes involving actors Pidgeon and Bennett in a plane. They state he did this as a favor to this film's producer Walter Wanger, with whom Hitchcock had worked on Foreign Correspondent (1940).
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are painted on the screen by the rotating searchlight... from the light at Alcatraz prison.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Famous Movie Dogs (1940)
- SoundtracksChula Chihuahua
Written by Sidney Clare, Nick Castle & Jule Styne
Featured review
So, Who is the Dirty Rat?
A George Raft movie I never saw? Impossible, but true. And I don't think many others have seen it either. The plot isn't much, but the movie does have a certain charm. George Raft elevated under acting to a fine art, but in this movie, he almost seems animated. I could tell because he raised his voice a half decibel, and he smiled.
He plays a hard boiled gangster who falls for his lucky charm played by Joan Bennett. He is so fixed on her he is blind to all the enemies around him. Joan sells him out to the IRS to keep him from being snuffed, and the Feds tuck him away in Alcatraz for ten years. But as we know, these things never work out. Don't pay too much attention to the plot. It's routine and predictable. Instead, watch the acting. None of the principals seem to deliver the performance you might expect. George Raft gets emotional and, at times, even seems a little vulnerable. Joan Bennett, who can be very seductive, seems schizophrenic and switches from light comedy to pure drama without warning. Walter Pigeon plays Walter Pigeon, but with less intensity and no mustache. I should give honorable mention to Lloyd Nolan in a supporting role as a rat. I always give Lloyd Nolan honorable mention. An amusing coincidence here. The movie takes place in San Francisco, which was Lloyd Nolan's home town. Also, Walter Pigeon's character is named Nolan, and it was curious to watch Lloyd Nolan talking to Mr Nolan. I kept watching his face to see if I could detect a wink or a nod of recognition, but he is too good an actor and never so much as blinked.
This may be a routine pot boiler, but some of the performances are worth watching, so tune in. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
He plays a hard boiled gangster who falls for his lucky charm played by Joan Bennett. He is so fixed on her he is blind to all the enemies around him. Joan sells him out to the IRS to keep him from being snuffed, and the Feds tuck him away in Alcatraz for ten years. But as we know, these things never work out. Don't pay too much attention to the plot. It's routine and predictable. Instead, watch the acting. None of the principals seem to deliver the performance you might expect. George Raft gets emotional and, at times, even seems a little vulnerable. Joan Bennett, who can be very seductive, seems schizophrenic and switches from light comedy to pure drama without warning. Walter Pigeon plays Walter Pigeon, but with less intensity and no mustache. I should give honorable mention to Lloyd Nolan in a supporting role as a rat. I always give Lloyd Nolan honorable mention. An amusing coincidence here. The movie takes place in San Francisco, which was Lloyd Nolan's home town. Also, Walter Pigeon's character is named Nolan, and it was curious to watch Lloyd Nolan talking to Mr Nolan. I kept watching his face to see if I could detect a wink or a nod of recognition, but he is too good an actor and never so much as blinked.
This may be a routine pot boiler, but some of the performances are worth watching, so tune in. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
helpful•71
- howdymax
- Apr 30, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Hämnaren från Alcatraz
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The House Across the Bay (1940) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer