Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

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Not Rated
1h 35min
Crime, Drama
Aug 1950 (USA)
Movie

7.6 (9,942)

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Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon wants to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law. Will Dixon's vicious nature get the better of him?

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Stars:

Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Still of Gene Tierney in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Still of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews (I) in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Still of Gary Merrill (I) in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

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79 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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	Dana Andrews	...	Det. Mark Dixon
	Gene Tierney	...	Morgan Taylor
	Gary Merrill	...	Tommy Scalise
	Bert Freed	...	Det. Paul Klein
	Tom Tully	...	Jiggs Taylor
	Karl Malden	...	Lt. Thomas
	Ruth Donnelly	...	Martha
	Craig Stevens	...	Ken Paine
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Fred Aldrich	...	Detective at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
	Don Appell	...	Willie Bender (uncredited)
	Tony Barr	...	Hoodlum (uncredited)
	David Bauer	...	Sid Kramer (uncredited)
	Eddie Borden	...	Pool Hall Patron (uncredited)
	Neville Brand	...	Steve (uncredited)
	Barry Brooks	...	Thug (uncredited)
	Ralph Brooks	...	Railroad Baggage Clerk (uncredited)
	Oleg Cassini	...	Oleg (uncredited)
	John Close	...	Hanson (uncredited)
	Tom Coleman	...	Detective at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
	Neil Collins	...	Paramedic (uncredited)
	Clancy Cooper	...	Police Desk Sergeant Murphy (uncredited)
	John Daheim	...	Scalise Hoodlum (uncredited)
	Sayre Dearing	...	Man at Dice Table / Passerby (uncredited)
	Bob Evans	...	Sweatshirt (uncredited)
	Charles Flynn	...	Officer Schwartz (uncredited)
	Robert Foulk	...	Fenney (uncredited)
	Anthony George	...	Scalise Hoodlum (uncredited)
	Joseph Granby	...	Fat Man (uncredited)
	Chuck Hamilton	...	Detective at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
	Kathleen Hughes	...	Secretary (uncredited)
	Lou Krugman	...	Mike Williams (uncredited)
	Louise Lane	...	Secretary (uncredited)
	Carl M. Leviness	...	Elevator Operator (uncredited)
	Louise Lorimer	...	Mrs. Jackson (uncredited)
	Herbert Lytton	...	Joe (uncredited)
	Ian MacDonald	...	Detective Casey (uncredited)
	John Marshall	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
	John McGuire	...	Detective Gertessen (uncredited)
	David McMahon	...	Harrington (uncredited)
	Eda Reiss Merin	...	Shirley Klein (uncredited)
	Grace Mills	...	Mrs. Tribaum (uncredited)
	Lou Nova	...	Ernie (uncredited)
	Peggy O'Connor	...	Model (uncredited)
	Robert Patten	...	Medical Examiner (uncredited)
	'Snub' Pollard	...	Pool Hall Patron (uncredited)
	Ben Pollock	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
	Stephen Roberts	...	Gilruth (uncredited)
	Lester Sharpe	...	Friedman (uncredited)
	Robert F. Simon	...	Insp. Nicholas Foley (uncredited)
	Wanda Smith	...	Model (uncredited)
	Ray Spiker	...	Policeman (uncredited)
	Bert Stevens	...	Passerby (uncredited)
	Clarence Straight	...	Detective (uncredited)
	Charles Tannen	...	Police Radio Dispatcher #79 (uncredited) (voice)
	Shirley Tegge	...	Model (uncredited)
	Larry Thompson	...	Riley (uncredited)
	John Trebach	...	Bartender (uncredited)
	Phil Tully	...	Det. Ted Benson (uncredited)
	Harry von Zell	...	Mr. Morrison (uncredited)
	Duke Watson	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
	Chili Williams	...	Teddy (uncredited)
	Mack Williams	...	Jerry Morris (uncredited)
	Robert B. Williams	...	Detective (uncredited)

Directed by

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Otto Preminger

Written by

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Ben Hecht	...	(screen play)

Victor Trivas	...	(adaptation) and
Frank P. Rosenberg	...	(adaptation) and
Robert E. Kent	...	(adaptation)

William L. Stuart	...	(novel)

Produced by

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Otto Preminger	...	producer
Frank P. Rosenberg	...	associate producer

Music by

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Cyril J. Mockridge

...

(as Cyril Mockridge)

Cinematography by

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Joseph LaShelle

...

director of photography

Editing by

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Louis R. Loeffler

...

(as Louis Loeffler)

Art Direction by

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J. Russell Spencer
Lyle R. Wheeler	...	(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by

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Thomas Little
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by

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Oleg Cassini

Makeup Department

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Ben Nye	...	makeup artist
Marie Walter	...	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management

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Sam Wurtzel

...

production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Henry Weinberger

...

assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Alfred Bruzlin	...	sound
Harry M. Leonard	...	sound

Visual Effects by

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Fred Sersen

...

special photographic effects

Stunts

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John Daheim

...

stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Don Anderson	...	camera operator (uncredited)
Cliff Maupin	...	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Charles Le Maire

...

wardrobe director (as Charles LeMaire)

Music Department

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Lionel Newman	...	musical director
Edward B. Powell	...	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)
Maurice De Packh	...	orchestrator (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Kathleen Fagan

...

script supervisor (uncredited)

Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Twentieth Century Fox (presents)

Distributors

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Twentieth Century Fox (1950) (United States) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century-Fox (1950) (Mexico) (theatrical)
Fox Films (1951) (France) (theatrical)
Fox Films (1951) (Italy) (theatrical)
Hispano Foxfilms S.A.E. (1951) (Spain) (theatrical)
Netherlands Fox Film Corporation (1951) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1951) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century Fox (1951) (Belgium) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century Fox (1955) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1962) (United States) (tv) (original airing)
BFI Video (2004) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
Koch Media (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (United States) (DVD)
20th Television (1998) (United States) (tv) (syndicated print)
Gaumont/Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (France) (DVD)
The Criterion Channel (2024) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
Twilight Time (2016) (World-wide) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Western Electric (sound recording)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon always wanted to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law. But for a good guy, he's awfully vicious. After several complaints over his roughing people up, his boss, Insp. Nicholas Foley, demotes him. Foley tells him he's a good man, but needs to get his head on straight and be more like Det. Lt. Thomas, who has just gotten a promotion. Meanwhile, Tommy Scalise has an illegal dice game going and is looking to make a sucker out of the rich Ted Morrison, who was brought in by Ken Paine and his beautiful wife Morgan. She figures out too late her husband is using her as a decoy. Paine strikes her when she refuses to play along. The chivalrous Morrison intervenes but Paine knocks him out cold. That seems to be the worst of it, but later it turns out the guy is dead; and Paine looks guilty. Soon Dixon has fallen in love with Morgan - but not before losing his temper again and committing a terrible deed that he tries to cover up. Morgan's father, a tale-spinning taxi driver, may take the rap for it. It's up to Dixon to try to pin the blame on Scalise. Written by J. Spurlin Plot Summary Plot Synopsis
Plot Keywords	subway hood police-call-box train pay-phone See All (130) »
Taglines	Only a woman's heart could reach out for such a man! See more »
Genres	Crime Drama Film-Noir
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Australia:PG Finland:K-16 France:Tous publics Italy:T Norway:9 (recommended rating) Norway:16 (cinema rating) Sweden:15 United Kingdom:12 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:PG (video rating) United States:Not Rated (DVD Rating) United States:Approved United States:Passed (National Board of Review) United States:TV-PG (tv rating)

Additional Details

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Also Known As	Night Cry (United States) Mark Dixon, détective (France) Al borde del peligro (Spain) Nattens vargar (Sweden) Faustrecht der Großstadt (Austria) See more »
Runtime	95 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Black and White
Aspect Ratio	1.33 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Filming Locations	Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget

$1,475,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia	This is the last in a series of films that Otto Preminger made as a director-for-hire for Twentieth Century Fox in the 1940s. The series includes Laura (1944), which also stars Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews, Fallen Angel (1945) and Whirlpool (1950). See more »
Goofs	In the opening sequence, the police dispatcher is heard on the car radio. The words spoken by the dispatcher, announcing two incidents, are lifted directly from the 1949 Procedures Manual of the New York City Police Department, where they are given as examples of the correct radio method. Only the time of day was changed to agree with the scene, but the addresses, incidents, car numbers, and dispatcher number are verbatim from the manual. See more »
Movie Connections	Featured in Gene Tierney: Final Curtain for a Noir Icon (2008). See more »
Soundtracks	Street Scene See more »
Crazy Credits	The opening credits start as chalk writing on a sidewalk with someone walking over them and whistling. See more »
Quotes	[to Detective Dixon] Insp. Nicholas Foley: Your job is to detect criminals, not to punish them. See more »

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