IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
During the Cold War, at a California atomic research plant, an FBI agent and a Scotland Yard inspector join forces to eliminate a foreign atomic spy ring operating in the USA and the UK.During the Cold War, at a California atomic research plant, an FBI agent and a Scotland Yard inspector join forces to eliminate a foreign atomic spy ring operating in the USA and the UK.During the Cold War, at a California atomic research plant, an FBI agent and a Scotland Yard inspector join forces to eliminate a foreign atomic spy ring operating in the USA and the UK.
Reed Hadley
- Narrator
- (voice)
Paul Bryar
- Ivan
- (uncredited)
Fred Coby
- Fred - FBI Chemist
- (uncredited)
Bert Davidson
- Potter - FBI Agent
- (uncredited)
John Hamilton
- G.W. Hunter
- (uncredited)
Myron Healey
- Thompson - FBI Agent
- (uncredited)
Marten Lamont
- FBI Chemist
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEven though the film was about the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover would not sanction it because Producer Edward Small refused to allow the FBI to interfere with production and review the film prior to its release.
- GoofsLike so many other characters in crime stories, Grayson made what could have been a dangerous mistake when he didn't wash his hands after handling the poisoned glass in von Stolb's quarters. He picked it up from the inside to avoid smudging fingerprints, but because the glass contained residue from the deadly poison, the residue would have remained on his hands.
- Quotes
Philip 'Scotty' Grayson: Hmmm. You know Braun could be a pretty fair painter...
Daniel F. O'Hara: Yes, if there wasn't so much red in his work.
- Crazy creditsNarrator Reed Hadley is billed in the opening titles--unusual in an era when narrators generally were not credited, often even when they were famous.
- ConnectionsRemade as David Harding, Counterspy (1950)
Featured review
Laundry and Liquidation.
Walk a Crooked Mile is directed by Gordon Douglas and adapted to screenplay by George Bruce from a Bertram Millhauser story. It stars Louis Hayward, Dennis O'Keefe, Louise Albritton, Carl Esmond, Onslow Stevens and Raymond Burr. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by George Robinson.
A Scotland Yard detective and a FBI agent investigate what looks to be a spy ring infiltrating a top secret Nuclear Physics centre.
To fully get the drift you really have to understand the era when films like this were produced, a time of The HUAC and Cold War paranoia, when Hollywood itself was under scrutiny to weed out supposed communist infiltrators.
Good pro Gordon Douglas directs in a semi-documentary style - complete with Reed Hadley stentorian narration - in what turns out to be a decent spy like thriller. J. Edgar Hoover stuck his oar in to ensure no sanction of how the FBI looked was granted, which actually gives the pic some kudos, as does the superb Frisco location filming. It's nicely photographed in a noir style by Robinson, which lends one to lament he didn't operate more often in that style of film making. While perfs are absolutely fine, with Burr not for the first time in 1948 proving to be a great nasty presence.
Narratively it's hit and miss, the fear of the communist is solidly played, but actually the fear of the scientists is probably more sneakily bubbling away under the surface. There's a brilliant sequence of events that ties into Nazidom, with a landlady holding court for maximum impact, and for dramatic purpose the torture sequence and inevitable shoot out hit the right requisite notes.
Not a must see in the realm of Cold War/Spy Ring pictures, but entertaining and well mounted enough to keep it well above average. 6/10
A Scotland Yard detective and a FBI agent investigate what looks to be a spy ring infiltrating a top secret Nuclear Physics centre.
To fully get the drift you really have to understand the era when films like this were produced, a time of The HUAC and Cold War paranoia, when Hollywood itself was under scrutiny to weed out supposed communist infiltrators.
Good pro Gordon Douglas directs in a semi-documentary style - complete with Reed Hadley stentorian narration - in what turns out to be a decent spy like thriller. J. Edgar Hoover stuck his oar in to ensure no sanction of how the FBI looked was granted, which actually gives the pic some kudos, as does the superb Frisco location filming. It's nicely photographed in a noir style by Robinson, which lends one to lament he didn't operate more often in that style of film making. While perfs are absolutely fine, with Burr not for the first time in 1948 proving to be a great nasty presence.
Narratively it's hit and miss, the fear of the communist is solidly played, but actually the fear of the scientists is probably more sneakily bubbling away under the surface. There's a brilliant sequence of events that ties into Nazidom, with a landlady holding court for maximum impact, and for dramatic purpose the torture sequence and inevitable shoot out hit the right requisite notes.
Not a must see in the realm of Cold War/Spy Ring pictures, but entertaining and well mounted enough to keep it well above average. 6/10
helpful•103
- hitchcockthelegend
- Feb 27, 2019
- How long is Walk a Crooked Mile?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- FBI Meets Scotland Yard
- Filming locations
- 1087 Clay St., San Francisco, California, USA(Shown as the home of Igor Braun, the painter/murderer.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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