Amateur night in Tucson! Melodramatic (and rather fruity) murder-mystery/character portrait, made quickly and on the cheap in Arizona, could be called "The Shame of Sleepwalking". Unemployed artist named Joe--still living at home with Mom, whom he calls "Nora"--is wrongly accused of attacking girls at night. He's temporarily released from police custody after a smitten carhop comes to his defense (she lies because she loves him!). Unfortunately, her alibi doesn't hold up, so the two become fast-working sleuths to get Joe off the hook. Co-feature from Bel-Air Productions, distributed by United Artists, is surprisingly enjoyable despite wooden acting and directing. As Joe, John Bromfield is a lousy drunk but he improves (his unself-conscious manly swagger is also winning). Playing Joe's secret sweetheart--nicknamed "Slacks" (no girlie business with this lady)--Julie London is a bit too mature and refined to be convincing as a drive-in waitress, yet her stoic demeanor proves appealing as well. The denouement is satisfying, plus there's an amusingly weird side plot about a society girl suffering subconscious distress while living under the thumb of her possessive father. *** from ****
16 Reviews
Awkward but really interesting anyway, an honest bit of B-movie-making
secondtake1 July 2013
Crime Against Joe (1956)
The point of seeing a B movie like this isn't always to find a great masterpiece in the rough. There are the moments or originality, the bit performances, the style of photography or writing. But there is also the glimpse into a time period that sometimes seems more real exactly because it isn't all polished up and idealized.
And this is a pretty interesting, not so bad movie. It's set and shot in Tucson in 1955 (there's a calendar on one wall), a very low point for Hollywood movies, and this is coming from the fringes of that (one of the producers was the "third writer" in "Casablanca). There is one star, of sorts, a white crooner (and looker) named Julie London, who is lovely and sincere and not half bad..
John Bromfield is the centerpiece, and if he's a hair clunky, this makes him kind of more believable as a good-looking guy named Joe Manning on the outs. He's an ex-soldier who thinks he's an artist but knows not a very good one. He drinks too much. He wants a woman in his life, and the movie begins with him kissing his wise mother goodnight and he goes out on the town. "Well, I'm looking for a girl," he says to the singer from the bar (another torch singer, Alika Louis, who appears here in her only movie).
One of the social revelations of the movie is attitudes toward drinking and driving. Joe gets hammered while sitting in his car, drives to a diner, and is visibly drunk as a couple of cops say hello to him (one even chuckles, as if it's kind of funny). More chilling encounters with the cops come later. A killer is bumbling around town, and it looks like it's either Joe (and we don't know it) or the cops are going to think it's Joe (and it's not). It's a pretty tense situation held back only by some occasional awkwardness.
What makes it work, though, is the down to earth acting because it builds up the Hitchcockian mood of a wrong man under suspicion. Witnesses misinterpret things, evidence gets piled up based on presumptions. It's good stuff. And then Joe has to figure out the crime for himself, which he applies himself to with intelligence. (His acting gets better as he sobers up.)
And by the end you see why the movie has its title. It's no masterpiece, but it has enough going on to keep a movie lover glue, I'm sure.
The point of seeing a B movie like this isn't always to find a great masterpiece in the rough. There are the moments or originality, the bit performances, the style of photography or writing. But there is also the glimpse into a time period that sometimes seems more real exactly because it isn't all polished up and idealized.
And this is a pretty interesting, not so bad movie. It's set and shot in Tucson in 1955 (there's a calendar on one wall), a very low point for Hollywood movies, and this is coming from the fringes of that (one of the producers was the "third writer" in "Casablanca). There is one star, of sorts, a white crooner (and looker) named Julie London, who is lovely and sincere and not half bad..
John Bromfield is the centerpiece, and if he's a hair clunky, this makes him kind of more believable as a good-looking guy named Joe Manning on the outs. He's an ex-soldier who thinks he's an artist but knows not a very good one. He drinks too much. He wants a woman in his life, and the movie begins with him kissing his wise mother goodnight and he goes out on the town. "Well, I'm looking for a girl," he says to the singer from the bar (another torch singer, Alika Louis, who appears here in her only movie).
One of the social revelations of the movie is attitudes toward drinking and driving. Joe gets hammered while sitting in his car, drives to a diner, and is visibly drunk as a couple of cops say hello to him (one even chuckles, as if it's kind of funny). More chilling encounters with the cops come later. A killer is bumbling around town, and it looks like it's either Joe (and we don't know it) or the cops are going to think it's Joe (and it's not). It's a pretty tense situation held back only by some occasional awkwardness.
What makes it work, though, is the down to earth acting because it builds up the Hitchcockian mood of a wrong man under suspicion. Witnesses misinterpret things, evidence gets piled up based on presumptions. It's good stuff. And then Joe has to figure out the crime for himself, which he applies himself to with intelligence. (His acting gets better as he sobers up.)
And by the end you see why the movie has its title. It's no masterpiece, but it has enough going on to keep a movie lover glue, I'm sure.
Odd, Off-beat Tale, Passable Film-Noir
jayraskin118 August 2012
This is a strange offbeat little movie. At times it is dumb and clichéd 1950's police drama and at times it is philosophical and quite interesting.
In the second scene of the movie, we have Joyce Jameson running at full speed screaming that she's been attacked. It is quite jilting. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie never matches the energy of this scene.
The standout in the cast is Julie London. She is best known as a successful 1960's singer of sultry ballads, but she did do a number of acting gigs. Here she plays a car hop named "Slacks." She is in love with the lead character "Joe." However Joe shows only a passing interest in her, as she has dated his good friend "Red." Julie manages to make the character extremely sweet, nice and strong. She is the opposite of a Femme Fatale, a real Penelope standing by her man.
Rebecca Blair (from the television series "Daniel Boone")is the only other person in the cast I knew. She literally "sleepwalks" though her part, although she does have one good scene at the end as a troubled teenager confronting her overprotective "Dad." While the sum does not add up to much, some individual scenes are clever enough to make this "Wrong Man" genre piece worth watching. It was apparently filmed in five days, so don't go in expecting great production values. For those who like early Roger Corman movies, you'll probably enjoy the similar style.
In the second scene of the movie, we have Joyce Jameson running at full speed screaming that she's been attacked. It is quite jilting. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie never matches the energy of this scene.
The standout in the cast is Julie London. She is best known as a successful 1960's singer of sultry ballads, but she did do a number of acting gigs. Here she plays a car hop named "Slacks." She is in love with the lead character "Joe." However Joe shows only a passing interest in her, as she has dated his good friend "Red." Julie manages to make the character extremely sweet, nice and strong. She is the opposite of a Femme Fatale, a real Penelope standing by her man.
Rebecca Blair (from the television series "Daniel Boone")is the only other person in the cast I knew. She literally "sleepwalks" though her part, although she does have one good scene at the end as a troubled teenager confronting her overprotective "Dad." While the sum does not add up to much, some individual scenes are clever enough to make this "Wrong Man" genre piece worth watching. It was apparently filmed in five days, so don't go in expecting great production values. For those who like early Roger Corman movies, you'll probably enjoy the similar style.
Passable Quickie
dougdoepke20 August 2015
Entertaining minor programmer. The first part meanders some, so we're not sure where it's headed. The latter part, however, gels into a pretty good whodunit. Joe Manning (Bromfield), an army vet turned ne'er-do-well painter, is subsidized by his mother, and is going nowhere in life. No wonder he drinks a lot; at the same time, the early scenes show Joe in what seems permanent inebriation. Good thing, he's helped along by car-hop Slacks (London) and taxi driver Red (Calvin) or he'd be in the drunk tank. Seems however that two girls have been assaulted and one murdered, mysteriously. Because of his erratic behavior, the cops have him figured as the culprit. Thus, he better sober up and figure things out or he'll be sobering up courtesy the state lockup.
Bromfield delivers a lively performance that holds interest. And a good thing since he's in about every scene. Also, this is London before she hit the big time as a sultry torch singer and star of A-features. Here she's really dressed down showing little of those later eye-catching attributes. Too bad. Too bad, too, that glamorous Patricia Blair is wasted in a role she could sleep walk through, which ironically she does! Anyhow, the film comes across as competently done, even though filmed in only five days (IMDB). The 70-minutes may not be anything special, but remains an entertaining slice of industry professionalism.
Bromfield delivers a lively performance that holds interest. And a good thing since he's in about every scene. Also, this is London before she hit the big time as a sultry torch singer and star of A-features. Here she's really dressed down showing little of those later eye-catching attributes. Too bad. Too bad, too, that glamorous Patricia Blair is wasted in a role she could sleep walk through, which ironically she does! Anyhow, the film comes across as competently done, even though filmed in only five days (IMDB). The 70-minutes may not be anything special, but remains an entertaining slice of industry professionalism.
I would have had a good time...
henriqueac-6278316 October 2022
... back in the middle of the last century. Maybe this one is not a timeless flick never to be forgotten. But hey, it is fun to watch it late night. It is charming to watch a noir movie. This comes from a time when there was no tv series... Or at least not like today... And I can see here what would become a teenage horror/slasher movie late, in the 80's. It is a fast paced thriller with two or three funny moments, not very complex, no remarkable characters... However, a good movie. What should I stop to watch tomorrow? Law and Order? I mean, I will, but eventually I will come back to the noir, crime cinema. Nice to get to know the history, the culture.
Slightly Norish "B" ...Julie London Appears & Helps Interest
LeonLouisRicci29 November 2021
Slightly Above Average Filler with some Interest Provided by a Pedestrian Julie London as a "Car-Hop" who Loves Her Joe.
Shady Characters Abound and that Includes Authority Figures like Law Enforcement and Doctors.
They are Painted as Either Corrupt or Unhelpful at the Least.
The Plot Involves a Drunk Joe Meandering About the Streets and Bumbles into a Serial-Killer Murder, is Framed and Spends the Run-Time Uncovering the Real Criminal.
Elements of Crime such as a Lustful Woman-Hating Murderer, are Paraded Out in Norish Fashion as the Innocent Joe, a Sympathetic PTSD Korean Vet, an Artist who Lives with a Doting Mom.
The Guilty Party, Aside from the Despicable Entourage of Society's "Suits" that Hypocritically Populate this Mid-50's Milieu, is Easy to Spot because the Low-Budget Doesn't Allow for Many Suspects.
Julie Doesn't Sing and is Slightly Miss-Cast as a Teen-Aged Waitress, but is Easy on the Eyes. Her Supposed Romance with a Fat Cab Driver and Friend of Joe, Strains Credibility.
Overall, a Not-Bad Little Entertainment with some Intriguing Representations of Characters,
the Most Bizarre is a Sub-Plot with a Possible Incestuous Father and His Sleep-Walking Daughter.
Shady Characters Abound and that Includes Authority Figures like Law Enforcement and Doctors.
They are Painted as Either Corrupt or Unhelpful at the Least.
The Plot Involves a Drunk Joe Meandering About the Streets and Bumbles into a Serial-Killer Murder, is Framed and Spends the Run-Time Uncovering the Real Criminal.
Elements of Crime such as a Lustful Woman-Hating Murderer, are Paraded Out in Norish Fashion as the Innocent Joe, a Sympathetic PTSD Korean Vet, an Artist who Lives with a Doting Mom.
The Guilty Party, Aside from the Despicable Entourage of Society's "Suits" that Hypocritically Populate this Mid-50's Milieu, is Easy to Spot because the Low-Budget Doesn't Allow for Many Suspects.
Julie Doesn't Sing and is Slightly Miss-Cast as a Teen-Aged Waitress, but is Easy on the Eyes. Her Supposed Romance with a Fat Cab Driver and Friend of Joe, Strains Credibility.
Overall, a Not-Bad Little Entertainment with some Intriguing Representations of Characters,
the Most Bizarre is a Sub-Plot with a Possible Incestuous Father and His Sleep-Walking Daughter.
I wasn't impressed
blanche-223 July 2008
John Bromfield is Joe in "Crime Aganst Joe" a 1956 B film also featuring Julie London, Patricia Blair, Joyce Jameson, Alika Louis, Rhodes Reason and Henry Calvin. Bromfield plays an artist who lives off of his mother (Frances Morris) and laments not being able to find the perfect woman. When a bar singer (Louis) winds up dead after he's left the bar dead drunk, his high school pin is found next to her body. He then becomes a person of interest to the police. Joe has an alibi - he actually ran into a sleepwalker (Blair) and returned her to her home, but her father lies to the police about it. Joe is then arrested. Joe's waitress friend Slacks (London) lies to the police about seeing the singer with someone else, and Joe is released. He's determined to find out the identity of the killer - someone from his high school class.
Supposedly the story was by Decla Dunning and the script was by Robert C. Dennis. I'd love to know which one was responsible for the sleepwalker bit and that whole subplot of the overly possessive father who discourages his daughter's dates - it's a riot. That plot line just sort of died out and wasn't fully resolved. And that business of the high school pin...well, this is a pretty flimsy film, and I figured it out fairly quickly. It's made very cheaply, too - the sound in all the interiors has an echo. Julie London is slightly miscast as the waitress friend - if the singer hadn't gotten killed after just one song and a few lines, London would have been perfect for that role, and it would have given her a chance to be her usual glamorous self. The murdered singer, however, played by Alika Louis, is very attractive and a great type. Blair as the poor repressed sleepwalker is very pretty in full makeup and perfectly coiffed hair as she sleepwalks in her nightgown. Bromfield's acting is loud and not very good or believable, but I liked Frances Morris, who played his mother. Nice of her to support him, but from the looks of those canvasses, he wasn't going to be making much of a living painting.
Not very good.
Supposedly the story was by Decla Dunning and the script was by Robert C. Dennis. I'd love to know which one was responsible for the sleepwalker bit and that whole subplot of the overly possessive father who discourages his daughter's dates - it's a riot. That plot line just sort of died out and wasn't fully resolved. And that business of the high school pin...well, this is a pretty flimsy film, and I figured it out fairly quickly. It's made very cheaply, too - the sound in all the interiors has an echo. Julie London is slightly miscast as the waitress friend - if the singer hadn't gotten killed after just one song and a few lines, London would have been perfect for that role, and it would have given her a chance to be her usual glamorous self. The murdered singer, however, played by Alika Louis, is very attractive and a great type. Blair as the poor repressed sleepwalker is very pretty in full makeup and perfectly coiffed hair as she sleepwalks in her nightgown. Bromfield's acting is loud and not very good or believable, but I liked Frances Morris, who played his mother. Nice of her to support him, but from the looks of those canvasses, he wasn't going to be making much of a living painting.
Not very good.
Decent B Movie - Crime Against Joe
arthur_tafero15 November 2023
Despite a very low production budget, and a no-name cast (except for the talented Julie London), Crime Against Joe pulls off a bit of an upset as an entertaining film. Although I figured out the killer after about fifteen minutes (and disregarded the enormous red herrings that followed), I was still entertained by the film and its dynamics of a small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else. A libertine mother of a supposed "artist" finds Joe living off of his mother. This is not a crime against humanity, but it does put Joe in a bad light. Slacks, played by London, works at a drive-in burger joint and goes out with Joe's best friend. A couple of late-night murders are committed and Joe is a prime suspect. See if you can figure out the killer quickly. It will surprise some folks.
Program Filler
evanston_dad25 May 2015
John Bromfield, unknown to me, plays Joe, a drunken veteran who becomes the chief suspect in a series of murders plaguing his home town. The nominal back story implies that he was a once-promising golden boy gone a little bad; still, it seems implausible that everyone would so quickly be willing to turn against one of their own and assume him to be the guilty party on the flimsy evidence the police collect from the crime scene. That evidence consists almost entirely of a school ring, so everyone immediately assumes that the killer must be someone from Joe's graduating class -- apparently the idea of planting evidence never occurred to anyone. Indeed, this plot point becomes an unintentional joke, as suspect after suspect is asked "Where's your ring?" and if they're able to produce it, or merely say they still have it, everyone assumes they can't possibly be the murderer. That's some cracker jack detective work.
"Crime Against Joe" has no discernible directing style and no apparent reason for existing other than as a program filler. The screenplay is just too weak, and there's not enough style in the filmmaking to compensate for the story's failings. Julie London is the film's best asset, though mostly because she's so pretty, not because her character, that of Joe's reluctant love interest, generates much interest.
There's also a bizarre and somewhat inexplicable story line about a sleepwalking girl and her father's efforts to cover up his daughter's affliction, and how this cover up affects the case against Joe. Was sleepwalking something to be that ashamed of back in 1956?
Grade: C
"Crime Against Joe" has no discernible directing style and no apparent reason for existing other than as a program filler. The screenplay is just too weak, and there's not enough style in the filmmaking to compensate for the story's failings. Julie London is the film's best asset, though mostly because she's so pretty, not because her character, that of Joe's reluctant love interest, generates much interest.
There's also a bizarre and somewhat inexplicable story line about a sleepwalking girl and her father's efforts to cover up his daughter's affliction, and how this cover up affects the case against Joe. Was sleepwalking something to be that ashamed of back in 1956?
Grade: C
No preparation
bkoganbing5 February 2017
Crime Against Joe is a modest noir thriller with much to be modest about. Red herrings as murder suspects are fine, but in this case too many were created in the story leaving a lot of loose ends in what should have been a more coherent script.
The title character is John Bromfield a returned Korean War veteran with a severe drinking problem. That's how we first meet him, living with mom Frances Morris and trying to become a painter. Another Toulouse L'Autrec, taller, less talented and as big a boozer.
But one night when Bromfield has had a snootful and gets a ride home from buddy Henry Calvin a cab driver, there's a murder of a woman and he's the number one suspect. Back in high school he was a big man on campus, but he's a flop now.
Here's where it goes completely haywire. From the town drunk he sobers up real fast and with the help of Julie London a rollerskating server and singer at a fast food place he puts the pieces together.
I knew Henry Calvin was in the cast. But the man with the girth best known as the rabblerouser from Ship Of Fools, the Wazir in Kismet and most of all Sergeant Garcia in Zorro is absolutely unrecognizable. That deep bass voice is not employed at all.
Granted this was a program filler, but little care was taken with the preparation of Crime Against Joe.
The title character is John Bromfield a returned Korean War veteran with a severe drinking problem. That's how we first meet him, living with mom Frances Morris and trying to become a painter. Another Toulouse L'Autrec, taller, less talented and as big a boozer.
But one night when Bromfield has had a snootful and gets a ride home from buddy Henry Calvin a cab driver, there's a murder of a woman and he's the number one suspect. Back in high school he was a big man on campus, but he's a flop now.
Here's where it goes completely haywire. From the town drunk he sobers up real fast and with the help of Julie London a rollerskating server and singer at a fast food place he puts the pieces together.
I knew Henry Calvin was in the cast. But the man with the girth best known as the rabblerouser from Ship Of Fools, the Wazir in Kismet and most of all Sergeant Garcia in Zorro is absolutely unrecognizable. That deep bass voice is not employed at all.
Granted this was a program filler, but little care was taken with the preparation of Crime Against Joe.
Effective Wrongly Accused Man Thriller
zardoz-1324 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Director Lee Sholem's "Crime Against Joe" is a modest but entertaining crime thriller about a wrongly accused guy who spends about 45 minutes in this hour long epic struggling to prove that he didn't kill a woman. Competently made, with solid production values, and polished performances, this low-budget, black & white, B-movie is a gem if you have the time. The formulaic script contains enough red herrings and provocative characters to keep you interested when it isn't distracting you from the real killer.
Joe Manning (John Bromfield of "Rope of Sand") is an amiable lush who spends his time searching for a wise, funny, but innocent girl when he isn't trying to capture them in oil on canvas. Joe doesn't work for a living and lives off his mother. One evening Joe is too drunk to drive his convertible; a black & white patrol car blocks his withdrawth from a drive-in restaurant, so he continues cruising courtesy of a friendly taxi cab driver. At a bar, Joe flirts with a singer Irene Crescent (Alika Louis) and then threatens her with bodily harm before the bartender, Harry Doran (John Pickard), ushers him outside and clobbers him. George Niles (Rhodes Reasons) watches Doran as he punches Joe. George is a tall man in a cowboy hat who lost his ranch. He makes an extremely suspicious character who lurks on the periphery of the screen. Joe ambles home and encounters a beautiful woman, Christine 'Christy' Rowen (Patricia Blake), walking the streets late at night. Later, we learn that she is a sleep walker. The next day the police arrest Joe for the murder of Irene Crescent. When our protagonist tries to account for his whereabouts, the man who could clear him, Philip Rowen (Joel Ashley), refuses to oblige, because he fears the social stigma that attach to his name.
Psychiatrist Dr. Louis Tatreau (Mauritz Hugo) questions Joe to determine his mental abilitr. Joe served in Korea and was the only man in his platoon to survive a battle. Joe was diagnosed with battle fatigue and learned how to paint as therapy. The outcome is pretty incriminating as far as the authorities as concerned. They produce a witness, Gloria Wayne (Joyce Jameson of "The Gauntlet") who testifies that Joe assaulted her from behind. Joe's faithful mother searches for an attorney to represent her son, but she cannot persuade one of Joe's former classmates to take his case. Everything looks bleak for our hero. Surprisingly, a car hop at a drive in (Julie London) gives Joe an alibi that springs him from jail. However, the police know that Slacks is lying to protect Joe because she loves him. Everybody in the community turns against Joe and even his doting mother suspects him.
Joe Manning (John Bromfield of "Rope of Sand") is an amiable lush who spends his time searching for a wise, funny, but innocent girl when he isn't trying to capture them in oil on canvas. Joe doesn't work for a living and lives off his mother. One evening Joe is too drunk to drive his convertible; a black & white patrol car blocks his withdrawth from a drive-in restaurant, so he continues cruising courtesy of a friendly taxi cab driver. At a bar, Joe flirts with a singer Irene Crescent (Alika Louis) and then threatens her with bodily harm before the bartender, Harry Doran (John Pickard), ushers him outside and clobbers him. George Niles (Rhodes Reasons) watches Doran as he punches Joe. George is a tall man in a cowboy hat who lost his ranch. He makes an extremely suspicious character who lurks on the periphery of the screen. Joe ambles home and encounters a beautiful woman, Christine 'Christy' Rowen (Patricia Blake), walking the streets late at night. Later, we learn that she is a sleep walker. The next day the police arrest Joe for the murder of Irene Crescent. When our protagonist tries to account for his whereabouts, the man who could clear him, Philip Rowen (Joel Ashley), refuses to oblige, because he fears the social stigma that attach to his name.
Psychiatrist Dr. Louis Tatreau (Mauritz Hugo) questions Joe to determine his mental abilitr. Joe served in Korea and was the only man in his platoon to survive a battle. Joe was diagnosed with battle fatigue and learned how to paint as therapy. The outcome is pretty incriminating as far as the authorities as concerned. They produce a witness, Gloria Wayne (Joyce Jameson of "The Gauntlet") who testifies that Joe assaulted her from behind. Joe's faithful mother searches for an attorney to represent her son, but she cannot persuade one of Joe's former classmates to take his case. Everything looks bleak for our hero. Surprisingly, a car hop at a drive in (Julie London) gives Joe an alibi that springs him from jail. However, the police know that Slacks is lying to protect Joe because she loves him. Everybody in the community turns against Joe and even his doting mother suspects him.
No, the crime is NOT against Joe but against the poor audience!
planktonrules28 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Up until the end, I didn't mind this film too much--it seemed like an okay B-film from a small studio. However, by the time the credits began to role, I was irritated--irritated at such a poor payoff and such dopey acting by the real killer. I am sure audiences must have snickered at this! Joe is a war vet and full-time freeloader and binge drinker. On one of his many nights out, he happens to be about when a murder is committed and police assume he's the guilty party. There are people who can exonerate him and in the real world this would have happened, but the writer included a dangling plot element about a seemingly incestuous father and his creeped out daughter is never at all developed properly--and eventually it just dangles and disappears from the film. Later, after tracking down graduation pins from 11 years ago, they are able to get the real killer to appear...and overact horribly.
The bottom line is that the film had promise but made nothing of it. Julie London and the rest of the cast are pretty much wasted and the film is disappointing when you put all the pieces together. Only worth your time if, like me, you have relatively low standards.
The bottom line is that the film had promise but made nothing of it. Julie London and the rest of the cast are pretty much wasted and the film is disappointing when you put all the pieces together. Only worth your time if, like me, you have relatively low standards.
psychiatric and police malpractice
peru1-595-6301066 May 2013
B minus... I watched this only because Julie London was in it...unfortunately the movie revealed that she is not nearly as pretty as her record album covers suggest...she has sort of a wedge shaped head what looks like a bad nose job. It didn't help that she was too old for the part she plays. I now understand why she never became a film star of note.
Movie: Joe is a 30s something semi-loafer who lives off his mother and paints pictures...some sort of psychopath has been killing women in the small town he lives in. He is suspected of these murders by circumstantial evidence--his year high school pin is found near one of the victims. Julie London is in a love with him (he didn't know) and supplies him with an alibi. The quack psychiatrist who over reads things into poor Joe's past is the most realistic thing that happens in this plot.
A sort of living nightmare murder rap against Joe closes in around him. Believable to a degree to any one with experience in these things.
In the modern world with DNA evidence and such none of this would have happened (we hope).--but I would not count it out.
I suspected the fat cab driver about mid way through the thing although at this point didn't really care as this script is so lame.
There is a subplot about a sleep walker and her incestuous father that leads no where. Why was it even put in--to eat up some film time maybe? = B double minus. However gets a 5 because these kinds of judicial/police malpractice and psychiatric nonsense do happen. Also witnesses lying and distorting things. If not for that it deserves a 1. One reviewer said it was filmed in 5 days; I believe it and written on the fly.
OK for a quick 60 minute watch.
Movie: Joe is a 30s something semi-loafer who lives off his mother and paints pictures...some sort of psychopath has been killing women in the small town he lives in. He is suspected of these murders by circumstantial evidence--his year high school pin is found near one of the victims. Julie London is in a love with him (he didn't know) and supplies him with an alibi. The quack psychiatrist who over reads things into poor Joe's past is the most realistic thing that happens in this plot.
A sort of living nightmare murder rap against Joe closes in around him. Believable to a degree to any one with experience in these things.
In the modern world with DNA evidence and such none of this would have happened (we hope).--but I would not count it out.
I suspected the fat cab driver about mid way through the thing although at this point didn't really care as this script is so lame.
There is a subplot about a sleep walker and her incestuous father that leads no where. Why was it even put in--to eat up some film time maybe? = B double minus. However gets a 5 because these kinds of judicial/police malpractice and psychiatric nonsense do happen. Also witnesses lying and distorting things. If not for that it deserves a 1. One reviewer said it was filmed in 5 days; I believe it and written on the fly.
OK for a quick 60 minute watch.
"Everybody's Got Something To Hide!"...
azathothpwiggins15 July 2021
Struggling artist, Joe Manning (John Bromfield) goes out on a drinking binge. His evening takes a bizarre turn when a sleepwalking woman (Patricia Blair) crosses his path.
From this point, Joe's luck changes, and he gets mixed up in a murder. With the cops on his trail, Joe sets out to prove his innocence and track down the real killer.
CRIME AGAINST JOE is an enjoyable crime drama / mystery. There are some nice twists and a satisfying finale. Bromfield is convincing in his desperate role.
Co-stars the incredibly beautiful, Julie London, years before her Dixie McCall days!...
From this point, Joe's luck changes, and he gets mixed up in a murder. With the cops on his trail, Joe sets out to prove his innocence and track down the real killer.
CRIME AGAINST JOE is an enjoyable crime drama / mystery. There are some nice twists and a satisfying finale. Bromfield is convincing in his desperate role.
Co-stars the incredibly beautiful, Julie London, years before her Dixie McCall days!...
John Bromfield failing as an artist and as everything else except as an ideal suspect for murder
clanciai25 November 2021
A drinking war veteran from Korea has a case of murder towering up against him. His victims are supposed to be dames, and he had a great reputation already from school as a womanizer, having luck with the women while others had not. Naturally, the real murderer was someone who had not.
It's a cheap triviality of a thriller, too much talk and too little action, Julie London makes a nice impression and is stylish enough, while John Bromfield appears as a bad copy of Glenn Ford with no nuances. The script is weak, and although a thriller with an effort at a smashing conclusion, there is no cinematography at all, and I would rate out as a C-thriller. It's actually not worth watching, and it's only advantage is that it is rather short.
It's a cheap triviality of a thriller, too much talk and too little action, Julie London makes a nice impression and is stylish enough, while John Bromfield appears as a bad copy of Glenn Ford with no nuances. The script is weak, and although a thriller with an effort at a smashing conclusion, there is no cinematography at all, and I would rate out as a C-thriller. It's actually not worth watching, and it's only advantage is that it is rather short.
Anything with Julie London in it is watchable
moehoward-0205730 January 2024
A very underrated movie that moves right along. Julie London plays the best looking car hop waitress you can imagine and the sleepwalking girl is just as gorgeous. I would have liked to have been the casting director of this movie. It becomes pretty obvious who the Killer is but it's fun getting there and I think you will enjoy this movie quite a bit.
The subplot with the sleepwalker is a little disturbing because it seems to imply latent incest but it's the 1950s and I'm sure that's as far from the author's mind as possible. The police don't come across very well because the whole murder case seems to hinge on someone finding a high school pin. Please work seems to have improved a bit since then especially when it comes to finding who se responsible for premeditated murder.
The subplot with the sleepwalker is a little disturbing because it seems to imply latent incest but it's the 1950s and I'm sure that's as far from the author's mind as possible. The police don't come across very well because the whole murder case seems to hinge on someone finding a high school pin. Please work seems to have improved a bit since then especially when it comes to finding who se responsible for premeditated murder.
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