Director: FRANK TUTTLE. Screenplay: Sydney Boehm, Martin Rackin. Based on the Collier's magazine serial, "The Darkest Hour", by William P. McGivern. Photographed in CinemaScope and Eastman Color by John F. Seitz. Film editor: Folmar Blangsted. Art director: John Beckman. Set decorator: William L. Kuehl. Make-up: Gordon Bau. Costumes: Moss Mabry. Music composed by Max Steiner, orchestrated by Murray Cutter. Assistant director: William Kissel. Sound recording: Charles B. Lang. Associate producer: George C. Berthelon. Producer: Alan Ladd.

A Jaguar (Alan Ladd) Production, released through Warner Brothers Pictures. U.K. release: 28 May 1956. Sydney opening at the Plaza. 98 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: After serving a five-year term for manslaughter, a wrongly convicted ex-cop goes after the waterfront gangster who was really responsible.

COMMENT: Alan Ladd versus Edward G. Robinson, the posters promised, but, disappointingly, the screenplay keeps the two stars apart until the climax. In fact, Ladd and Robinson share only two scenes. For most of the movie, Robinson plays against Paul Stewart, and it is these two actors rather than producer Ladd, who provide the story's chief points of friction.

Nonetheless, Robinson is always in his element and the script does come to a grand climax on San Francisco Bay in which CinemaScope is brilliantly utilized to round off the movie with maximum dramatic impact. In other respects, however, director Frank Tuttle's hand seems somewhat lethargic.

The color photography suffers from the early CinemaScope disease of over-graininess, but rates as reasonably acceptable. Indeed, most audiences probably won't notice, especially in theaters with smaller screens. On the Plaza's huge screen, however, where I saw the movie, the color looked undeniably blotchy.

There's a great politically incorrect sign hanging in the Amato Club House that says - "Be American, Speak English". That's one of the visual treats in "Hell On Frisco Bay", a gritty gangster drama featuring one of the best, Edward G. Robinson as tough guy Victor Amato. There's also a lot of great dialog compliments of Robinson's character, especially the prayer conversation with henchman Joe Lye - "Guess those prayers went into a separate account for lover boy".

Alan Ladd portrays Vic Amato's nemesis in this one, playing it fairly deadpan, almost tired, throughout the story. He's an ex-cop just released from San Quentin following a stretch for a murder frame up, and he's out for vengeance. A pal from the old days, Dan Bianco (William Demarest),is about the only one he can confide in as he goes after the bad guys. Come to think of it, Demarest plays it entirely straight in the picture too, he's usually good for a few comic relief moments in most films, but not here. He knows enough to back off too, when Steve Rollins (Ladd) makes it known he's got a score to settle.

The tension between Rollins and Amato is allowed to fester and build as the former detective conducts his personal investigation, reaching the boiling point when Vic summons his adversary to a meeting. Ladd delivers one of the movie's best lines when he turns down Vic's job offer of two hundred dollars a week - "I'd like to kill you so bad I can taste it." Not too much room for miscommunication there.

Joanne Dru portrays Rollins' not quite ex-wife, having had a quick affair while he was in the cage. A nice surprise in the film for me was the appearance of Fay Wray as a retired actress; you know, she really aged wonderfully in the two decades following "King Kong". It's too bad she was relegated to a career of 'B' films even after her Kong triumph. Also on hand in an early screen appearance is Rod Taylor, described as a 'tough monkey from up North', who takes his orders from mobster Vic.

For his part, Robinson turns in one of those quintessential gangster performances that he's known and caricatured for, particularly vile here for ordering a hit on his own nephew. With Robinson, you get so much more than you bargained for with all those little nuances he throws into a role, like the way he sizes up the door man at the apartments, or how he sets up Joe Lye's hit right in front of a statue of St. Anthony. And when he goes down, he goes down hard, sneering all the way as the cops fish him out of Frisco Bay following that wild speed boat chase. As for the film, it's an OK little story that could have packed more of a punch without the color format. I would have preferred the movie's noir-ish ambiance in glorious black and white.

In Hell on Frisco Bay Alan Ladd who also produced this film plays an ex-cop who's served five years on a manslaughter rap for which he was wrongly convicted. Of course as in the case of noir films he's on a mission to find the real killer and clear himself.

It doesn't take him long to sniff out a trail that leads to San Francisco underworld boss Edward G. Robinson. Robinson is easily the best in the cast. He's as malevolent as he was in Little Caesar or at least in Key Largo.

It's not that Hell on Frisco Bay is a bad film, but it's all so routine for Alan Ladd. He would not transition into character roles as he hit his forties. His legion fans which were gradually dwindling by this time still wanted their guy in action hero parts.

He's not terribly animated here. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was ill during the making of this. In a way that might have helped the believability factor. Five years in jail would have given him a certain prison pallor to his complexion.

Alan Ladd liked having friends around and the cast here is filled with players who were close personal friends and/or co-workers from his Paramount days. They include, Anthony Caruso, George J. Lewis, Peter Hansen, Perry Lopez, William Demarest. Look for young Rod Taylor as a contract killer and Jayne Mansfield in her screen debut as a bimbo.

Joanne Dru plays the estranged Mrs. Ladd and was probably grateful to be in a modern setting. Paul Stewart gives a memorable performance as Robinson's chief henchman along with his lady love Fay Wray who played a former movie star who was keeping company with Stewart. Their relationship with Robinson is the key to the story.

Cinemascope and noir usually don't mix, but in this case with the final scene being a police chase and fight with speedboats across San Francisco bay, cinemascope helped greatly.

Fans of both Alan Ladd and Edward G. Robinson will enjoy this film.