East of the River
East of the River is a 1940 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and written by Fred Niblo, Jr.. The film stars John Garfield, Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau, George Tobias, William Lundigan and Moroni Olsen. The film was released by Warner Bros. on November 9, 1940.[1][2]
East of the River | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Alfred E. Green |
Produced by | Jack L. Warner |
Screenplay by | Fred Niblo, Jr. |
Story by | John Fante Ross B. Wills |
Starring | John Garfield Brenda Marshall Marjorie Rambeau George Tobias William Lundigan Moroni Olsen |
Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
Cinematography | Sidney Hickox |
Edited by | Thomas Pratt |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 74 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
Mama Teresa runs a small New York cafe. She keeps son Joe Lorenzo out of reform school and adopts his hopeless, homeless pal Nick, hoping they'll stay out of trouble.
Joe's life of crime pays for Nick's education. He pretends to be out west running a ranch, but Joe is actually doing time in San Quentin prison for his crimes. He gets out and returns to New York with his girl, Laurie Romayne, a convicted forger, to see Nick graduate from college.
Laurie is drawn to Mama's wholesome way of life and also falls for Nick, so Joe threatens to reveal her past. Joe also informs on criminals Scarfi and Turner, who had framed him into landing behind bars. Turner wants revenge after Scarfi is executed, but Joe is able to elude him. His guilty conscience allows Laurie to pursue a relationship with Nick.
Cast
- John Garfield as Joseph Enrico 'Joe' Lorenzo
- Brenda Marshall as Laurie Romayne
- Marjorie Rambeau as Mama Teresa Lorenzo
- George Tobias as Tony Scaduto
- William Lundigan as Nicholas Antonio 'Nick' Lorenzo
- Moroni Olsen as Judge R.D. Davis
- Douglas Fowley as Cy Turner
- Jack La Rue as Frank 'Frisco' Scarfi
- Jack Carr as 'No Neck' Griswold
- Paul Guilfoyle as Balmy
- Russell Hicks as Warden
- Charley Foy as Customer
- Ralph Volkie as Smith, Turner's Henchman
- Jimmy O'Gatty as Turner's Henchman
- Robert Homans as Patrolman Shanahan
- Joe Conti as Joe
- O'Neill Nolan as Nick
References
- "East of the River (1940) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
- "Movie Review - - THE SCREEN; At the Globe". NYTimes.com. 1940-10-28. Retrieved 2015-06-16.