Hell's Half Acre (1954 film)
Hell's Half Acre is a 1954 film noir crime film directed by John H. Auer starring Wendell Corey, Evelyn Keyes and Elsa Lanchester.[1]
| Hell's Half Acre | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John H. Auer |
| Produced by | John H. Auer |
| Screenplay by | Steve Fisher |
| Starring | Wendell Corey Evelyn Keyes Elsa Lanchester |
| Music by | R. Dale Butts |
| Cinematography | John L. Russell |
| Edited by | Fred Allen |
Production company | Republic Pictures |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The drama related the tale of ex-racketeer Chet Chester (Corey) who is blackmailed by his former criminal partners.
Chester's girlfriend Sally (Nancy Gates) kills one of his enemies. But Chester takes the blame, assuming that he has still got enough clout to escape with a light sentence.
Meanwhile, Dona Williams (Keyes) flies to Hawaii because she is certain that Chester is her long-lost husband who was thought to have died at Pearl Harbor.
Cast
- Wendell Corey as Chet Chester, aka Randy Williams
- Evelyn Keyes as Donna Williams
- Elsa Lanchester as Lida O'Reilly
- Marie Windsor as Rose
- Nancy Gates as Sally Lee
- Leonard Strong as Ippy
- Jesse White as Tubby Otis
- Keye Luke as Police Chief Dan
- Philip Ahn as Roger Kong
- Clair Widenaar as Jamison
- Robert Costa as "Slim" Novak
Reception
Critical response
The New York Times gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Betwixt the start and the finish, an undemanding spectator will find enough sequences of merit to hold his interest. And the story of destined doom and back-alley murder is not entirely implausible. Miss Keyes, an innocent caught in the tangled web, is a luscious young thing who certainly earns her "A" in acting. She shines nicely in contrast to the denizens of Hell's Half Acre, ostensibly a very unsocial area of Honolulu. John Auer, the director, makes his camera capture the most in picture value of what appears to be some very dingy neighborhoods with a resultant atmosphere that creates a certain element of suspense. His method of direction, aided and abetted by Steve Fisher's economical script, is one of sensible brevity without unnecessary frills."[2]
References
- Hell's Half Acre on IMDb.
- The New York Times. Film review, February 27, 1954. Last accessed: February 7, 2008.
External links
- Hell's Half Acre on IMDb
- Hell's Half Acre at AllMovie
- Hell's Half Acre at the TCM Movie Database
- Hell's Half Acre informational page at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- Hell's Half Acre informational page and review by Glenn Erickson at DVD Savant
- Hell's Half Acre film clip on YouTube