The Racket

Director: John Cromwell John Cromwell

Overview

The Racket was based on a play by Bartlett Cormack, first filmed as a silent in 1928. The storyline was updated to include references to Estes Kefauver's Senate Crime Investigating Committee: otherwise, the plot (and much of the dialogue) was lifted bodily from the Cormack play. Racketeer Robert Ryan has managed to get several government and law-enforcement higher-ups in his pocket. But Ryan can't touch the incorruptible police officer Robert Mitchum, who refuses all attempts at bribery. Ryan pulls strings to get Mitchum transferred to a series of undesirable precincts, but Mitchum will not be dissuaded. The battle of wills between cop and criminal comes to a head when mob-connected nightclub singer Lizabeth Scott turns on her former protector Ryan. The Broadway version of The Racket starred Edward G. Robinson as the racketeer; the 1928 film version featured Louis Wolheim in the Robinson role and Thomas Meighan as the upright cop. Both the silent and sound versions of the property were personally produced by Howard R. Hughes.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/2016
UPC:	0888574446000
Original Release:	1951
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:29:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Mitchum	Captain Thomas McQuigg
Lizabeth Scott	Irene Hayes
Robert Ryan	Nick Scanlon
William Talman	Officer Bob Johnson
Joyce MacKenzie	Mary McQuigg
Robert Hutton	Dave Ames
Virginia Huston	Lucy Johnson
William Conrad	Det. Sgt. Turk
Walter Sands	Sgt. Jim Delaney
Les Tremayne	Harry Craig
Don Porter	R. G. Connolly
Walter S. Baldwin	Sgt. Sullivan
Brett King	Joe Scanlon
Richard Karlan	Breeze Enright
Tito Vuolo	Tony
Eric Alden	Sergeant
Greg Barton	Rookie Cop
Don Beddoe	Mitchell
Robert Bice	Police Dispatcher
Matthew Boulton	Simpson
Barry Brooks	Cameron
Richard Gordon	Actor,Man
Howland Chamberlain	Roy Higgins
John Daheim	Mannick
Donald Dillaway	Harris
Art Dupuis	Police Car Driver
Jane Easton	Operator
Pat Flaherty	Car 43 Policeman
William Forrest Jr.	Head of Crime Commission
Jack Gargan	Lewis
Bret Hamilton	Reporter
Jayne Hazard	Girl
Howard Joslin	Sgt. Werker
Hazel Keener	Secretary
Mike Lally	Sergeant
Harry Lauter	Officer Mosley
Ronald Lee	Elevator Boy
Herbert C. Lytton	Police Doctor
Frank Marlowe	Pedestrian with Morning Newspaper
Allen Mathews	Pedestrian
Harriet Matthews	Librarian
Philo McCullough	Man Seated at Bar
John McGuire	Policeman in Locker Room
Ralph Montgomery	Pedestrian
Al Murphy	Newsboy
Ed Parker	Garage Roof Thug
Howard Petrie	The Governor
Joey Ray	Reporter
Walter Reed	Policeman at Roll Call & in Locker Room
Richard Reeves	Leo
Jack Shea	Night Desk Sergeant
Miles Shepard	Policeman
Charles Sherlock	Pedestrian
George Sherwood	Douglas
Milburn Stone	Member of Craig's Team
Duke Taylor	Policeman
Herbert Vigran	Paradise Club Manager
Bud Wolfe	Detective with Johnson at the Paradise Club
Sally Yarnell	Police Operator
Roy Webb	Composer
Constantin Bakaleinikoff	Composer

Technical Credits

William Wister Haines

W.R. Burnett

John Cromwell	Director
William Wister Haines	Screenwriter
W.R. Burnett	Screenwriter
Edmund Grainger	Producer
Clem Portman	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Although it misses being as good a film as it should have been (likely due to interference from studio boss Howard Hughes), the 1951 remake of The Racket still provides pretty good entertainment. Credit its stars for the majority of that entertainment value. Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan turn in enthralling performances, the former using his familiar laidback style to create enormous power and the latter making his loose cannon character full of good old inevitable surprises. Sure, it's a bit odd seeing Mitchum playing the cop, especially one that is as upstanding and "Establishment" as this character. But that oddness adds a fine new layer to the part and to the film, and also helps to explain the ridiculous ending in which the character is satisfied with the way things have turned out -- despite the real fat cats having gotten away. It's very possible that the original screenplay made much more sense; legend has it that Hughes insisted on significant rewrites during shooting, as well as numerous post-production changes that necessitated the participation of new directors who were not involved in the original shoot. As a result, the film doesn't hang together cohesively and involves too many dead ends and a lack of unifying vision. But as long as Mitchum and Ryan are around - along with Lizabeth Scott, wasted in an underdefined role but good to have on board -- it's still a decent ride.