Scene of the Crime (DVD)

Van Johnson cracks heads and cases in this hardboiled crime thriller costarring Gloria DeHaven and Arlene Dahl, directed by Roy Rowland (The Girl Hunters) and written by Oscar-«-winner* Charles Schnee (They Live by Night). Assigned to investigate the murder of a plainclothes detective outside a bookie joint, homicide lieutenant Mike Conovan (Johnson) must also prove the cop was not on the take after $1,000 is found in his pocket. Following a slim set of clues, Conovan is beaten, shot and double-crossed as he sets out to catch a killer and clear the detective's name. A departure from M-G-M's usual glamor and glitz, Scene of the Crime was part of production head Dore Schary's effort to provide post-war audiences with grittier, more realistic entertainment. The film succeeded on all counts, returning a handsome profit to the studio and earning an Edgar-« nomination from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture. * Writing (Screenplay): The Bad and the Beautiful, 1952.

Starring: Van Johnson, Arlene Dahl, Gloria DeHaven, Gloria de Haven, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Norman Lloyd, Richard Benedict, Anthony Caruso, Robert Gist, Romo Vincent, Tom Helmore, John McIntire, Donald Woods, Jerome Cowan, Tom Powers, Caleb Peterson, William Haade, Mickey Kuhn, G. Pat Collins, Ray Teal, Don Haggerty, Allen Mathews, Gregg Barton, Mickey McCardle, James R. Scott, William J. Tannen, Paul Fierro, Anthony Merrill, George Magrill, Ralph Montgomery, Richard Irving, Charles Wagenheim, William McCormick, Victor Paul, Michael Jordan, Michael Barrett, Billy Dix, Guy Kingsford, Forrest Taylor, Ray Bennett, Jack Shea, Jean Carter, Jimmy Dundee, Douglas Carter, Lucille Barkley, Mack Chandler, Fred Murray, Harris Brown, John Phillips, Wilson Wood, Billy Snyder, Eddie Foster, Zon Murray, Bette Arlen, Jeffrey Sayre, Cameron Grant, Erin Selwyn, Sam Finn, Charles Regan, Jim Drum, Erno Verebes, John McKee, Robert Strong, Allen Ray, Thomas E. Breen, Mary Jane Smith, Minerva Urecal, Margaret Bert, Sally Feeney, William Phipps

Director: Harry Rapf

Rating: NR