Duffy of San Quentin
Duffy of San Quentin is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Walter Doniger and written by Walter Doniger and Berman Swarttz. The film stars Louis Hayward, Joanne Dru, Paul Kelly, Maureen O'Sullivan, George Macready and Horace McMahon. The film was released by Warner Bros. on March 16, 1954.[1][2]
Duffy of San Quentin | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Walter Doniger |
Produced by | Walter Doniger Berman Swarttz |
Written by | Walter Doniger Berman Swarttz |
Based on | The San Quentin Story by Clinton T. Duffy Dean Jennings |
Starring | Louis Hayward Joanne Dru Paul Kelly Maureen O'Sullivan George Macready Horace McMahon |
Music by | Paul Dunlap |
Cinematography | John Alton |
Edited by | Edward Sampson Chester W. Schaeffer |
Production company | Swarttz-Doniger Productions |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 78 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
Clinton T. Duffy (Paul Kelly) suddenly has a job few would ever want. He's the interim warden at San Quentin, given the job for 30 days after violence and corruption swept what was then the nation's largest prison facility. Duffy aims to make his few days matter, cracking down on notorious guards, wiping out a stool-pigeon network and hiring the institute's first female nurse (Joanne Dru). The reforms take hold. Duffy's 30 days would become 12 years. Based on his memoir, Duffy of San Quentin tells the story of the warden's pivotal early tenure through the prism of his interactions with volatile inmate Edward Harper (Louis Hayward). Filmmaker Walter Doniger guides the action. He next made the prison film The Steel Cage (with Kelly and Maureen O’Sullivan returning as the Duffys) and explored life behind bars again in The Steel Jungle
Cast
- Louis Hayward as Edward 'Romeo' Harper
- Joanne Dru as Anne Halsey
- Paul Kelly as Warden Clinton T. Duffy
- Maureen O'Sullivan as Gladys Duffy
- George Macready as John C. Winant
- Horace McMahon as Pierson
- Irving Bacon as Doc Sorin
- Joel Fluellen as Bill Lake
- Joe Turkel as Frank Roberts
- Jonathan Hale as Boyd
- Michael McHale as Pinto
- Peter Brocco as Nealy
- Marshall Bradford as Lowell
- DeForest Kelley as Eddie Lee
- Sandy Aaronson as Guard
References
- "Duffy of San Quentin (1954) - Overview". TCM.com. 1954-02-09. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
- Crowther, Bosley (1954-02-10). "Movie Review - Duffy of San Quentin - THE SCREEN IN REVIEW". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2015-05-29.