Johnny Allegro **** (1949, George Raft, Nina Foch, George Macready, Will Geer) – Classic Movie Review 5,256

The excellent 1949 film noir crime thriller Johnny Allegro stars George Raft as ex-gangster Johnny Allegro, who escaped from prison but has now gone straight (as a florist!) and is helping Treasury agents who force him to work for them.

Director Ted Tetzlaff’s excellent 1949 Columbia Pictures black and white film noir crime thriller Johnny Allegro stars George Raft as shady former crook Johnny Allegro, who escaped from Sing Sing prison but has now gone straight as a Los Angeles hotel lobby florist and is helping the good guys, who force him to work undercover for them. 

In the brisk, efficient, enjoyable low-life crime action story by James Edward Grant, Johnny Allegro is roped in to help the US Federal Treasury Agents capture an international mobster gang of counterfeiters. The British title of Hounded shows the way the plot develops, as the hero is chased like an animal by the bad guy mastermind armed with primitive hunting weapons (a bow and arrows!) on an island.

George Macready gives another brilliantly creepy performance, reprising his Gilda-style bad guy role as Morgan Vallin (almost an anagram of villain!), an unpredictable, unstable, menacing, sinister heavy. Nina Foch makes a brilliantly ideal femme fatale as Glenda Chapman, a high-class blonde who arrives at the hotel lobby and tells florist Johnny that she is being followed and needs his help to escape. He has never met her before but instantly agrees. Nina Foch makes it easy to understand why. She has a tough, sexy exterior and suggests a possible loving, vulnerable centre. But it would be easy to misread Glenda, especially as she’s largely a stranger to the truth. Be careful, Johnny!

Johnny falls for Glenda but she wants to make off without him. He insists on coming along with her to her secret destination, which turns out to be an island off the coast of Florida. That’s when he meets Morgan Vallin, who turns out to be married to Glenda. Vallin is the sadistic criminal mastermind of a plot to bring down the American government by flooding the US economy with counterfeit currency. Wow, not your average criminal then. It gives Macready no trouble at all suggesting this monster.

Will Geer has a significant role as amusingly eccentric Treasury Agent Schultzy, who has recruited Johnny and is trusting him to deliver the bad guys and the money. Ivan Triesault as Pelham Vetch, Harry Antrim as Pudgy and William ‘Bill’ Phillips as Roy all have fun with good character roles. And Gloria Henry is sweet as Johnny’s kindly, helpful shop assistant Addie.

Columbia Pictures’ striking-looking film boasts expert acting all round, and eye-catching black and white cinematography by Joseph F Biroc. And it is neatly, tidily, and pacily directed by Tetzlaff, bringing out the atmosphere and tension in the tale.

Okay, with its hints of The Most Dangerous Game (1932), we did not claim it is original, just very good of its kind. It is all down to George Raft, Nina Foch and George Macready, and they are slick and showy. It’s a fine showcase for their talents. It is a shame about some of the back projections and studio exteriors. Otherwise the film looks striking and smart. There is helpful location shooting at Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California. And the actual interior shots impress. The florist shop and hotel lobby set at the start is particularly impressive. Indeed the film starts with a real bang, an attention grabber. And it holds the attention throughout.

Also in the cast are Ivan Triesault, Gloria Henry, Harry Antrim, William ‘Bill’ Phillips, Paul E Burns, Sol Gross, Charles Hamilton, Harlan Warde, Larry Thompson, Brick Sullivan, Fred F Sears, Cosmo Sardo, Walter Rode, Steve Pendleton, Joe Palma, George Offerman, Thomas Browne Henry, Frank Dae, Matilda Caldwell and Mary Baer.

Just for the record, the screenplay is by Karen DeWolf and Guy Endore.

Release date: May 26, 1949.

Running time: 81 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,256

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