Crime Wave **** (1954, Gene Nelson, Sterling Hayden, Charles Bronson, Ted de Corsia, Phyllis Kirk, Jay Novello, Dub Taylor, James Bell, Richard Benjamin) – Classic Movie Review 3,231

The rousing 1954 cult film noir thriller Crime Wave stars Sterling Hayden, Gene Nelson, Ted de Corsia and Charles Bronson.

Director André de Toth’s rousing 1954 cult film noir thriller Crime Wave stars Gene Nelson as ex-convict and reformed parolee Steve Lacey, whose plans to go straight go awry when a badly injured old San Quentin inmate buddy (Nedrick Young) seeks him out for safety after a filling-garage holdup and promptly dies outside his home.

An unusually cast Nelson does well in a tough role, Sterling Hayden is excellent as the grouchy homicide cop on the case, Detective Lieutenant Sims, and there is good work too from a young Charles Bronson (then still credited as his real name Charles Buchinsky) plus a teenage Richard Benjamin.

It is well written by Crane Wilbur, Richard Wormser and Bernard Gordon, adapted from a short story that originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post – Criminal Mark by John Hawkins and Ward Hawkins. In the story, the other two holdup crooks (Ted de Corsia as ‘Doc’ Penny, Bronson  as Ben Hastings) turn up to force Lacey to join a new bank heist, while Detective Sims tries to make him shop the villains.

It is a dour tale, but the resolute handling, atmospheric location filming and convincing acting lift it a lot, and it is very good of its humble 50s B-movie film noir kind.

Phyllis Kirk plays the wife, Ellen Lacey. Also in the cast are Jay Novello, James Bell, Dub Taylor, Gayle Kellogg, Mack Chandler, Jim Hayward and Timothy Carey as the crazed Johnny Haslett.

Much of the film was shot on location in Los Angeles and in nearby Burbank and Glendale. Sawyer’s Pet Hospital at the corner of San Fernando Road and Alma Street in Glendale is still standing and still a pet hospital but many of the locations have inevitably been torn down and replaced. 

The final chase scene from the bank in Glendale to Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles follows the actual route.

The cast are Sterling Hayden as Detective Lieutenant Sims, Gene Nelson as Steve Lacey, Phyllis Kirk as Ellen Lacey, Ted de Corsia as ‘Doc’ Penny, Charles Bronson [Charles Buchinsky] as Ben Hastings, Jay Novello as Otto Hessler, Ned Young as Gat Morgan, James Bell as Steve’s Parole Officer Daniel O’Keefe, Dub Taylor as Gus Snider, Gayle Kellogg as Detective, Mack Chandler as Sully, Timothy Carey as Johnny Haslett, Sandy Sanders as Murdered Officer, Richard Benjamin as Mark, James Hayward as Zenner and Lyle Latell as Hoodlum at Counter.

Ted de Corsia [Edward Gildea De Corsia] (September 29, 1903 – April 11, 1973) is remembered for The Naked City (1948) and The Enforcer (1951).

Richard Benjamin turned 85 on 22 May 2023. He played Dr Green in the Netflix comedy film You People (2023) opposite Jonah Hill and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3,231

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Location shooting at Wall Street in downtown Los Angeles