Quicksand *** (1950, Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre) – Classic Movie Review 8909

Director Irving Pichel’s  low-budget 1950 black and white film noir crime thriller Quicksand stars Mickey Rooney as garage-hand Dan Brady, who steals $20 from his employer, intending to pay it back next day, when he falls for a gold-digging good-time girl, café cashier Vera Novak (Jeanne Cagney)

Quicksand is lumpily scripted by Robert Smith (in an original screenplay) and eventually gets stuck in its own quicksand. But there are very considerable compensations, though: good petty-crime background details, a sturdy Rooney performance, and Peter Lorre scoring strongly in a typically slimy role as Nick Dramoshag, an amusement-hall boss.

Also in the cast are Barbara Bates, Taylor Holmes, Wally Cassell, Art Smith, John Gallaudet, Minerva Urecal and Patsy O’Connor.

Quicksand is made by Irving Pichel, runs 79 minutes, is made by Samuel H Stiefel Productions, is released by United Artists, is written by Robert Smith, is shot in black and white by Lionel Lindon, is produced by Mort Briskin and scored by Louis Gruenberg and Emil Newman.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8909

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