Studs Lonigan ** (1960, Christopher Knight, Frank Gorshin, Venetia Stevenson, Jack Nicholson, Dick Foran) – Classic Movie Review 7850

Christopher Knight stars in the 1960 drama Studs Lonigan as the title’s character Studs Lonigan, an Irish immigrant who adapts to life on the streets of Chicago and in the beds of various women in the 1920s.

James T Farrell’s justly famous source novel makes an unhappy leap to the big screen. How much this is director Irving Lerner’s fault or that of writer-producer Philip Yordan is anyone’s guess, as the version released by the studio at 103 minutes is an hour shorter than the director’s original cut.

The scope of the movie is large, but Knight’s performance never reveals enough about Studs’s character, and allows the acting honours to be stolen by Jack Nicholson, playing one of Lonigan’s buddies Weary Reilly, Jack Kruschen as Charlie the Greek, Jay C Flippen as Father Gilhooey, Katherine Squire as Mrs Lonigan and Dick Foran as Studs’s dad, Patrick Lonigan.

Studs Lonigan is technically strong, however, with fine black and white cinematography by Arthur H Feindel and Haskell Wexler, and an equally fine score by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the technical quality and the quality of some of the support acting that keep the much flawed movie interesting. The full unreleased version runs at 163 minutes.

Also in the cast are Helen Westcott, Frank Gorshin, Venetia Stevenson, Carolyn Craig, Robert Casper, Kathy Johnson and Suzi Carnell.

Studs Lonigan is directed by Irving Lerner, runs 103 minutes, is made by Longridge Productions, released by United Artists, is written by Philip Yordan, based on James T Farrell’s novel, is shot in black and white by Arthur H Feindel and Haskell Wexler, is produced by Philip Yordan and scored  by Jerry Goldsmith.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7850

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