Tonight's Movie: Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Alan Ladd and Edward G. Robinson star in HELL ON FRISCO BAY (1955), just released on DVD and Blu-ray for the very first time by the Warner Archive.

Ladd, who also produced, plays Steve Rollins, an ex-cop freed after five years in San Quentin, framed for a crime he didn't commit.

Steve heads home to San Francisco, determined to get to the bottom of the setup, and all roads lead to the very violent new wharf boss Vic Amato (Robinson).

A number of characters circle around this main storyline: Steve's nightclub singer wife Marcia (Joanne Dru), who can't live down having had an ill-fated romance with another man three years into Steve's stint in prison; Steve's former partner Dan (William Demarest), who's always got his back; Amato's hit man Joe (Paul Stewart), a man scarred physically and mentally, who's in love with a former movie star (Fay Wray); and Detective Connors (Peter Hansen), a crooked cop who does Amato's bidding.

Nice surprises pop up, too: That's Jayne Mansfield dancing with Vic's ill-fated nephew Mario (Perry Lopez), and one Rodney Taylor makes a charismatic impression as another Amato thug. I might have let out a pleased yelp when his face popped up! He's only got a few minutes onscreen but he's terrific.

The plot is fairly familiar, and certain aspects which should tug at our emotions, like the broken-hearted tension simmering between Steve and Marcia, are somewhat perfunctory, rather than anything deeply romantic. Ladd typically played button-down types, with emotions just beneath the surface, and that's the type of character he plays here, but stronger character shadings would have been welcome.

Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine I wouldn't enjoy an Alan Ladd movie, as he's a great favorite of mine, and this one worked for me as a solid, well-paced crime film filled with familiar faces. I enjoyed it quite well and would definitely watch it again.

Robinson is extremely slimy in this one, playing a man who doesn't think twice about knocking off his own relatives. In some respects the movie isn't far removed from the type of gangster films he made at Warner Bros. in the '30s; Ladd's role could have been played by Cagney or Bogart.

Joanne Dru is elegantly gowned as she sings standards in a very attractive nightclub. This is perhaps a good spot to mention the film has excellent set design, including the Early American decor of Dru's apartment and the red-tiled bathroom where Ladd persuades someone to spill some info.

The most interesting, nuanced performances are by Stewart and Wray. Stewart, traumatized by time spent on Death Row, thinks he's found happiness in the person of Kay (Wray), but it's not likely anyone who works for Amato and goes around killing people for no good reason is going to have a happy ending.

Peter Hansen, who died this year at the age of 95, had worked with Ladd in his very first film, BRANDED (1950). As a producer Ladd also put Hansen in DRUM BEAT (1954), A CRY IN THE NIGHT (1956), and THE DEEP SIX (1958).

HELL ON FRISCO BAY was directed by Frank Tuttle. It runs 98 minutes. The supporting cast includes Anthony Caruso, Mae Marsh, Renata Vanni, Tina Carver, George J. Lewis, Stanley Adams, Willis Bouchey, Nestor Paiva, and Herb Vigran.

HELL ON FRISCO BAY is helped considerably by attractive shooting on location in San Francisco by John F. Seitz. Unfortunately there are also a number of obvious process shots and back projections, but I guess you can't have it all; the location scenes which are there lend quite a bit of atmosphere.

With the exception of some shots with too much grain, the Warner Archive Blu-ray nicely shows off this film's attractive CinemaScope and WarnerColor filming. It should please Ladd fans -- I'm certainly one -- and those who enjoy crime films.

The lone extra is the trailer.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.