A classic picture: defenseless womanhood with nothing but a 38 caliber revolver in her hand
Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. As a technical note, references and citations are listed for each show on the site at classicmovierev.com. Today on the Classic Movie Reviews Podcast, we are taking on Illegal (1955).
This trail-centric Film Noir is stacked with great stars, including Edward G. Robinson, Hugh Marlow, Jay Adler, DeForest Kelley, Nina Foch, and Jayne Mansfield. This film has a 7.0 rating[1] on iMDB.com, which may be a bit too high, even with Edward G. Robinson leading the way. On Rottentomatoes.com, the film doesn’t have a Tomatometer score and has only a 58 percent audience approval[2].
New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said on Oct. 29, 1955:
“WE’D be willing to bet a nickel that the people who wrote and made Warner Brothers’ “Illegal” had “The Asphalt Jungle” in mind and were doing their best to imitate it, difficult though that would be. For this juristic crime melodrama…has some clear points of similarity to that 1950 thriller. It just doesn’t begin to be as good. For one thing, the story of “Illegal” invades the higher echelons of crime, with a fast-thinking, double-dealing lawyer as the principal character. This fellow plays a wily game of footsie with the big boss of the crime syndicate—until the end, when he turns upon him in defense of a victimized girl. The fact that this hard-bitten lawyer is played by Edward G. Robinson in his old vein of stinging sarcasm is a clue to what you may expect. But more than this and more than the climate of sordid deceit that is achieved is the fact that “Illegal” tries to blueprint “The Asphalt Jungle’s” Marilyn Monroe. You may remember that Miss Monroe’s first screen role was in the latter. She spoke not a word but she went right to work as an adornment in the apartment of the criminal counselor. Well, in “Illegal” Jayne Mansfield plays precisely the same sort of role in the apartment of Albert Dekker, the big poobah of crime.”[3]
Actors – Illegal (1955)
Returning
Edward G. Robinson played the role of DA and later criminal lawyer Victor Scott. This great actor was first covered in the Film Noir western, The Violent Men (1955). These later films reflected the type of roles Robinson could obtain after his brush with the unAmerican House UnAmerican Activities Committee.
Hugh Marlowe played District Attorney’s office investigator Ray Borden. Marlowe was first covered in the Sci-fi World Without End (1956).
Jay Adler played a criminal defendant Joseph Carter that helped relaunch Scott’s private law career. This wonderful character actor was first covered in 99 River Street (1953).
DeForest Kelley had a very small role as the falsely executed man Edward Clary. Kelly was first covered in the campy horror Night of the Lepus (1972). This great western and Film Noir actor will always be known as “Bones” from “Star Trek” 1966-1969.”
New
Nina Foch played lawyer Ellen Miles. She was born in the Netherlands in 1924. Her mother was a silent film and stage actress. Her father was a conductor and composer. When her parents divorced, Nina moved with her mother to New York.
As a teen, Nina was a concert pianist. She eventually studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Nina worked on regional stages before signing a contract with Columbia at 19. Her first film was The Return of the Vampire (1943). Nina has 172 film and television credits, and either group would have been a fine career.
Some of her film highlights include A Song to Remember (1945), My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), I Love a Mystery (1945), The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947), The Dark Past (1948), Johnny Allegro (1949), An American in Paris (1951), Executive Suite (1954), The Ten Commandments (1956), and Spartacus (1960).
Nina worked on the stage and taught acting for over 40-years. She died in 2008.
Jayne Mansfield played singer Angel O’Hara in this her film debut. Mansfield was born in 1933 in Pennsylvania. Her father died when she was three, and her mother remarried when she was six. The new family moved to Dallas, Texas.
Mansfield had a high IQ and attended the University of Dallas. When she was 16, in 1949, she married an older fellow. The next year Mansfield had her first child, and it was not long until the couple was divorced.
Mansfield eventually moved to Hollywood and began getting roles because of her monumental build. She was the playmate of the month in February 1955. Her films include Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955), Hell on Frisco Bay (1955), Illegal (1955), The Girl Can’t Help It (1956), The Burglar (1957), Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957), The Loves of Hercules (1960), Playgirl After Dark (1960), Promises….. Promises! (1963) where she was the first mainstream actress to appear nude, and When Strangers Meet (1964).
Meant to be a rival to Marilyn Monroe, Mansfield’s career never hit those heights. She made B-movies and worked on television. She was also doing small night club acts. Leaving Biloxi, Mississippi late at night on June 29, 1967, Mansfield and two of her companions died in Louisiana’s car crash.
Mansfield was dead at the age of 34, leaving five children behind. A picture showing her wig after the crash led to a persistent rumor that she was decapitated in the accident.
Ellen Corby played Scott’s secretary, Miss Hinkel. Corby was born in 1911 in Wisconsin. Corby grew up in Philadelphia before moving to Atlantic City in 1932 to work as a chorus girl[4]. She moved on to Hollywood that same year. Corby began appearing in uncredited bits in 1933. She also worked as a script girl while taking acting lessons.
Corby has 265 film and television credits, and she would pop up in the background here and there. She was in Cornered (1945), It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), and Film Noir Born to Kill (1947). Corby was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in I Remember Mama (1948), but she lost to Claire Trevor in Key Largo (1948).
Corby was all over television in the 1960s and 1970s. We all know that she will be forever known as the somewhat crabby grandma Esther Walton from “The Walton’s” 1972–1980, including tv movies from 1971–1997. Corby had a stroke in 1976 and died in 1999.
Albert Dekker played the role of crime boss Frank Garland. Dekker was born in New York City in 1905. He began acting on stage. Ten years later, he was working on Broadway when he made the move to film.
Dekker had 113 film and television credits from 1933–1969. Some of his memorable films include Beau Geste (1939), Dr. Cyclops (1940), the great Film Noir The Killers (1946), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), Film Noir Kiss Me Deadly (1955), East of Eden (1955), and his last film, The Wild Bunch (1969).
He was in the California legislature from 1944–1946. He ran afoul of HUAC and moved to more television work in the 1950s. He died in 1968, being found nude in the bathtub with a noose around his neck and his hands handcuffed behind his back. The death was ruled an accident.
Story – Illegal (1955)
Gloria Benson (Kathy Marlowe) is getting dressed in the bathroom off of her bedroom. She turns, and her face contorts in terror. The hand of a man and an automatic pistol is shown in the doorway. The woman is shot multiple times.
As the credits being to roll, an all-points bulletin is sent out for Edward Clary (DeForest Kelley). Clary is shown being fingerprinted.
Sometime later, the District Attorney Victor Scott (Edward G. Robinson), his legal assistant Ellen Miles (Nina Foch), and his top-level investigator Ray Borden (Hugh Marlowe) arrive at the courthouse. They are all business and hard as nails.
The summation of DA Scott convinces the jury that Clary is guilty of her murder. The jury comes back with guilty.
DA Scott is a minor star with the press. DA Scott avoids questions about his political ambitions and his prosecution record. Ellen is in love with Scott, and Ray is in love with Ellen also. Scott encourages Ellen to stop spending time with him and get married.
As the night of Clary’s execution arrives, one news reporter Joe Knight (Robert Ellenstein), continuously hound Scott with an angle towards discrediting him. Scott is too clever to be caught in any verbal traps. Knight mentions that Scott took care of Ellen and sent her to law school after her father died. Scott says her father gave him his start, and he is just paying back.
Scott gets a call on his car phone from Ray. He is told that the Clary case is coming apart. A wounded criminal has confessed to the killing of Gloria Benson. Scott realizes he is running out of time. He calls the death house at the prison.
Clary is being walked to the electric chair. He maintains that he didn’t kill the woman. The call goes through to the death house. Before the guard can tell them to stop, the electric hum of the chair is heard. Scott is sick.
Report Knight reads the paper that an innocent man has been killed with sick glee.
Ellen comes into the DA’s office and is told by Miss Hinkel (Ellen Corby) that Scott has resigned. Ellen goes into Scott’s office, and he is drunk as a monkey. Ellen tries to buck him up, but there is no helping Scott at this time. Scott is second-guessing every conviction he has ever won. Scott says he will always try to win, regardless of the evidence. He plans on going into civil practice.
Scott crawls into a bottle, and his friends all turn their back on him. When he goes to his regular bar, he can no longer get his table. Reporter Knight is waiting there to pounce. One of his old friends Steve Harper (Addison Richards), refuses to take him on for a case.
Ellen goes to see Scott after one of his benders. She takes care of him and fills him with coffee. He keeps telling her to get out. He tells her to marry Ray. His drunkenness and indifference hurt her.
The papers show that the executed man’s mother has died of a grief-induced heart attack to add trouble. A guy in the bar is talking about him, and Scott gives him a poke. He ends up in the drunk tank.
He is taken to court for arraignment. Ahead of him is Joseph Carter (Jay Adler), who is being charged with manslaughter. He says the guy he was fighting was a professional fighter. Carter is bound over for trial.
The judge knows Scott and fines him $50. In the holding room, Scott gives some legal advice. Carter doesn’t want the help. Scott says he could get the man off.
The new DA, Ralph Ford (Edward Platt), speaks to Ellen and Ray about the Olson case. Ray is still pining for Ellen and jealous of Scott. Ray asks Ellen to marry him. She doesn’t want to be crowded.
Ellen and Ray go to see Scott who is back in court. He is defending Carter. Scott impugns the witness on the stand. Scott also hits the witness to prove he can’t take a blow. Everyone is shocked. The judge dismisses the case, and we are shown that Scott had a roll of nickels in his hand.
Scott is happy to see the visitors. Ellen sees that Scott is back, and she announces her marriage to Ray.
Scott gets an office and hires Miss Hinkel as his secretary. Scott only has a handful of cases. Hinkel chews out Scott for not marrying Ellen. Allen Parker (James McCallion) comes in shaking all over and wants to see Scott. Parker is the cashier at the E.A. Smith Company. Parker says he has stolen $90,000. He spent the money on horses and a woman. Parker has a satchel of cash. Scott takes the money.
They put Parker in the library, and Scott calls E.A. Smith (Howard St. John). Scott and Smith meet. Scott offers partial restitution of $50,000 if Parker is not prosecuted. Smith, at first, doesn’t accept the money. But the cash offered by Scott is too much. After the release is signed, they bring Parker in so Smith can yell at him. In the conversation, Smith, and Parker find out that Scott has paid himself $10,000. At last, Scott asks Smith about Frank Garland (Albert Dekker), implying that Smith works for a gangster.
Scott goes to meet with DA Ford and Smith. Smith says Scott has swindled him. Scott flips it on Smith and says he is the one that committed the felony. Smith is sent packing. Ford is not happy with the way Scott acted. Ellen comes in, and Scott is glad to see her.
A gangster Andy Garth (Jan Merlin) that works for Garland, intercepts Scott outside the DA’s office. Garth forces Scott to go to Garland’s office as he has a gun.
At Garland’s office, Garth is sent to take care of an errand. Ray is inside Garland’s office, although he has no legitimate reason to be there. Angel O’Hara (Jayne Mansfield) is casually playing the piano. Ray gives Angel a pat on the shoulder and ducks out the back before Scott comes into the room.
Garland starts out threatening Scott for the $10,000. Garland gives Angel a club job and sends her out when he gets mad. Scott is cool and talks about Garland’s art collection. Garland asked what he knew about him when he was DA. Scott says a lot, and he would have indicted him eventually. Garland denies that he would be arrested. Garland offers Scott a job and a lot of money. Scott gives him a no-deal and says he won’t be owned.
Parker hasn’t left town yet and is running to catch a bus out of town. Garth shoots him in the back from his perch on a park bench.
Scott is playing cards with Ray and Harper. Harper offers Scott a criminal trial with a hefty fee.
Later, Scott begins working the jury for Al Carol’s (Lawrence Dobkin) murder case. Ellen and DA Ford are prosecuting the case. Carol looks amazingly like reporter Knight. Garth is watching from the audience.
Scott picks up the bottle of poison that is in evidence. He drinks the poison and concludes his case. DA Ford makes a protest and asks for a recess. Ellen keeps an eye on Scott. He is as cool as could be. Scott stops for a few pictures on the way out. Knight thinks Scott has something up his sleeve.
Scott goes to a bail bonding office with two men. A doctor is waiting there to give him the antidote for the poison. Garland and Harper come in, and Scott finds that he has been working for Garland all along.
Angel is singing at a fancy party at Garland’s. The men have dates that are not their wives. Scott comes in by himself. Carol is happy to avoid the electric chair. Garland gives Scott an envelope with a $15,000 check.
Scott’s new office is booming with clients. Ellen comes to see Scott. Ellen has come to warn Scott that the DA thinks he has a mole in the District Attorney’s office. Ellen thinks he is corrupt and leaves discussed.
A private detective follows her back to her office. He reports to the DA, and they think Ellen might be the leak.
Ford calls all of the department chiefs in for a meeting. Ford says that they are still working a case about a horse betting parlor. He says they are going to pick up the suspect again. Ray heads down to the public phone booths. He is interrupted by a friend. Before he can make the call, Ellen arrives. The two head home.
Ray pours out a bottle of booze so he can make a trip to the store. Ellen decides to make the trip. When she is gone, Ray ducks into the bedroom and calls to tip the criminals off. Angel answers the phone. Ray snaps at her and gives his real name. He asks for a callback.
Ellen comes back and pickups the other line when Ray gets his call from Garland. She breaks the bottle, and Ray knows he has been overheard. She tries to run out of the apartment, but Ray traps her. Ray gives a speech for her joining the criminal team.
Ray decides that he is going to kill Ellen by pushing her out of a window. During the struggle, she falls on the floor and lands on Ray’s gun. He keeps coming, and she shoots him three times.
Ellen is placed in a holding room, and Scott comes to see her. She is not happy because she feels Scott is a criminal. Scott says he knew that Ray was the pipeline. Scott says he is the only one who can get keep her from getting convicted.
Scott puts in a writ of habeas corpus, but the DA thinks Ellen has been working with him. They put Scott under 24-hour surveillance. In the parking lot, Garth forces Scott to go with him. Garland is in one of the cars. He thinks he will be exposed in the trial if Scott defends Ellen. Garland threatens to kill Scott if it goes wrong.
On the stand, the DA asks Ellen about the telephone call. DA Ford brings up Scott paying for her law degree and giving her a job. She says it all above board. Ford accuses her of leaking information from the horse betting parlor case to Scott. Ford ties Ellen up in knots on the stand.
Scott asks for a recess before a re-cross. He has sent Hinkel back to the office to mail all of the incriminating files to herself. Scott goes to see Garland. Garth is there also. Scott wants Garth to admit to being Ray’s contact. Garth will get about three years in jail if he gives false testimony. Scott tells Garland that Angel took the call and can tie everything back to Garland. Garth refuses to go to jail. Garland tells him to lose the case. Scott says his files will go to the DA if he is killed.
Garland sends Garth to kill Scott. Two policemen are still following Scott. Scott sees the tail, and they start trying to getaway. Scott gives Hinkel an address to go to, and he gets out of the car. Garth crashes into another car but manages to shoot Scott. The police car rams Garth’s car, and they shoot him down in a gun battle.
The court gets word that Scott was attacked. Scott walks into court, holding his chest. He calls Angel to the stand. At last, Hinkel comes in with Angel. Angel testifies that it was Ray who called Garland on the night of the tip-off.
Scott falls down from a gunshot wound. Ford drops the case against Ellen. Ford said they are picking up Garland. Scott tells Ellen to ignore him next time he tells her to marry someone. Presumably, he dies.
I’ll be right back with conclusions and the World-Famous Short Summary following a word from our sponsors.
Summary – Illegal (1955)
Illegal (1955) is from a play titled “The Mouthpiece.” It is based on a real lawyer[5], William J. Fallon. Fallon had over 120 homicide cases without losing any. Fallon defended Arnold Rothstein, the gambler who allegedly fixed the 1919 World Series, commonly known as the “Black Sox” scandal[6].
The play “The Mouthpiece” was produced as a film two times before Illegal (1955). The first was the pre-code film The Mouthpiece (1932). The second time was The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940).
World-Famous Short Summary – If you like her, kiss her
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Beware the moors
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048199/
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/illegal_1955
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/1955/10/29/archives/screen-sincere-flattery-illegal-is-imitation-of-asphalt-jungle.html
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Corby
[5] Ben Mankowitz TCM, Illegal (1955)
[6] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048199/trivia
