Armored Car Robbery (1950)

June 8, 1950 (US) • Thriller, Crime, Action • 67m

Overview

While executing an armored car heist in Los Angeles, icy crook Dave Purvis shoots policeman Lt. Phillips before he and his cronies make off with the loot. Thinking he got away scot-free, Purvis collects his money-crazy mistress, Yvonne, then disposes of his partners and heads out of town. What Purvis doesn't know is that Phillips' partner, tough-as-nails Lt. Cordell, is wise to the criminal's plans and is closing in on his prey.

Director

Richard Fleischer

Writers

Gerald Drayson Adams, Earl Felton

Top Billed

Charles McGraw

Keywords

cop-killer striptease armored car stripper film noir los angeles, california armored car robbery burlesque dancer money heist fugitive lovers relentless cop

Where to watch

Free / Included

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Charles McGraw

Lt. Jim Cordell

Adele Jergens

Yvonne LeDoux aka Mrs. Benny McBride

William Talman

Dave Purvis / Martin Bell

Douglas Fowley

Benjamin 'Benny' McBride

Steve Brodie

Al Mapes

Don McGuire

Detective Danny Ryan

Don Haggerty

Detective Driving Final Pursuit Car

James Flavin

Lt. Phillips

Gene Evans

William 'Ace' Foster

Eddie Borden

Theatrical Agent (uncredited)

Chet Brandenburg

Cop at Roadblock (uncredited)

Barry Brooks

Witmer - Armored Car Driver (uncredited)

Morgan Brown

Burlesque Theatre Patron (uncredited)

Paul Bryar

Car 6 Patrolman at Pier 5 (uncredited)

Paul E. Burns

Mr. Kelly - Valley Auto Court Manager (uncredited)

James Bush

Control Tower Operator (uncredited)

Roger Creed

Police Radio Operator (uncredited)

Dick Dickinson

Newsboy (uncredited)

Art Dupuis

Stadium Cashier (uncredited)

Fred Howard

Dr. Leslie (uncredited)

Richard Irving

Craig - Pilot (uncredited)

Paul Kruger

Policeman (uncredited)

Linda Leighton

Police Dispatcher (uncredited)

Carey Loftin

Duff (uncredited)

George Magrill

Policeman (uncredited)

Allen Mathews

2nd Detective (uncredited)

Max Mellinger

Mr. Bronson - Pacific States Insurance (uncredited)

Anne Nagel

Mrs. Marsha Phillips (uncredited)

Anne O'Neal

Mrs. Page - Benny's Landlady (uncredited)

Mary Randall

Nurse Paxton (uncredited)

Carl Saxe

Rhodes - Cop at Roadblock (uncredited)

Frank J. Scannell

Mr. Kimball - Theatre Manager (uncredited)

Jack Shea

Officer Evans (uncredited)

William Tannen

Officer Johnson (uncredited)

Harlan Warde

Police Radio Dispatcher (archive footage) (uncredited)

Mack Williams

Detective Marshall - Police Lab (uncredited)

Eric Wilton

Burlesque Theatre Patron (uncredited)

Charles Flynn

Chandler - Police Sergeant at Roadblock (uncredited)

Crew

Gerald Drayson Adams

Screenplay

Earl Felton

Screenplay

Richard Fleischer

Director

Mel Berns

Makeup Artist

Herman Schlom

Producer

Guy Roe

Director of Photography

Albert S. D'Agostino

Art Direction

C. Bakaleinikoff

Music Director

Desmond Marquette

Editor

Ralph Berger

Art Direction

Ollie Sigurdson

Still Photographer

Reviews

John Chard

⭐ 8/10

May 24, 2020

Imagine a dish like this married to a mug like Benny McBride ... the naked and the dead.

Armored Car Robbery is directed by Richard Fleischer and collectively written by Earl Felton, Gerald Adams, Robert Angus and Robert Leeds. It stars William Talman, Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, Douglas Fowley, Steve Brodie and Don McGuire. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Guy Roe.

When a meticulously planned robbery goes wrong, Dave Purvis (Talman) and his gang find there's a particularly driven copper closing in on them.

The caper premise has served film noir well over the years, and while Armored Car Robbery is not the hidden gem some have called it (it's no Asphalt Jungle for instance), it is still an effectively tough piece of film. The structure used by Fleischer and the writers is to show the robbery early in the piece and then unfurl the aftermath for the majority of the film. Characterisations are classic noir, the tough gang leader who consistently changes his identity to fool the cops, the foxy dame who is turning heads and is having relationships with two of the gang, the cannon fodder, the dope and the tough as nails copper who will stop at nothing to bring the bad guys down.

The pace of the story is sedate, but this is no bad thing as we get attention to detail with the manhunt and the respective psychological make ups of the thieves. The two-timing aspect in the plot adds spice (this also allows Fleischer to throw in a number of shots of Jergens doing her burlesque routine), as does the deaths of men either side of the law. The look is terrific, with high contrast photography, deep focus shots and some expressionistic lighting, all putting a splendid noir sheen over the skillful blend of studio and location (Los Angeles) sequences. Cast are on good form, especially McGraw and Talman (though Brodie is sadly under used), and Webb's score is period and story reflective.

From the smoke bomb cloaked robbery that thrills early in proceedings, to the breath holding finale played out on an airport runway, Armored Car Robbery is a sturdy and solid RKO noir that is comfortably recommended to fans of the noir cycle. 7.5/10

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Armored Car Robbery (1950)

Gerald Drayson Adams, Earl Felton

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

John Chard

Recommended Movies

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Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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