IMDb > The Racket (1951)

The Racket (1951) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   741 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
William Wister Haines (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Racket on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1951 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
YOU'LL LEARN WHO PAYS OFF WHO -- AND WHY! (original print ad - all caps) more
Plot:
The big national crime syndicate has moved into town, partnering up with local crime boss Nick Scanlon... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Racket-No Foul Ball Here *** more (26 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robert Mitchum ... Captain Thomas McQuigg
Lizabeth Scott ... Irene Hayes

Robert Ryan ... Nick Scanlon
William Talman ... Officer Bob Johnson
Ray Collins ... Dist. Atty. Mortimer X. Welsh
Joyce Mackenzie ... Mary McQuigg (as Joyce MacKenzie)
Robert Hutton ... Dave Ames ('City Press' cub reporter)
Virginia Huston ... Lucy Johnson

William Conrad ... Det. Sgt. Turk
Walter Sande ... Precinct Sgt. Jim Delaney
Les Tremayne ... Harry Craig (Crime Commission chief investigator)
Don Porter ... R.G. Connolly (ward boss)
Walter Baldwin ... Booking Sgt. Sullivan
Brett King ... Joe Scanlon
Richard Karlan ... Breeze Enright (round-faced Scanlon henchman)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
88 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In May 1950, Samuel Fuller was assigned to work on the film's screenplay and was considered as a possible director. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Nick Scanlon's car is a 1949 Chrysler Crown Imperial limo. In the crash scene, an older 1942 model was used. The '49 side trim has been added, but the different front end reveals the switch. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Foul Play (1978) more
Soundtrack:
A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening more

FAQ

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Racket-No Foul Ball Here ***, 3 October 2006
7/10
Author: edwagreen from United States

Entertaining film with politics, crime and corruption the main themes here.

Robert Mitchum plays a dedicated, righteous policeman who heads a unit of officers. He is as honest as 24 hours in a day. He takes pride in such officers as Bill Talman, a young cop gunned down in police headquarters by the usually evil Robert Ryan. Without the insanity of his earlier crime driven roles, Ryan comes across as the embodiment of evil.

Ray Collins steals the show as a worm of a prosecuting attorney up to his neck in corruption. It is interesting to note that both Collins and Talman went on to TV careers in "Perry Mason."

Lizabeth Scott, as a lounge singer, caught up in the mayhem, tries hard to please but she does not evoke the emotion needed for her role.

To say that the ending is justified is more than right.

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