Strange Alibi

Strange Alibi
Strange Alibi
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	D. Ross Lederman
Written by	Kenneth Gamet; Leslie T. White; Fred Niblo Jr.
Produced by	Bryan Foy
Starring	Arthur Kennedy; Joan Perry; Jonathan Hale; John Ridgely; Florence Bates; Charles Trowbridge
Cinematography	Allen G. Siegler
Edited by	Frank Magee
Music by	Howard Jackson; William Lava
Production; company	Warner Bros.
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	April 19, 1941;
Running time	63 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Strange Alibi is a 1941 American film noir directed by D. Ross Lederman, written by Kenneth Gamet, Leslie T. White and Fred Niblo Jr.,^[1] and starring Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale, John Ridgely, Florence Bates and Charles Trowbridge. It was released by Warner Bros. on April 19, 1941.

Plot

After a witness is shot and a suspect hanged in a jail cell, Police Chief Sprague decides to send Sgt. Joe Geary undercover, looking for a mysterious crime-syndicate boss responsible for ordering these murders. A story is planted by the chief that Geary is being suspended from the force, in order to help him infiltrate the mob.

Geary discovers that a police captain is the criminal mastermind. Sprague is killed, though, and Geary framed when nobody believes his story about being undercover. While jailed, his fiancée Alice Devlin works to clear his name. Geary breaks out of jail and personally goes to the reform-minded governor to prove his innocence. Justice triumphs. Joe collapses onto a sofa and instantly falls asleep. Alice kneels beside him and gently kisses his forehead.

Cast

Arthur Kennedy as Sergeant Joe Geary
Joan Perry as Alice Devlin
Jonathan Hale as Police Chief Sprague
John Ridgely as Tex Alexander
Florence Bates as Katie
Charles Trowbridge as Governor Phelps
Cliff Clark as Police Captain Reddick
Stanley Andrews as Lieutenant-Detective Pagle
Howard Da Silva as Monson
Wade Boteler as Police Captain Allen
Ben Welden as Durkin
Joe Downing as Benny McKaye
Dick Rich as Big Dog
Paul Phillips as Crips Vossen
Joe King as Warden Morrell
Paul Stanton as Prosecutor

Reception

In a contemporary review, Variety gives the film a positive review: “This rates high among the average run of B mellers. It’s an evidence of Warners’ crime-and-punishment actioners working at an all-out peak. Everything in it has been seen before—particularly the sets—but the concoction has been tossed together again under director D. Ross Lederman to become a speedy and delectable dish.”^[2]

In a review bylined “T.S.”, The New York Times wrote: ”Latest addition to the "I wuz framed" school of cops-and-robbers epics is "Strange Alibi," …More high-minded than original, the Warner Brothers are again searching out corruption in high places even if their hero is rooked of his freedom for a spell in the effort. .. But when dead men can provide alibis, when true love remains patient and when all the bullets fired at the hero seem made of nothing more dangerous than cream cheese, one can await the climax with calm. Despite a credible performance by Arthur Kennedy "Strange Alibi" is a not-too-alarming masquerade.”^[3]

References

^ Hal Erickson (2014). "Strange Alibi". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ Staff, Variety (January 1, 1941). "Strange Alibi". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
^ T, S (April 28, 1941). "At the Globe". The New York Times. p. 0. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

Bibliography

Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, 1940-1949: a United States Filmography. McFarland, 1994.

External links

Strange Alibi at TCM
Strange Alibi at IMDb
Strange Alibi at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

This 1940s crime film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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[NYTimes-1] Hal Erickson (2014). "Strange Alibi". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[2] Staff, Variety (January 1, 1941). "Strange Alibi". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

[3] T, S (April 28, 1941). "At the Globe". The New York Times. p. 0. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

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