Relegated to B-movies, he appeared in second-feature Westerns and crime films and, eventually, became strongly associated with the science fiction and horror genres, starring in, among others: Revenge of the Creature, Tarantula (both 1955), The Mole People (1956), Daughter of Dr. Agar and Temple married soon after, and Agar landed choice roles in major films: Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Sands of Iwo Jima (both 1949) among them.Ī messy, public divorce from the much-adored Temple, attributable mainly to Agar's alcoholism, caused a significant career decline for the actor from 1950 onward. Selznick discovered Agar while the latter was dating former child star Shirley Temple. What's most interesting about the picture is watching John Agar as Barney's disciple trying to come to terms with the realization that the man who saved him has gone sour and can't even save himself. He dreams of a buying a suburban ranch house in the Valley with all the fixings, but he's so controlling and obsessive about her - a plot device not really necessary - that it's obvious their relationship would never last even under the best of circumstances. low-life and feels he's due a piece of their action. Shield for Murder is, primarily, a vehicle for Edmond O'Brien, but as his character murders a man in cold blood in the opening scene, he doesn't engender any sympathy or even much understanding, nor does his subsequent possessiveness of Patty. Private Hell 36 and Rogue Cop covered similar territory that same year, conventional movies for the most part that nevertheless paved the way for Orson Welles's great masterpiece of police corruption, Touch of Evil, four years later. While television shows like Dragnet presented cops as incorruptible bastions of society, movies of the ‘50s were often much more cynical. Mark Brewster (John Agar), whom Barney pulled out of the gutter when Mark was a young punk with no future, recognizes Barney's mental unraveling and fears this father figure may have stolen the dough. (The camera smartly focuses on the reactions of the various patrons.)īarney's devoted, up-and-coming partner, Sgt. A prostitute (Carolyn Jones) he's picked up is horrified by his behavior. In O'Brien's best scene in the picture, he viciously beats the two men almost to death in a coffee shop. Packy hires private detectives Fat Michaels (Claude Akins) and Laddie O'Neill (Lawrence Ryle) to intimidate Barney's girl, Patty Winters (Marla English), sending the supremely jealous Barney into a rage. Koch.īarney's crime is quickly suspected. Made during character actor O'Brien's brief flurry of starring vehicles, he also co-directed, with Howard W. Barney Nolan, a dirty cop who murders a bookmaker and steals $25,000 intended for mobster Packy Reed (Hugh Sanders). McGivern ( The Big Heat), it stars Edmond O'Brien as Detective Lt. A noir crime film based on a novel by William P. Picture and sound are like new.Overly familiar and generally unremarkable, Shield for Murder (1954) is, nonetheless, fairly well made and marginally worthwhile. This wide screen version is new to DVD and I'm surprised it's in the Archive. The complete list is in IMDb, but try and see how many you can spot and identify while screening this. The best thing about the film is the actors in supporting roles who were just making a mark in the business and would become well known on film and especially in television.
The music was exceptional as well, always setting the mood perfectly. O'Brien picked up an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "THe Barefoot Contessa".
#SHIELD FOR MURDER MOVIE MOVIE#
This movie never stops until the end and it ends in a nifty chase and shootout partially shot on location, as was much of the film, at an indoor swimming pool. Fast paced and an in depth portrayal of a policeman gone mad over a 19 year old young girl and a need for money. This production from Aubrey Schrenk and Howard Koch released through United Artists, Co-directed by Edmond O'Brien and Howard Koch was an adult, tough as nails, film noir at least two cuts above the standard film noir of the 1950's.
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