City That Never Sleeps (1953) Chicago Fantasy Noir

"Another chapter of Eddie               Haskell Breaks Bad"

Director John H. Auer (The Flame, and Hells Half Acre) 

Written by Steve Fisher. The excellent Cinematography was by John L. Russell (Moonrise, Park Row, Hell's Half Acre, The Indestructible Man, Mike Hammer, M Squad, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Johnny Staccato TV Series,  Psycho, The Cabinet Of Caligari) and Music was by R. Dale Butts. This is a Republic Picture.

The film starts Gig Young (The Desperate Hours, They Shoot Horses Don't They?, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia) as officer Johnny Kelly, Mala Powers (Edge of Doom, Death in Small Doses) as Sally 'Angel Face' Connors, William Talman (Hitch-Hiker, The Armor Car Robbery) as Hayes Stewart. 

I grew up watching Leave it to Beaver starring Jerry Mathers as the Beaver. Beaver had a brother, Wally, One of Wally's best friends was Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond)., Eddie Haskell is the iconic, two-faced manipulative troublemaker on Leave it to Beaver. William Talman, always reminds me, of a grown up Eddie Haskell, no matter what he is in.

Edward Arnold as Penrod Biddel, Chill Wills as Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago,' Marie Windsor (The Narrow Margin, The Killing) as Lydia Biddel, Paula Raymond as Kathy Kelly, Otto Hulett as Sgt. John 'Pop' Kelly Sr., Wally Cassell as Gregg Warren the mechanical man, Ron Hagerthy as Stubby Kelly, James Andelin as Lt. Parker, Tom Poston as Detective (billed as Thomas Poston).

Here is a Fantasy Noir that usually goes under the radar as being one. Supernatural and fantasy based Noir have been around since the beginning. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one right at the get go. French Noirs La Nuit Fantastique and Les portes de la nuit, Brit Noir Queen of Spades, Interrupted Journey, Classic Hollywood Film Noir Era films like Julien Duvivier's Flesh and Fantasy, and others Alias Nick Beal, Repeat Performance, The Amazing Mr. X, Fear in the Night, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Nightmare, all covered roughly the same territory, there are probably a few more. You can possibly even include  It's a Wonderful Life (1946) for the Noir-ish sequence "Pottersville." (keep this in mind)

Story

We get a pan of the 1950 Chicago skyline while the titles run. We stop finally at the Wrigley Building. A voice over begins. Evening approaches the city's light come on.

Spirit of Chicago V.O.: "I am the city, the hub and heart of America...Melting pot of every race, creed, color, and religion in humanity. From my famous stockyards to my towering factories. From my tenement district to swank Lakeshore Drive. I am the voice, the heartbeat of this giant sprawling, sordid and beautiful... poor and magnificent citadel of civilization. And this is the story. Just one night in this great city. Now meet my citizens..."

We cut to the display window out front of the Frolics Burlesque, and in it is a mechanical man.

Spirit of Chicago V.O.: This one is Greg Warren, a mechanical man working in a window, once he was an actor, now he's down to this.

Wally Cassell as Gregg Warren the mechanical man

Spirit of Chicago V.O.: And here comes Johnny Kelly also one of my citizens. A man who tonight has reached a crisis in his life. 

Gig Young as officer John Kelly

Spirit of Chicago V.O.: He came here at this early evening hour to see Sally Connors free, wise, and twenty-one. She has the face of an angel and a young university professor took her for one, but when he discovered her profession, dancing in a night club...

Mala Powers as Sally 'Angel Face' Connors

This is MPPC Hollywood, once again stuck in early 1930's arrested development. This is their idea of what would pass for approval in the South, no matter how ridiculous it appears. 

Below, Bettie Page illustrates what Illinois strippers were able to show in 1953, when she posed for Carnival magazine in a feature that served as a visual guide to the legal limits of striptease across the US. side by side and a far cry from the over dressed Mala Powers.

John watches her routine from the wings with the nest stripper on deck Agnes DuBois.

Bunny Kacher as Agnes Dubois 

When Angel Face is done with her act she complains to Agnes and Johnny about having to do four shows a day and when Agnes get her cue, she and John head up the the dressing room. 

John has been under the stress of his seemingly going nowhere job as a cop. A job he didn't really want but was pressured into by his father a police sergeant of detectives with the CPD. The occupation seems to run in the family. Adding to things is the fact that his wife has a successful career and makes more money than he does. 

John's outlet has been his on again off again infatuation and affair with Sally, and he is struggling with whether or not to quit the force and divorce his wife and go to work for a big shot shyster lawyer Penrod Biddel, who has been showing interest in him.

The Spirit of Chicago V.O. next takes us to the Continental Hotel and up to the room of a wanna be magician who makes his living as a pickpocket, burglar, and thief, Hayes Stewart. 

William Talman as Hayes Stewart

He still practices his magic with a white rabbit and top hat. His audience is Stubby Kelly, Johnny's younger brother.

The Spirit of Chicago V.O. next introduces us to Penrod Biddel and his lovely wife Lydia while they are holding a press briefing up in their penthouse apartment. 

Edward Arnold as Penrod Biddel and Marie Windsor as Lydia Biddel

The press briefing is interrupted by a call from John who explains to Biddel that he decided to take him up on his offer. Biddel tells John to drop by his apartment later tonight.

Gig Young as Johnny Kelly

We cut back to Johnny at his home. He hangs up the phone, walks over to a writing table turns on the light, and begins to write out his letter of resignation, he makes a error and crumples it up, and tosses it in the wastebasket.. 

He writes out a second letter of resignation to his captianr, signs it and seals it, all the while his mother-in-law is nagging at him from the kitchen. 

nag, nag, nag.

He plans on handing it in at the end of his night shift. He is tucking the letter in his police tunic and going out the door when he meets his wife Kathy coming home from her day job. They say their hellos and good-byes.

Kathy, once Johnnys is gone, senses something was wrong, and notices the light on at the writing desk and then discarded first letter to the Captain in the waste basket. She phones John Kelly Sr. down at police HQ and explains what she suspects. John Sr. tells Kathy that he will talk to Johnny at roll call. 

When John Sr. catches up to Johnny and tries to get him to open up, Jonny changes the subject. John Sr, reminds him that Kathy loves him.

At about the 13 minute mark, Johnny gets down to the police garage and car 749. There he asks the attendant "Where's my partner?" finds out that his regular partner called in sick.

Where's my partner?

It is here where Sgt. Joe suddenly appears, explaining that he's the replacement. Sgt. Joe is the manifestation of the Spirit of Chicago in the flesh and its this spirit that will be Johnny's partner through the night. (remember this for later)

They hop in the squad car and head out into the night. The two way starts sending out calls. 

Ford V8 Manline 

Sgt. Joe:  The city at night. A million homes, three and a half million people, all different from one another. People lovin', people hatin', people stealin', people prayin'... 

Johnny : Same ol Shinola 

Sgt. Joe:  How did a man in your frame of mind ever become a cop in the first place?

Johnny : My old man, Sgt. John kelly, been on the force 24 years.

Johnny pulls over and asks Sgt. Joe if he minds watching the car for a few minutes, he got a little errand to run. The errand is visiting Biddel, and this is where it starts going Noirsville.

Biddel tells Johnny about his man Hayes Stewart, he explains how Stewart was just a pickpocket when he first met him and that he lifted him up into better things. However Stewart is getting a bit uppity, and he's planning on breaking into Biddel's office to steal some incriminating documents out of his safe, and he wants Johnny to arrest him.

Biddel tells him its worth $5,000, and he offers Johnny and envelope.

Johnny's replies if you want him arrested just tip off the police by phone. Biddel answers that if could prove to be tricky in Chicago and Stewart might sing if he's in an Illinois jail cell. 

Biddel details to Johnny that he just wants him to take him over to the Indiana state line and delivered to the Indiana authorities, where he's wanted on a manslaughter charge. Biddel tells him its worth $5,000, and he offers Johnny an envelope with cash.

Here they get interrupted by Lydia who calls out to her husband. Biddel excuses himself and goes to Lydia. She explains that she is going out to see her girlfriend.

When Biddel returns Johnny tells him no can do, he's still on duty tonight, and can do it tomorrow. Biddle replies that he knows Stewart is breaking into the office tonight. So it must be tonight and as an added incentive Biddel mentions to Johnny that Stewart is paling around with his kid brother Stubby Kelly.  

Johnny: Any particular corner on the Indian line you want Stewart dumped on

Biddel: Third and East Street.

Back in the patrol car Johnny and Sgt Joe either make small talk or Sgt Joe is delivering another pep talk. 

Johnny asks him to give the captain his resignation letter if he's not there in the morning. 

No calls yet so Johnny makes another stop, this time at the Silver Frolics. He asks Sgt Joe if he wants a cup of joe. He explains that they get a courtesy cup of coffee. Sgt Joe refrains, and Johnny goes into the club  watches Sally just starting her striptease.

 Sgt Joe refrains, and Johnny goes into the club  watches Sally do her striptease.

However like mentioned earlier this striptease illustrates how much the MPPC and the Legion of Decency arrested the development of cinema and shaped a false impression of reality for almost 25 years. 

Sally (above) starts off on the left with a high kick, and then strips down (middle) to what are basically sequined granny panties that also hide her belly button. pretty lame, she should have ended up like Bettie Page (on right) in a sheer halter and G-string. 

Below the actual interior of the Silver Frolics circa 1950s with the cocktail waitress in the foreground in a more revealing costume than Sally in the film.  

Back to film. After Sally's striptease, Johnny follows her up to the dressing room. He tells her that he's quitting the police. He tells her he want's to make a clean break. They embrace and Johnny asks her if she'd rather have the professor, the mechanical man, or him. She replies him.

Sally 'Angel Face' Connors: When I first came to this town I was gonna be - oh, there were a lot of things I was gonna do. Become famous. But Chicago's the big melting pot, and I got melted, but good.

She hot to trot.

When Johnny gets back to the patrol car they pick up their first squeal of the night. A woman having a baby. Johnny handles it masterfully. 

We cut to Hayes Stewart and Stubby Kelly. Stubby is begging Hayes to take him along on the Biddle job. Hayes gives in. 

He can use Stubby's help to open the grate that allows him access to the buildings power plant through utility tunnels. They drive to the job.

After Stubby helps to open the grate he heads back to the convertible while Stewart makes his way into the building.

Once inside Stewart makes his way up through the subbasement's to the lobby. 

There he enters one of the elevators. However the night watchman spots the elevator going up and he sounds the alarm. Stewart gets out a the 7th floor and then pushing the 16th floor button. 

The elevator gets to the top, and stays there. This gives him time since any cops showing up will immediately head to the top floor to begin their search. 

 

Johnny and Sgt. Joe get the call. 

They drive over and enter the building and speak with the watchman and head to the top floor and check every door for signs of entry. They repeat this for every floor as they make their way back down to the lobby. 

(What went wrong? If it isn't a screw up in the script, we got to figure the only explanation is that Biddel must have arranged for Johnny's original  partner to call in sick at the last minute with no time for a replacement. Johnny should have been alone when the call came in. How else could he arrest Stewart and bring him to the Indiana state line unless he is alone. A partner would have screwed the whole plan . no? And of course with Sgt. Joe along Johnny has to proceed in a uniform search rather than go straight to Biddel's office) 

Stewart meanwhile is in Biddels office and cracking the safe by turning the dial and feeling the tumblers fall into place. 

When he gets the safe open instead of Biddel's papers he finds a note from Biddle stating "you utter fool who do you think you are dealing with." 

Stewart stops to make a call. He tells Lydia, yes Biddel's wife, that he scored a handful of nothing, and asks her to meet him at his place. He splits the office, heading down the stairway.

Stewart manages to avoid Johnny and Sgt Joe during the rest of their search, back down in the lobby they tell the watchman they didn't find anything.

Stewart is listing at the top of the stairway. He heads down to the lobby and he bluffs the watchman by telling him that he is with the cops. The watchman lets him out.

It all goes Noirsville when Stewart shows up unexpectedly at Biddel's apartment.  

Stewart walks in and over to the booze and pours himdelf a drink. When Biddel states that he thought he was out on a job tonight Stewart tells him it's already done, and adds that he shouldn't keep incriminating papers in his bedroom safe. 

Biddel heads into his bedroom and indeed the papers are gone replaced with his own "you utter fool who do you think you are dealing with" note. 

Biddel heads into his bedroom and indeed the papers are gone replaced with his own "you utter fool who do you think you are dealing with" note. 

Stewart tells Biddel that he wants $100,000 for the papers, what he doesn't tell him is that he is also stealing his wife. 

Noirsville 

John H. Auer and cinematographer John L. Russell created a gorgeous Visual Stylistic Noir. All the exterior shots of Chicago are works of art. Just don't analyse the plot, or think too hard about the MPPC and it's ridiculous costumed strippers. 

<spoiler> Also the resolution that Johnny's wife will gladly sacrifice her well paying job to live on  Johnny's cop salary, isn't really believable in this day and age <end spoiler> 

This film has a big ensemble cast.. Gig Young and William Talman are excellent. Edward Arnold nicely slimey, and Marie Windsor great as the femme fatale. Also a nice shout out to Wally Cassell as the mechanical man.

When I earlier was listing the various Fantasy / Supernatural Noir, I mentioned the "Pottersville" Sequence from "It's A Wonderful Life." It's not only a good example of Noir being a Style of Filmmaking but its also a Supernatural Noir sequence. George Bailey gets to see what would happen if he was successful at committing suicide aka the world without George Bailey. 

So if you paid attention City That Never Sleeps actually is quite like the "Pottersville" sequence. Johnny Kelly gets to see what would happen if he went through with his plan to quit the force. 

The story comes full cycle because when Johnny is done with his report and is leaving headquarters he finds himself in the garage asking the attendant the very same question "Joe, where's my partner?" To which the attendant replies "didn't I tell you he was out with an earache."  8/10