Johnny O'Clock (1947)

33% of users liked it
(50 ratings)

Three years after song-and-dance man Dick Powell reshaped his nice-guy image by playing hard-boiled gumshoe Phillip Marlowe in Murder My Sweet, he returned to film noir with this crime-based thriller. Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell) and his partner Pete Marchettis (Thomas Gomez) operate a gambling… More Three years after song-and-dance man Dick Powell reshaped his nice-guy image by playing hard-boiled gumshoe Phillip Marlowe in Murder My Sweet, he returned to film noir with this crime-based thriller. Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell) and his partner Pete Marchettis (Thomas Gomez) operate a gambling casino that has seen better days. Chuck Blayden (Jim Bannon), a cop on the take, wants in on the casino, and he makes friends with Pete while trying to convince him that Johnny, the smarter of the two, should go. When Chuck's girlfriend Harriet (Nina Foch) is found dead, a supposed suicide, his sister Nancy (Evelyn Keyes) smells a rat, especially after Chuck skips town. Nancy is convinced that her sister was murdered, and she asks Johnny to help her prove it. Johnny, who already has a number of women in his life -- including Nelle (Ellen Drew), Pete's wife -- figures that one more can't hurt and agrees to help her. But Police Inspector Koch (Lee J. Cobb), convinced that Johnny and Pete were behind Harriet's death, is making it hard for Johnny to do much investigating, and matters get worse when Chuck's body is found floating in the river. Screenwriter Robert Rossen made his directorial debut with this film, 14 years later, he would return to this film's tough, gritty style for his best picture, The Hustler. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Robert Rossen
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 23, 1947 Wide
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The protagonist, Dick Powell, seems more like a stuffed shirt.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Cast

            Dick Powell as Johnny O'Clock

            Evelyn Keyes as Nancy Hobbs

            Lee J Cobb as Inspector Koch

            Ellen Drew as Nelle Marchettis

            Nina Foch as Harriet Hobbs

            Thomas Gomez as Pete Marchettis

            Jeff Chandler as Turk

            John Kellogg as Charlie

            Jim Bannon as Chuck Blayden

            Mabel Paige as Slatternly Woman

            Phil Brown as Hotel Clerk

            Kit Guard as Punchy

            Brooks Benedict as Card Player

            John Berkes as Waiter

            Matty Fain as Fleming

            Virginia Farmer as Mrs. Wilson

            Victoria Faust as Marion

            Jerry Frank as Man

            Jesse Graves as Redcap

            Al Hill as Workman

            Pat Lane as Onlooker

            George Lloyd as Workman

            Kenneth MacDonald as Customer

            Charles Marsh as Businessman

            Robin Raymond as Hatcheck Girl

            Shimen Ruskin as Storekeeper

            Carl Saxe as Detective

            Jeffrey Sayre as Card Player

            Al Seymour
            
            Ralph Volkie as Dealer

            Robert Ryan as Policeman

            Charles Mueller as Bodyguard

            Charles T. Perry as Dealer

            Richard H. Gordon as Card Player

            Cy Malis as Dealer

            Allen Mathews as Bodyguard

            Sammy Shack as Dealer

            Gene Delmont
            
            Raoul Freeman as Detective

            Bill Wallace as Card Player

            Paul Bradley as Card Player

            Jack Smith as Practical Dealer
See full cast

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