One Way Street is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring James Mason, Märta Torén and Dan Duryea. The film takes place mainly in Mexico.[1]
| One Way Street | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Hugo Fregonese |
| Written by | Lawrence Kimble |
| Produced by | Leonard Goldstein |
| Starring | James Mason Märta Torén Dan Duryea |
| Cinematography | Maury Gertsman |
| Edited by | Milton Carruth |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editDr. Frank Matson, a physician, steals $200,000 from the mob boss John Wheeler, after a robbery Wheeler and his gang have pulled off. Matson goes on the run, intending to go to Mexico City. Wheeler's girlfriend, Laura Thorsen, accompanies him.
Forced by problems with the airplane to land in rural Mexico, for a time Matson and Laura establish a pleasant life and he is able to medically assist some of the villagers.
Eventually, word gets back to Matson that Wheeler knows where he is. He and Laura return to Los Angeles, planning to return the money, only to find Wheeler has been shot by Ollie, the one remaining member of the gang. About to meet the same fate, Matson produces a gun and kills Ollie instead.
Laura is waiting for him at a cafe. As they leave, Matson turns to go phone an airline to arrange his and Laura's return to Mexico, but he is hit by a car coming down the one-way street.
Cast
edit- James Mason as Dr. Frank Matson
- Märta Torén as Laura Thorsen (as Marta Toren)
- Dan Duryea as John Wheeler
- Basil Ruysdael as Father Moreno
- William Conrad as Ollie
- Rodolfo Acosta as Francisco Morales
- King Donovan as Grieder
- Robert Espinoza as Santiago
- Tito Renaldo as Hank Morales
- Margarito Luna as Antania Morales
- Emma Roldán as Catalina (as Emma Roldan)
- George J. Lewis as Capt. Rodriguez (as George Lewis)
- James Best as Driver (uncredited)
- Jack Elam as Arnie (uncredited)
- Rock Hudson as Truck Driver (uncredited)
Production
editJeff Chandler was originally announced for the lead.[2]
Reception
editFilm critic Bosley Crowther dismissed the film as uninteresting, "Perhaps it is all the fault of the script, which has our hero vacillating between a life of crime and regeneration via a lady's love and an honest but unremunerative practice. What it all adds up to is a standard romantic melodrama illustrating the facts that crime obviously doesn't pay and that the scenery and people below the border are colorful ... Like its title, One Way Street is explicitly obvious and not especially exciting."[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ One Way Street at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
- ^ THOMAS F. BRADY (July 26, 1949). "BETTE DAVIS SEEKS TO LEAVE WARNERS: Negotiations Are Under Way to Cancel Contract, Making Actress a Free Agent". New York Times. p. 31.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times film review, May 12, 1950. Accessed: August 16, 2013.