Escape from San Quentin (1957)

Escape from San Quentin (1957)

„Escape from San Quentin“ is a 1957 film noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears from a screenplay by Bernard Gordon.

Mike Gilbert, an ex-Air Force pilot, is doing time at San Quentin prison in California. His sentence doesn’t have long to go, but when fellow convict Roy Gruber plans a breakout and wants pilot Gilbert to help steal a plane and fly them out of the country, splitting $120,000 in stolen money Gruber has hidden, Gilbert goes along, having heard his bitter estranged wife, Georgie. She wants a divorce.

A group of convicts from San Quentin Prison are sent to a work farm as a reward for good behaviour. Three of them decide to take advantage of the relaxed security and pull an escape. During their escape, inmate Hap Graham tries to tag along. This film is more focused on the aftermath than the escape itself. The plane only holds two passengers, so Gruber roughly throws Hap to the ground, injuring him. Low on fuel, the plane can make it only as far as a rural road.

Mike and Gruber hi-jack a car and head for L.A. Engel, somewhat bruised and banged up, has survived the toss out. He is of course slightly annoyed with this course of events and vows revenge. Since he knows where the other two are going, he heads off in pursuit.

Mike gets in touch with his sister-in-law Robbie, who tries and fails to get Georgie to help her husband. The money’s in Los Angeles, hidden by Gruber’s father, Curly Gruber. With police watching, Gruber gets a friend named Richie try to retrieve it. Hap turns up, seeking revenge, but he is killed and Richie badly hurt. Robbie comes along as the fugitives flee across the border to Tijuana. The ruthless Gruber decides to take Robbie captive and murders his friend Richie.

Mike has little choice but to help the border patrol capture his crony and rescue the girl. He saves a Mexican policeman’s life in the process, which law authorities say they will take into consideration as they return Mike to jail, with Robbie promising to wait for him.

A 1957 American film-noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears, produced by Sam Katzman, Written by Bernard Gordon, cinematography by Benjamin H. Kline, starring Johnny Desmond, Merry Anders, Richard Devon, Roy Engel, William Bryant, Ken Christy, and Larry J. Blake. Tristram Coffin and Dennis Moore appear in one short scene as policemen.

1957 marked the year when vocalist Johnny Desmond made an impressive bid for movie stardom. The popular singer, known for his long-running stint on radio’s „The Breakfast Club“ and hit records like Woman and The Gang Who Sang ‘Heart of My Heart’ (recorded with Don Covay and Alan Dale), had dabbled in acting before, on television shows like „The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse“ and „Robert Montgomery Presents…“

Merry Anders is best known for her work on the syndicated TV sitcom „How to Marry a Millionaire“, based on the 1953 film. It also introduced Barbara Eden to TV audiences.

Johnny Desmond and Merry Anders also starred together in another Sam Katzman production, „Calypso Heat Wave“ (1957), also directed by Fred F. Sears.

A typically speedy, bare-bones effort from producer Sam Katzman and director/human dynamo Fred F. Sears. He died of a heart attack two months after this was released. He had six movies come out in 1957.

Legendary “Jungle” Sam Katzman was a Hollywood director-producer who started out in the business as an independent before landing a gig with Monogram in the 1940s, cranking out low-budget pictures with the East Side Kids and Béla Lugosi. In 1945, Columbia hired him to oversee their serial output and he later graduated to feature films. Katzman had a pretty sweet deal. He got to make the movies using Columbia’s facilities (not to mention their actors) and for his efforts received 25% of the profits. So, when you sit down with a Katzman film, you pretty much know what you’re in for. It’s a cheaply-made (but undeniably profitable), entertaining (in a campy way) programmer that you’ll forget five minutes after seeing it. This fast paced film-noir is a good example of Sam’s oeuvre.

Director is Fred F. Sears was a former assistant to Katzman on serials who worked his way up to the director’s chair, and often helmed five Katzman-produced movies a year. Blacklisted scenarist Bernard Gordon penned this, under the pseudonym “Raymond F. Marcus.” With Katzman, personal politics were of no concern. He wanted people who were reliable, efficient, and inexpensive.

Like most Sam Katzman quickies of the era, this fast moving Low Budget film-noire was loosely based on a true story.

The widescreen cinematography is generally good, nothing too memorable but rock solid throughout. One of the film’s strongest assets is the unusually somber score by Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida. His quiet, restrained strumming and picking makes a lovely counterpoint to the film’s brutality.

A better than expected low budget crime B-Movie programmer. It grabs you …

Cast:

• Johnny Desmond – Mike Gilbert
• Merry Anders – Robbie
• Richard Devon – Roy Gruber
• Roy Engel – Hap Graham
• William Bryant – Richie
• Ken Christy – Curly Gruber
• Larry J. Blake – Mack
• Dan White – Border Guard
• Lennie Smith – Bud
• Paul McGuire – Detective
• Barry Brooks – Georgie
• Peggy Maley – Georgie Gilbert
• Dean Fredericks – Jerry
• Victor Millan – Mendez
• Paul Bryar – Mr. Lang
• Ruth Warren – Perturbed Racetrack Patron
• Don Devlin – Piggy
• Tristram Coffin – Police Lieutenant
• Terry Frost – Police Officer
• Dennis Moore – Police Officer
• Jack Perry – Racetrack Patron
• John Frederick – Sampson

„Escape from San Quentin“ ist ein Film Noir-Krimi von 1957 unter der Regie von Fred F. Sears nach einem Drehbuch von Bernard Gordon.

Mike Gilbert, ein ehemaliger Air-Force-Pilot, sitzt im Gefängnis San Quentin in Kalifornien. Seine Strafe lässt nicht lange auf sich warten, aber als sein Mitsträfling Roy Gruber einen Ausbruch plant und Pilot Gilbert dazu auffordert, dabei zu helfen, ein Flugzeug zu stehlen und es außer Landes zu fliegen, wobei er 120.000 Dollar an gestohlenem Geld aufteilt, das Gruber versteckt hat, macht Gilbert mit.