The Case Against Brooklyn (1958)

The Case Against Brooklyn (1958)

„The Case Against Brooklyn“ is a 1958 film noir crime film directed by Paul Wendkos. The screenplay by Daniel B. Ullman, Bernard Gordon and Julian Zimet is based on the True Magazine article „I Broke the Brooklyn Graft Scandal“ by crime reporter Ed Reid.

Spurred by a newspaper exposé about an illegal horse race betting syndicate in Brooklyn that operates under police protection, District Attorney Michael W. Norris takes command of forty rookies who have just graduated from the police academy.

Among them are ambitious Pete Harris and his friend, Jess Johnson. Pete temporarily leaves his wife Jane to work undercover and gain the confidence of Brooklyn garage owner Lil Polombo, whose husband committed suicide after the syndicate threatened his life for overdue gambling debts.

Pete rents an apartment in Lil’s neighborhood, and goes to the local bar to inquire about placing a bet on a horse. Soon after, Lil comes to the bar and is joined by Rudi Franklin, the driver for a laundry that serves as a front for the syndicate.

Pete wins the confidence of the bartender who directs him to a „horse room“ in back of the barber shop.

Jess, alerted by Pete to the location of the horse room, then sneaks into the alley to place a tape recorder onto its phone line. As Jess sneaks out of the alley, he is spotted by Finelli, the man in charge of the horse rooms. Once the line is tapped, Norris orders a reorganization of the officers on the beat, hoping that the shake up will force the syndicate to phone the corrupt officers in its employ.

Rudi’s former contact is replaced by Det. Sgt. Bonney. Rudi meets Bonney in a steam room and tells him about the intruder in the alley. Jess, now aware that he has been detected, is reluctant to pick up the tape that night, but the brash Pete goads him into returning to the alley. Before going there, Pete takes Lil on a date, and after dropping her off at her apartment, passionately kisses her. Later, Pete drives Jess to pick up the tape. As Jess approaches the phone box, Bonney shoots and kills him.

Blaming himself for his partner’s death, Pete jumps out of the car and apprehends Bonney, then takes him to Norris. Unable to face the consequences of his actions, Bonney jumps to his death out the window.

Pete deliberately gives Finelli a bad check. Two of Finelli’s thugs come to Pete’s apartment and beat him up, leaving him lying unconscious just as the police appear.

Assuming that Pete is drunk, the police take him to headquarters where he is questioned by Capt. P. T. Wills, the corrupt officer in charge.

After he is released from jail, Pete returns home where Jane blames him for Jess’s death and chastises him for betraying Lil. A bomb explodes, killing Jane.

Later, at the laundry, Wills meets Ralph Edmondson, head of the crime ring. Declaring that he is „fed up“ with the violence, Wills announces that he plans to resign from the police force. Rudi, meanwhile catches Pete sneaking around the laundry and takes him to Edmondson. After Edmondson tells Rudi to kill Pete, Wills takes Edmondson hostage and orders Rudi to drop his gun. When Rudi turns to shoot Wills, Pete escapes and runs out into the laundry plant with Rudi firing his pistol in pursuit. Just as Rudi is closing in, Pete retrieves Will’s discarded gun and shoots him. The police then arrive and take the wounded Pete to the hospital. With Edmondson’s arrest, the crime ring is foiled, allowing Norris to bring his investigation to a close.

A 1958 American Black & White film-noir crime film directed by Paul Wendkos, produced by Charles H. Schneer, screenplay by Bernard Gordon and Daniel B. Ullman, based on crime reporter Ed Reid’s article in True Magazine, „I Broke the Brooklyn Graft Scandal,“ cinematography by Fred Jackman, Jr., starring Darren McGavin, Margaret Hayes, Warren Stevens, Peggy McCay, Tol Avery, Emile Meyer, Nestor Paiv, Brian G. Hutton, Robert Osterloh, and Joe Turkel. Vocalist Bobby Helms appears as Himself.

The film features depictions of American police corruption, though no police officer in uniform is shown to be corrupt.

One of those strengths is its screenplay. This was done by Bernard Gordon, working pseudonymously because at the time Gordon was a victim of Joseph McCarthy’s vile House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Schneer was aware of this, but employed Gordon for a series of pseudonymous scripts. Soon Gordon moved to Europe where he penned a number of highly distinguished screenplays, including „55 Days at Peking“ (1963) and „Battle of the Bulge“ (1965). Gordon was one of those who protested the awarding to Elia Kazan of an Honorary Oscar on the grounds that Kazan had disingenuously, seemingly for the sole purpose of personal advancement, sold out lots of his erstwhile colleagues to HUAC.

Cast:

• Darren McGavin – Pete Harris
• Margaret Hayes – Lil Polombo
• Warren Stevens – Rudi Franklin
• Peggy McCay – Jane Harris
• Tol Avery – District Attorney Michael W. Norris
• Emile Meyer – Captain T.W. Wills
• Nestor Paiva – Finelli
• Brian G. Hutton – Jess Johnson
• Robert Osterloh – Det. Sgt. Bonney
• Joe Turkel – Monte
• Bobby Helms – Bobby Helms
• John Zaremba – Assistant District Attorney Heller
• Arthur Berkeley – Bar Patron
• Sol Murgi – Barber
• Dwight Brooks – Detective
• Ed Hinton – Detective in Car
• Joe Evans – Gambler
• Charles Fogel – Gambler
• Edwin Rochelle – Gambler
• Booth Colman – George - TV Interviewer
• Joe De Santis – Gus Polumbo
• Joseph Forte – Laundry Contact Man
• Guy Way – Man Sitting on Steps
• Michael Garth – Mervin - Bartender
• John Goddard – Mob Telephone Wiretap Expert in Truck
• Cheerio Meredith – Mrs. Carney - Landlady
• Henry Rowland – Police Desk Sgt.
• Rick Warick – Police Officer
• Wally West – Police Officer
• Herb Vigran – Police Sergeant in Steam Room
• Robert Bice – Policeman
• Thomas Browne Henry – Ralph Edmondson
• Dan Riss – Rogers
• Harry Lauter – Rookie Cop
• Ed Reid – Self
• William Baskin – Thug
• Dick Crockett – Thug
• Carey Loftin – Thug

„Asphaltgeier“ (The Case Against Brooklyn) ist ein Film Noir-Kriminalfilm von 1958 unter der Regie von Paul Wendkos. Das Drehbuch von Daniel B. Ullman, Bernard Gordon und Julian Zimet basiert auf dem True Magazine-Artikel "I Broke the Brooklyn Graft Scandal" (Ich habe den Brooklyner Schmiergeldskandal aufgedeckt) des Kriminalreporters Ed Reid.

Angestachelt durch einen Zeitungsbericht über ein illegales Pferderennwettsyndikat in Brooklyn, das unter Polizeischutz operiert, übernimmt Bezirksstaatsanwalt Michael W. Norris das Kommando über vierzig Neulinge, die gerade erst die Polizeiakademie abgeschlossen haben.