On Screen -- Railroaded ! (1947)



Ireland and Randolph


Great film and an A+ effort from film noir director extraordinaire Anthony Mann.  He's assembled a great cast that works very well together.  As expected from any good noir film "Railroaded !" overflows with images of double crossing, dark alleys, and dimly lit streets as Mann shows his expertise in working with light and shadows. The film begins with a staged robbery gone bad, and an innocent man framed for murder.  From there begins a roller coaster ride through a world of short days, long nights, and characters including a ruthless gangster, beautiful dames, and tough cops.

The film stars John Ireland as menacing bad guy "Duke Martin", Hugh Beaumont as homocide detective "Mickey Ferguson", Jane Randolph as an emotionally confused "Clara Calhoun", Ed Kelly as "Steve Ryan", and Sheila Ryan as Ed's determined sister "Rosie".  It's fun to watch a pre"Ward Cleaver" Hugh Beaumont spouting the hard boiled slang that's usually found in any good noir film, and he does a really good job with his character,   He's definitely underrated as an actor.  A must see for any noir fan, and even those who aren't true fans will still enjoy it.