Written by James M. Tate / 2/13/2024 / No comments / action , brian donlevy , bruce bennett , fifties , film noir or melodrama , howard duff , lawrence tierney , peggy dow , thriller
HOWARD DUFF, PEGGY DOW & LAWRENCE TIERNEY IN 'SHAKEDOWN'
 |
| Title: THE SHADOW OF THE CAT Year: 1961 Rating: ** |
In the 1930's James Cagney programmer PICTURE SNATCHER, he plays a photographer who will stop at nothing (even taking contrived shortcuts) to get a sensational photo... meanwhile romancing the newspaper boss's secretary and dealing with the mob.... who he used to work for but in the case of a more upfront and seemingly sophisticated Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN, it's a blackmail photo of deadly criminal Lawrence Tierney that lands him in hot water...
Although he did get that gorgeous secretary Peggy Dow with no effort, who basically landed him the job through Bruce Bennett, running the paper and not trusting Duff's Jack Early no matter how exciting the photos are... from a man almost drowning in a car to Brian Donlevy's ex-mobster getting blown up in one...
 |
| Lawrence Tierney and Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN |
The noir ambiguity is really a cautionary tale on being too sneaky and suspiciously selfish to get ahead, and Duff's character is as stupid and reckless as he's assertive and intrepid, eventually and inevitably falling for Donlevy's French wife, the otherwise comparably bad dame... although she does nothing deliberately fatale-like except turning down his constant offers despite him having the far prettier Peggy Dow already in the bag...
This intrusive romantic triangle gets in the way of the first act's exciting action, and at the same time puts the vicious Tierney on the peripheral sidelines: a shame because Duff seemed beyond game for risk-taking before morphing into yet another smitten noirish sap to a (in this case widowed) woman not worth his time, or the audience's.
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Bruce Bennett |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Brian Donlevy in SHAKEDOWN with Anne Vernon |
 |
| Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Brian Donlevy and Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Rock Hudson in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Anne Vernon in SHAKEDOWN with Lawrence Tierney |
 |
| Anne Vernon in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Anne Vernon in SHAKEDOWN with Howard Duff |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Lawrence Tierney in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Credits for SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Credits for SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Bruce Bennett and Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Bruce Bennett and Peggy Dow in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN |
 |
| Howard Duff in SHAKEDOWN |
All Time Popular
-
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b... -
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr... -
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ... -
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin... -
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be... -
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ... -
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis... -
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All... -
CADDDYSHACK is best known for the iconic leading actors: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray, but originally the ... -
Elizabeth James and Tom Laughlin on equal ground YEAR: 1967 THE BORN LOSERS wasn't supposed to happen but thank God it did since BIL...
Featured Post
RUSHING THROUGH JOHN SCHLESINGER'S 'HONKY TONK FREEWAY'
Title: HONKY TONK FREEWAY Year: 1981 Rating: **** John Schlesinger's HONKY TONK FREEWAY has two composers: Elmer Bernstein doing his usu...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.