He Walked by Night

'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He Walked by Night is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker. Parts of the film, however, were directed by western/film noir director Anthony Mann. The film, shot in semi-documentary style, inspired one of the films actors Jack Webb to create the radio and later television program Dragnet, which the film clearly resembles. The film was released by Eagle-Lion Films Inc. The film is notable for the camerawork by cinematographer John Alton. The killer in the film is based on real-life criminal Erwin Walker.

Related Topics:
1948 - Black-and-white - Film noir - Alfred L. Werker - Anthony Mann - Dragnet - Eagle-Lion Films - Cinematographer - John Alton

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a Los Angeles, California street, a cop is shot dead by an unknown assailant. Two police men, Sergeants Marty Brennan (Brady) and Chuck Jones (Cardwell) are assigned to catch the killer. The killer (Basehart), a brilliant mystery man with no known criminal past, is hiding in a Hollywood bungalow and listening to police calls on his custom radio in an attempt to avoid capture. The only relationship the man seems to have is with his little dog. The killer uses the Los Angeles sewer system as a mean to escape police. At one point he performs surgery on himself to remove a bullet. The police finally get a break in the case when they gather witnesses together and create a composite sketch of the killer. That eventually leads them straight to him.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles, California - Hollywood - Composite

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~