'
I Walk Alone' is a dramatic and atmospheric film noir made in 1947, directed by Byron Haskin and starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in their first film together, the first of seven screen pairings..The movie also features Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey. It was based on the play "The Beggars Are Coming to Town" by Theodore Reeves which opened on Broadway in October, 1945.
It is an enjoyable film which makes an interesting social commentary on the greater sophistication of the criminal world in the fifties compared to the brutality of the thirties.
Plot
Burt Lancaster plays Frankie Madison, a convict released after 14 years in prison. He discovers that his ex partner, Noll, played by Kirk Douglas, is running a successful nightclub.. Frankie feels that Noll owes him a share in the business due to a 50-50 agreement they made before he got sent to prison. Noll refuses and sends his torch singer girlfriend Kay, played by Lizabeth Scott, to talk to him. Things get complicated and could turn nasty….
Production
Byron Haskin had hitherto been a cinematographer and cameraman and this was his first assignment as director.
Filmed on a studio set, the movie has a first class atmospheric noir feel to it.
Cast
Producer Hal B. Wallis certainly had an eye for talent and three of his discoveries interact very effectively in the movie. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster were both young, ambitious actors and working together for the first time, they bring a real menace to the screen. Lizabeh Scott plays the beautiful, smoldering femme fatale so well that she was typecast for pretty well the rest of her career.
Credits
Director ... Byron Haskin
Producer ...
Hal B. Wallis
Screenplay ... Charles Schnee, adapted by John Bright and Robert Smith
Based on ... 'Beggars Are Coming to Town' by Theodore Reeves
Music ... Victor Young
Cinematography ... Leo Tover
Production Company ... Hal Wallis Productions
Release date ... December 31, 1947
Running time ... 97 minutes
