Detective Story (1951)

“I built my whole life on hating my father. All the time he was inside me, laughing”

This movie is an early look at the inside workings of a detective squad in NYC, focusing in on star detective Jim McLeod (Kirk Douglas) who is going to have a worse day than usual.

Directed by William Wyler (Dodsworth, The Westerner, Jezebel), it is an adaptation of the Broadway play by Sidney Kingsley that stays inside the squad room for most of its running time, with a peek outside for just a couple of scenes. The detectives establish types that were later picked up and used fruitfully in television series like The Naked City, Barney Miller, and Hill Street Blues.

Jim McLeod is a by the book type, always gets his man and never cuts a deal. He is characterized by a strict sense of right and wrong but is wound a little too tight. His compatriots notice this, including the Lieutenant (Horace McMahon), but McLeod gets results, even if he has to beat a confession out of a suspect once in a while… The other detectives are well played, especially by William Bendix, who plays a kinder, more understanding type, but still tough. He lost his son when the Juneau was torpedoed in WWII. Horace McMahon plays the commanding officer with aplomb. He parleyed his performance here into a long run as a detective on television’s Naked City.

The story concerns a long running investigation of a back alley abortionist Karl Schneider (George Macready) who has tie-ins that bring tragedy to Detective McLeod. Every time McLeod finds a witness, she ends up dying from botched medical care and Macready stays on the streets. McLeod’s indignation mounts and the lieutenant has to step in and find the truth when McLeod gets a little rough on the doctor…

Detective Story shows just how powerful an actor Kirk Douglas is and why he is always near the top when great actors are listed. Douglas carries this movie 110% and remains interesting the entire running time. In between Douglas’s fuming and fussing, we see the other detectives dealing with their arrests, always within the confines of the squad room. Many fine character performances are to be seen, with Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Lee Grant, Frank Faylen (Lost Weekend), and especially Joseph Wiseman (Lawman).

William Wyler did a great job of showing the squalid conditions of the cigarette strewn squad room and keeps the story crackling along with great cinematography by Lee Garmes, one of Howard Hawks’ frequent collaborators. This sort of drama can easily be derailed into soap opera territory but Wyler’s skill manages to keep it out of the ditch. There are several on-going subplots that maintain interest and get resolved before the credits roll. Very few dramas produced today exhibit the story telling skill displayed here. Detective Story was nominated for four Academy Awards but won none. Interestingly, Kirk Douglas was not nominated but should have been as his performance is fully Oscar worthy. Humphrey Bogart took home the statuette for The African Queen that year.

The Paramount DVD is in black and white and runs 103 minutes in 1.33:1 theatrical format. There are subtitles and French audio as additional features. For those who like a strong drama, Detective Story is one of the best.

More successful movie adaptations of stage plays I highly recommend include -

12 Angry Men

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

The Pawnbroker

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Thank you for reading!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening