Credit shark

At Delta Tire Plant, general manager F.L. Rennick ( Charles Meredith ) is discussing with the Police Lieutenant White ( Harlan Ward ) the situation with the increasing number of cases of beatings of workers related to the activities of the so-called credit sharks led by Lou Donelly ( Paul Stewart ). The members of this criminal organization drag workers into the game on an underground sweepstake or simply give money in a short-term loan at very high interest rates, and those who then cannot pay on time are intimidated and beaten by forcefully knocking out debts. Rennika is worried about this situation, because due to frequent injuries, he loses good workers, which negatively affects the productivity of the plant. Charlie Thompson ( Russell Johnson ), the head of the workshop in which the last of the battered workers worked, is also invited to talk. After the meeting, Thompson returns to the workshop, where workers led by Ed Haines ( William Phipps ) discuss the same problem, suggesting that one of the factory employees works directly on credit sharks. At the same time, some workers, led by Ed, believe that it is necessary to oppose credit sharks in an organized manner, while others are of the opinion that you just need to pay on time and there will be no problems.

That same evening, her brother, a former boxer Joe Gargan ( George Raft ), who was released after three years in prison for a blow in a brawl of a man who later died, appears at Martha's Haines ( Helen Westcott )’s house. Martha warmly receives his brother, knowing that what happened to him was the result of an accident, and he was not to blame for anything. In turn, Joe is interested in her sister, how is she doing with Ed, whom she married in his absence. At that moment, a young beautiful neighbor from below, Anne Nelson ( Dorothy Hart ), who Martha represents as "practically a member of the family," enters the apartment. Anne, who works as a secretary in Rennick’s office, says she has agreed with her boss that he will receive Joe tomorrow about his job at the factory. Joe is fascinated by the beauty of Ann, and does not want to let her go. When some time later, Joe sits down to drink coffee with Ed, who has just returned to work, they suddenly hear a terrible scream from the next apartment. Running up to the noise, they see the worker Steve Kasmer ( Robert Bice ), who was beaten by the collectors . Ed says this is the work of credit sharks, with half the factory hooked. He proposes to assemble a group of guys that would repel credit sharks, but Joe does not believe in this venture, recommending staying away from credit sharks. In the evening, Joe returns after a walk home, meeting Ann on the doorstep. They chat nicely, after which Ann invites Joe to come to his place to have a coffee. Joe tries to kiss Ann, but she pushes him away. Leaving her apartment, Joe sees a man come in to her, whom Ann calls Paul ( Henry Slate ).

The next morning, waiting in the waiting room for a conversation with Rennick, Paul asks Ann for forgiveness for his act yesterday, saying that he never bothers married women. However, Ann replies that Paul is her brother, and he also works at the factory. During a subsequent conversation in Rennik’s office, where the head of the trade union organization is also present, the general manager offers Joe an unusual job - he wants him to secretly infiltrate the network of credit sharks and find out who controls it, then to destroy the whole organization. Joe rejects this offer, saying that he is looking for a simple, honest job that is not related to crime. Meanwhile, Ed is gathering a group of ten in the workshop that intends to fight a gang of credit sharks. At the same time, according to Ed, the information he collected indicates that Thompson is actively accepting bets from many workers at the plant, which means that he can work directly on credit sharks. Thompson, who was present at the meeting, was soon phoning someone. In the evening, when Joe tells Martha that he wants to live a quiet, calm life and therefore is going to leave, a bell rings telling Marty that Ed was killed. In the morning, Joe goes to Rennik, telling him that he will find Ed's murderer himself, while asking that only two of them know about his investigation. Rennick takes Joe to work in a department that delivers raw materials to various workshops so that Joe has the opportunity to communicate with many workers at the factory, and within a few weeks Joe establishes the necessary connections with people. To reach the criminals, Joe pretends that he is not interested in killing Ed, and through Thompson himself begins to bet on the races. After several unsuccessful bets, Joe talks to workers in a cafe when Thompson approaches him. Referring to a lack of money, Joe asks Thompson to help him with a loan, after which he takes Joe to a secret office, where Donelly conducts financial affairs. At Joe's request, he gives him a loan of $ 50, demanding to pay interest in the amount of $ 5 weekly. That evening, Joe invites Anne to a restaurant, where she, seeing him money, asks not to borrow from loan sharks.

Despite Paul's warnings, Joe continues to bet. At home, Paul and Ann fear for the future of Joe, who has already become debt-dependent on credit sharks. Soon Donelly calls Joe to him, demanding that he immediately pay the already overdue debts, but Joe turns around and leaves. That evening, Joe invites Anne to a country outing, where they bathe and relax by the fire. A romantic relationship develops between them, they talk about love, hug and kiss each other. Upon returning home, Anne rises to the apartment, and Joe goes to put the car in the garage. There, one of the siloviks of credit sharks pounced on him, but in a fight, Joe finishes him and leaves. At home, Ann notices that Joe's arm is broken, and realizes that credit shark collectors have come to him. Anne says she is scared because of his problems. In the morning, Donelly arrives at Joe's house, inviting him to a conversation in a restaurant. There, Donelly and someone named Vince Philips ( John Hoyt ) make him an offer to become a collector for credit sharks. Having found out that Joe earns $ 50 a week, they immediately offer him to forgive the debt and pay $ 150, and later $ 200 a week, without taxes. After Joe leaves, taking time to think, Donelly says that he doubts him, but Vince is convinced that a man like Joe will do anything for money. At night, Joe secretly meets with Rennik, reporting that he has infiltrated the gang, but it takes time to go on to the leader. Workers soon see that Donnelly began to receive debtors along with Joe, who sits next to him, realizing that Joe now works for credit sharks. Donelly tells Joe that their company has already covered twenty factories, but refuses to name the leader of their organization. Some time later, Donelly brings Joe to one of the inconspicuous industrial buildings, where the work of the criminal syndicate is deployed. There he introduces Joe to the chief accountant, Walter Carr ( Lawrence Bobkin ), and introduces him to Vince Philips as the boss of the entire organization. Vince says that their organization makes thousands of unaccounted dollars a week, not only doing bookmaking and lending, but also serving as a collection agency for other companies and money laundering for car thieves. Joe says that he would like not only to lead a group of collectors, but to lead his own project, in particular, to involve housewives in credit schemes. When Vince says he likes the idea and promises to resolve the issue, Joe realizes that Vince is not the main boss in this company. At home, Martha asks Joe to break all ties with credit sharks, and when he refuses, he says that he is moving to live with Ann.

For a short time, Joe, using gang money, opens his own laundry factory , whose couriers simultaneously offer short-term loans to housewives. Since many women often urgently need money, or they want to hide some purchases from their husbands, the business is quickly gaining momentum. Joe becomes director of the company with a salary of $ 300 a week. When the Joe project begins to generate a steady income, he meets with Vince, declaring that he wants to become a partner with a share of 25%. Vince offers him 5%, but Joe refuses, and then Vince postpones the conversation, saying that he will inform about the decision later. After Vince left, Joe quietly follows him, but loses his track when Vince changes cars in the parking lot. Meanwhile, Donnelly from the laundry room is watching Joe, finding out that he is watching Vince. Joe comes to Ann's apartment, wanting to talk with his sister, but Anne and Paul, who appeared shortly after, kick him out. At the next meeting, Vince tells Joe that he will now have a 10% stake, after which Joe eavesdrops on the conversation between Vince and Donelly, realizing that Ed killed Thompson by order of Donelly. At a secret meeting at night, Joe reports this to Rennik, while stating that he has not yet been able to find out the name of the leader of the entire gang. Joe complains that he is disgusted to rob housewives, and therefore wants to finish the job as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Donelly, who doubts Joe, tells Vince about his tracking, after which he offers to arrange for Joe a real check. In particular, he proposes to send Joe to deal with Paul, who became a serious obstacle to their work in the factory.

In the evening, Joe and Donelly wait for Paul to return home. When he appears in the company of Martha and Ann, Donelly keeps the women, meanwhile, Joe hits Paul a few times. Upon returning home, the women are crying, and Paul promises to take revenge on Joe and call the police, but Martha begs not to do this, since Joe will immediately be sent to prison again. Martha and Ann do not believe that Joe could have changed that way. The next day, Martha comes to Joe's work to talk to him. Donelly, who is at that moment in Joe’s office, goes out, quietly turning on the intercom to eavesdrop on their conversation from the reception. Joe wonders with her sister how Paul feels, after which he says that he could not do otherwise. The outraged Marta calls her brother a thief and a rotten beast, who will end up in jail, after which he runs out of the office. After her departure, Joe calls Rennick, saying that today he will do everything possible to reach the top of the organization, and at that moment Donelly appears in the office with a gun in his hand. He takes Joe to an empty workshop, intending to deal with him there. However, Joe manages to turn off the lights and hide behind the hot water tanks, and then turn on the tap, which knocks Donelly down. Then Joe throws Donelli into a tub of boiling water and closes the lid, after which he takes his gun and goes to Vince. At Vince's house, Joe says that the police became aware that he had beaten Paul, and now he is facing arrest and jail. Because he wants to get out of business and leave the city forever. However, before that, Joe wants to sell his stake in the business for $ 50,000 in cash. When Vince tries to object, Joe states that all these months he secretly kept his accounts of the gang's activities, and if Vince refuses his offer, these materials will end up in the police. Vince agrees to the terms of Joe, but declares that he does not have that kind of money. Pointing a gun at him, Joe demands that Vince take him to the boss. Vince brings Joe to the theater building, where the boss's office, which turns out to be Carr, is located. Pretending to agree to pay, Carr walks up to the safe, turning his back to Joe, after which he suddenly turns and shoots. Joe runs down the stairs, Vince and Carr rush after him, continuing to fire. Finally, Joe runs into the auditorium, where he hides among the rows of stalls . Carr and Vince continue to hunt for Joe, however, he manages to take turns to shoot first Vince, and then Carr. At the police station, Lieutenant and Rennik thank Joe for destroying the gang. Anne walks up to Joe, who hugs and kisses him, and they retire together.

Director Seymour Friedman directed his best films at the turn of the 1940s – 1950s, including crime melodramas “ Captured by Boston Blacky ” (1948), “The Chinese Adventure of Boston Blacky ” (1949), “ Chinatown at Midnight ” (1951), “ Diary of a criminal doctor ”(1949),“ Customs Agent ”(1950) and“ Criminal Lawyer ”(1951) ^[1] .

George Raft became famous in the 1930s as a star of crime melodramas at Warner Bros , such as Glass Key (1935), You and Me (1938), Every Morning I Die (1939), Invisible Stripes ( 1939) and " They rode at night " (1940). In the 1940s, Raft somewhat lowered his profile, playing major roles in category B noir films, such as Johnny Angel (1945), Nocturne (1946), Street Race (1948), Johnny Allegro (1949) ), " Red Light " (1949) and others ^[2] .

Dorothy Hart played her best roles in the noir films The Naked City (1948), Theft (1948), The Story of Molly X (1949), Support (1949) and I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) ^[3] .

After appearing in Orson Welles ’s drama Citizen Kane (1941), Paul Stuart made a successful film career, often playing bandits and gangsters. Among the notable paintings with his participation were “ Johnny Eager ” (1941), “ Window ” (1949), “ Champion ” (1949), “ Edge of Doom ” (1950), “ Date with Danger ” (1951) and “ Crime Strip in US Press ”(1952) ^[4] .

As Hal Erickson noted, “Credit Shark” was one of several independently produced films that George Raft made in the early 1950s ^[5] . Raft’s fee for this picture was 25 thousand dollars, plus 25 percent of profits ^[6] .

According to cinema historian Everett Aaker, Gail Russell was supposed to play the main female role, but she was unable to get to work because of personal problems ^[6] , and it was reported in the Hollywood Reporter in October 1951 that Mara Lynn would play Raft’s partner ^[7] .

Although the Hollywood Reporter announced in October 1951 that the film would be shot at Motion Picture Center studios, it was actually shot at RKO Pathé Studio ^[7] .

Encore Productions produced the film, and Lippert Pictures was responsible for its distribution. As Hollywood Reporter reported in October 1953, director Seymour Friedman sued Lippert, Bernard Lüber, Lippert Productions , Lippert Pictures and Encore Productions for $ 5,000 in salary, as well as 5 percent of the film rental that the producers owed him . The result of the lawsuit is unknown ^[7] .

Overall rating of the film

After the film was released, The New York Times did not find anything “amazing” in it, calling it “standard production telling a familiar story about a harsh ex-prisoner who avenges the murder of a relative by joining a ruthless criminal syndicate and breaking it ". According to the critic, “due to its brevity, this low-budget film is not particularly difficult to accept. It is nothing special, but it could be much worse ” ^[8] .

Modern film historian Spencer Selby noted that the film tells the story of "an ex-prisoner who avenges the death of his son-in-law, infiltrating the criminal credit business" ^[9] . Bob Porfirio called the picture "a low-budget attempt to capitalize on the success of films such as The Enforcing Law " (1951), which deserves attention mainly due to the play of Paul Stewart and John Hoyt , as well as live camera work " ^[10] . Craig Butler believes that “this is a medium small category B gangster movie , but quite enjoyable. This is not a film noir, although expressive camera work can easily make you believe it. ” ^[11] According to Michael Keeney, “this low-budget crime drama never gets off the ground, despite the presence of such noir veterans like Raft, Stuart and Hoyt” ^[12] , and Dennis Schwartz described the picture as “a lifeless thriller about a former prisoner who is trying to destroy the cruel business of criminal lending ” ^[13] .

Evaluation of the work of the director and creative team

According to Thompson of the New York Times, “the script of Eugene Ling and Martin Reckin not only provides actors with an opportunity for a swift exchange of remarks, but also pumps a sufficient degree of tension, especially closer to the climax, when Mr. Raft and the main criminal enter the shootout in an empty theater. " At the same time, "it is difficult to believe in the unshakable success of the hero, as well as in the almost open activity of the syndicate without the slightest hint that the police will deal with it." As for the director Seymour Friedman, he “manages to maintain the course of events at the right pace” ^[8] .

Craig Butler believes that in “the script goes through some orderly worn-out situations,” and in it “there is nothing particularly inventive.” In addition, "it is obvious that the scriptwriters, when they need it, easily throw aside logic or refuse to explain things that look almost completely unrealistic." According to Butler, “these are obvious failures, but director Seymour Friedman takes these lemons and makes the notorious lemonade: instead of fixing these problems, he tries to drown them in a barrel of events so that no one notices anything. As a result, the film goes at a fast and steady pace ” ^[11] . Dennis Schwartz concluded that "the stupid and sugary actor’s text, the terrible plot and the unsophisticated staging of Friedman turns this story, which is hard to believe, into a complete fiasco." According to Schwartz, “this low-budget crime thriller puts all of its action into the scene of the final shootout in a dark theater, but it also smashes freshly.” The film has nothing to say about crime or the workers, and it seems that the creators of the film “simply have not enough brains for this” ^[13] .

According to Bob Porfirio, the picture "is mainly distinguished by a rather lively camera work." In particular, the scene of “a fierce confrontation between Donelli and Joe in the laundry factory is full of impressive, frightening shadows when Joe takes over the gangster and throws it into one of the boiling vats, where he is welded alive” ^[10] . Hal Erickson also believes that “one of the most attractive aspects of the film is Joseph Bayrock ’s devoid of cinematography , which later turned to more magnificent projects such as“ Rising Hell “(1974)” ^[5] .

Actor rating

As Howard Thompson noted, the picture stands out “indestructible George Raft , who again in the criminal saddle, this time on the side of law and order ... Raft's secretive courtesy, as always, with him, and Paul Stewart , Helen Westcott , John Hoyt and Henry Slate on both sides of the law, each makes its own significant contribution ” ^[8] . Butler notes that “to the benefit of the film is the fact that George Raft acts as a star. Raft could easily play such a role in a dream, and although it is not something special for him, he copes well and gives the film the necessary star power ” ^[11] . Dennis Schwartz also believes that “the film can only be watched because George Raft is trying to breathe a little Hollywood stellar power into it” ^[13] . On the other hand, Michael Keeney believes that “unfortunately, not much has been preserved from Raft’s charisma to save the film. Raft at that time was 51 years old, and he could no longer play those energetic tough guys and lovers whom he had previously played. But the former dancer still looked pretty good in the obligatory dance scene with Hart , with which he develops an affair during the course of the action ” ^[12] .

• Alain Silver (Editor), Elizabeth Ward (Editor). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition . - Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 1992 .-- ISBN 978-0-87951-479-2 .
• Spencer Selby. Dark City: The Film Noir . - Jeffeson, NC: McFarland & Co Inc, 1997 .-- ISBN 978-0-7864-0478-0 .
• Michael F. Keaney. Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940–1959 . - Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2003. - ISBN 978-0-7864-1547-2 .
• Everett Aaker. George Raft: The Films . - McFarland & Company, 2013 .-- ISBN 978-0-78646-646-7 .

• Credit Shark on IMDb  
• Credit shark on AllMovie website  
• Credit Shark on the American Film Institute website
• Credit Shark on Turner Classic Movies