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The Lineup (film)

January 01, 1970

The Lineup is a 1958 American film noir version of the police procedural television series of the same title that ran on CBS radio from 1950 until 1953, and on CBS television from 1954 until 1960. The film was directed by Don Siegel. It features a number of scenes shot on location in San Francisco during the late 1950s, including shots of the Embarcadero Freeway (then still under construction), the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, the War Memorial Opera House, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, and Sutro Baths.

The Lineup
Theatrical poster
Directed byDon Siegel
Screenplay byStirling Silliphant
Produced byJaime Del Valle
StarringEli Wallach
Robert Keith
Warner Anderson
CinematographyHal Mohr
Edited byAl Clark
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Pajemer Productions
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • June 1, 1958 (1958-06-01) (United States)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot edit

An international drug-smuggling racket plants heroin on unsuspecting American tourists traveling from Asia, so that the dope can pass through customs undetected. A psychopathic killer, Dancer, led by his mentor Julian, and their driver McLain then collect the contraband. Lt. Ben Guthrie leads the police hunt for the criminals. The head of the heroin ring is a person known only as "The Man".

The story begins when an American tourist disembarking in San Francisco from a cruise ship returning from Hong Kong has his bag stolen by a porter, throwing the bag into a cab. As the cabbie takes off at high speed, he runs deadly on a police officer, still able to fire his gun at the fugitive. Cab driver is hit, crashes and dies. A police investigation discloses that the cab driver is a heroin addict, and attention is drawn to a heroin smuggling ring.

Dancer and Julian have instructions to retrieve the heroin from the unsuspecting tourists and deliver it to a drop point at Sutro's Museum (a real San Francisco location until it burned down in 1966) where the bag containing the heroin is to be left inside an antique ship's binnacle. Dancer and Julian are instructed by their contact, Staples, that they must make the drop and be gone before 4:05 pm. Dancer kills three people along the way (the porter, a seaman demanding his share, and a suspicious chinese servant, refusing to hand out a drug container). But when it turns out that two of the tourists—Dorothy Bradshaw and her young daughter, Cynthia—had unknowingly disposed of the heroin, Dancer and Julian are in a bind; if they drop off the bag with a large portion of the heroin missing, their lives may be in danger. Dancer and Julian decide that instead of leaving the bag and departing the premises by 4:05, Dancer will stay, meet The Man and explain why the shipment is short. Dancer and Julian kidnap Dorothy and Cynthia and bring them to Sutro's so they can back up the story. Dancer should meet The Man.

When Dancer meets The Man in the museum, it turns out that the mastermind is disabled and wheelchair-bound. Dancer explains himself, and The Man has an unexpected reaction; he tells Dancer that "nobody ever sees me," and that because Dancer has seen him, he "is dead". The Man slaps Dancer across the face with the bag of heroin and Dancer, enraged, pushes The Man off a balcony, killing him.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco police have spotted the getaway car with Julian, McLain, and the kidnapped Dorothy and Cynthia. When Dancer exits Sutro's, a high speed car chase ensues, filmed in the area of The Embarcadero. When the car becomes trapped at a barrier on the Embarcadero Freeway, Dancer first shoots his accomplice to death, holding the girl hostage, then tries to flee. He is shot by the police and falls down the bridge.

Cast edit

In the film, Warner Anderson and Marshall Reed reprise their roles as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie and Inspector Fred Asher from the TV series. However, Tom Tully's character, Inspector Matt Grebb, is replaced by Inspector Al Quine, played by Emile Meyer. Tully, the series co-star, was not in the film. Anderson, the series star, was given co-star billing instead of star billing; star billing was given to Wallach, who played the movie's main villain.

Reception edit

Variety's review called it a "moderately exciting melodrama" that spends too much time on the police procedural aspects.[1] Time Out described it as "more brutal, sadistic and threatening" than The Killers.[2] Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader called it "a major B movie by one of Hollywood's most accomplished craftsmen".[3]

The Lineup was preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in conjunction with Sony Pictures, in 1997.[4]

Style and Theme edit

“Siegel gets at least one scene, in The Lineup, as sensitive as Robert Frank’s still shots. What is so lyrical about the ending, in San Francisco’s Sutro Museum, is the Japanese-print compositions, the late afternoon lighting, the advantage taken of the long hallways, multi-level stairways in a baroque, elegant, glass-palace building...It’s a minor masterpiece of preplanning and an extensively structured pictorial tour by Siegel...”—Film critic Manny Farber in Farber on Film (2009)[5]

Film critic Manny Farber comments on Siegel’s cinematic approach to The Lineup:

The Siegel touch is always apparent in the excessive number of viewpoint shots, the nice feeling for an eroded structure with awkward angles, and especially with the fascination with a somewhat mannered athleticism seen from above, in which a body is poised or moving against background action that is a violent contrast in space, tone and movement.[6]

Faber notes Siegel’s “sad reliance on edgy Broadway acting” in particular “Eli Wallach overworking his nervous leering eyes.”[7] Biographer Judith M. Kass observes that The Line-up “embodies all the characteristics” informing Siegel’s assessment of the “normal” world.[8] Kass writes:

“The ‘normal’ world—the terrain Siegel usually works in—is depicted as not at all normal...the characters are counterpoised against an environment which is as deranged as they are. The straight world is as phony, dishonest and evil as the criminal’s, without the one qualification which may be an improvement on the normal: they [the criminals] are honest about their lawlessness...”[9]

In popular culture edit

The film contains the line, "When you live outside the law, you have to eliminate dishonesty," of which Jonathan Lethem writes that "Bob Dylan heard it…, cleaned it up a little, and inserted it into 'Absolutely Sweet Marie'" (as "To live outside the law you must be honest.").[10]

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ "The Lineup". Variety. 1958. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Lineup". Time Out. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Kehr, Dave (17 March 2006). "The Lineup". Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
  5. ^ Farber, 2009 p. 676
  6. ^ Faber, 2009 p. 676
  7. ^ Faber, 2009 p. 676
  8. ^ Kass, 1975 p. 127
  9. ^ Kass, 1975 p. 127
  10. ^ Jonathan Lethem, "The Ecstasy of Influence", Harper's, February 2007, 59–71. p. 59.

Sources edit

January 01, 1970
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The Lineup is a 1958 American film noir version of the police procedural television series of the same title that ran on CBS radio from 1950 until 1953 and on CBS television from 1954 until 1960 The film was directed by Don Siegel It features a number of scenes shot on location in San Francisco during the late 1950s including shots of the Embarcadero Freeway then still under construction the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park the War Memorial Opera House the Mark Hopkins Hotel and Sutro Baths The LineupTheatrical posterDirected byDon SiegelScreenplay byStirling SilliphantProduced byJaime Del ValleStarringEli WallachRobert KeithWarner AndersonCinematographyHal MohrEdited byAl ClarkColor processBlack and whiteProductioncompanyPajemer ProductionsDistributed byColumbia PicturesRelease dateJune 1 1958 1958 06 01 United States Running time87 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 Style and Theme 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 SourcesPlot editAn international drug smuggling racket plants heroin on unsuspecting American tourists traveling from Asia so that the dope can pass through customs undetected A psychopathic killer Dancer led by his mentor Julian and their driver McLain then collect the contraband Lt Ben Guthrie leads the police hunt for the criminals The head of the heroin ring is a person known only as The Man The story begins when an American tourist disembarking in San Francisco from a cruise ship returning from Hong Kong has his bag stolen by a porter throwing the bag into a cab As the cabbie takes off at high speed he runs deadly on a police officer still able to fire his gun at the fugitive Cab driver is hit crashes and dies A police investigation discloses that the cab driver is a heroin addict and attention is drawn to a heroin smuggling ring Dancer and Julian have instructions to retrieve the heroin from the unsuspecting tourists and deliver it to a drop point at Sutro s Museum a real San Francisco location until it burned down in 1966 where the bag containing the heroin is to be left inside an antique ship s binnacle Dancer and Julian are instructed by their contact Staples that they must make the drop and be gone before 4 05 pm Dancer kills three people along the way the porter a seaman demanding his share and a suspicious chinese servant refusing to hand out a drug container But when it turns out that two of the tourists Dorothy Bradshaw and her young daughter Cynthia had unknowingly disposed of the heroin Dancer and Julian are in a bind if they drop off the bag with a large portion of the heroin missing their lives may be in danger Dancer and Julian decide that instead of leaving the bag and departing the premises by 4 05 Dancer will stay meet The Man and explain why the shipment is short Dancer and Julian kidnap Dorothy and Cynthia and bring them to Sutro s so they can back up the story Dancer should meet The Man When Dancer meets The Man in the museum it turns out that the mastermind is disabled and wheelchair bound Dancer explains himself and The Man has an unexpected reaction he tells Dancer that nobody ever sees me and that because Dancer has seen him he is dead The Man slaps Dancer across the face with the bag of heroin and Dancer enraged pushes The Man off a balcony killing him Meanwhile the San Francisco police have spotted the getaway car with Julian McLain and the kidnapped Dorothy and Cynthia When Dancer exits Sutro s a high speed car chase ensues filmed in the area of The Embarcadero When the car becomes trapped at a barrier on the Embarcadero Freeway Dancer first shoots his accomplice to death holding the girl hostage then tries to flee He is shot by the police and falls down the bridge Cast editEli Wallach as Dancer Robert Keith as Julian Warner Anderson as Lt Ben Guthrie Richard Jaeckel as Sandy McLain Mary LaRoche as Dorothy Bradshaw William Leslie as Larry Warner Emile Meyer as Inspector Al Quine Robert Bailey as Staples Raymond Bailey as Phillip Dressler Vaughn Taylor as The Man Cheryl Callaway as Cindy Bradshaw Marshall Reed as Inspector Fred Asher In the film Warner Anderson and Marshall Reed reprise their roles as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie and Inspector Fred Asher from the TV series However Tom Tully s character Inspector Matt Grebb is replaced by Inspector Al Quine played by Emile Meyer Tully the series co star was not in the film Anderson the series star was given co star billing instead of star billing star billing was given to Wallach who played the movie s main villain Reception editVariety s review called it a moderately exciting melodrama that spends too much time on the police procedural aspects 1 Time Out described it as more brutal sadistic and threatening than The Killers 2 Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader called it a major B movie by one of Hollywood s most accomplished craftsmen 3 The Lineup was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in conjunction with Sony Pictures in 1997 4 Style and Theme edit Siegel gets at least one scene in The Lineup as sensitive as Robert Frank s still shots What is so lyrical about the ending in San Francisco s Sutro Museum is the Japanese print compositions the late afternoon lighting the advantage taken of the long hallways multi level stairways in a baroque elegant glass palace building It s a minor masterpiece of preplanning and an extensively structured pictorial tour by Siegel Film critic Manny Farber in Farber on Film 2009 5 Film critic Manny Farber comments on Siegel s cinematic approach to The Lineup The Siegel touch is always apparent in the excessive number of viewpoint shots the nice feeling for an eroded structure with awkward angles and especially with the fascination with a somewhat mannered athleticism seen from above in which a body is poised or moving against background action that is a violent contrast in space tone and movement 6 Faber notes Siegel s sad reliance on edgy Broadway acting in particular Eli Wallach overworking his nervous leering eyes 7 Biographer Judith M Kass observes that The Line up embodies all the characteristics informing Siegel s assessment of the normal world 8 Kass writes The normal world the terrain Siegel usually works in is depicted as not at all normal the characters are counterpoised against an environment which is as deranged as they are The straight world is as phony dishonest and evil as the criminal s without the one qualification which may be an improvement on the normal they the criminals are honest about their lawlessness 9 In popular culture editThe film contains the line When you live outside the law you have to eliminate dishonesty of which Jonathan Lethem writes that Bob Dylan heard it cleaned it up a little and inserted it into Absolutely Sweet Marie as To live outside the law you must be honest 10 See also editList of American films of 1958 Illegal drug tradeFootnotes edit The Lineup Variety 1958 Retrieved December 4 2020 The Lineup Time Out Retrieved December 4 2020 Kehr Dave 17 March 2006 The Lineup Chicago Reader Retrieved December 4 2020 Preserved Projects Academy Film Archive Farber 2009 p 676 Faber 2009 p 676 Faber 2009 p 676 Kass 1975 p 127 Kass 1975 p 127 Jonathan Lethem The Ecstasy of Influence Harper s February 2007 59 71 p 59 Sources editKass Judith M 1975 Don Siegel The Hollywood Professionals Volume 4 1975 ed New York Tanvity Press p 207 ISBN 0 498 01665 X Farber Manny 2009 Farber on Film The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber Edited by Robert Polito Library of America ISBN 978 1 59853 050 6 The Lineup at IMDb nbsp The Lineup at AllMovie The Lineup at the TCM Movie Database The Lineup film scenes on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Lineup film amp oldid 1199566089, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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