Chicago Syndicate (1955)

Name: Chicago Syndicate
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 1955-07-01
Duration: 83 min
Rating: 6
Cast: Dennis O'Keefe, Abbe Lane, Paul Stewart, Allison Hayes, Xavier Cugat

Chicago Syndicate (1955), directed by Fred F. Sears, starring Dennis O'Keefe and Abbe Lane.

07/01/1955 BR Crime and Drama 1h 23m

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Smashing the nation's worst crime ring!

Synopsis

An ex-military accountant is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the mob in Chicago in an attempt to break open the rackets. To complicate his job, two women stand in his way, each with their own agenda.

Fred Jackman Jr.Cinematography
Henry FreulichCinematography
Fred F. SearsDirector
Viola LawrenceEditing

About the film

Chicago Syndicate is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears and starring Dennis O'Keefe and Abbe Lane.

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Chicago Syndicate is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Fred F. Sears and starring Dennis O'Keefe and Abbe Lane.

Plot

Accountant and war hero Barry Amsterdam is asked by Chicago newspaper editor David Healey and civic leaders to go undercover and infiltrate the crime syndicate of Arnold Valent, who runs a corrupt insurance business. Valent is believed responsible for murdering bookkeeper Nelson Kern, who had gone to the newspaper with proof of the criminal activity.

Barry hears how Kern's wife then committed suicide and daughter Joyce was committed to an institution. That and a $60,000 reward convince him to accept the dangerous job. He goes to a nightclub Valent owns, the Maracas, meeting a woman named Sue Morton who helps him gain access. There, he meets Valent's girlfriend, singer Connie Peters. He then tells Valent he was a witness to Kern's murder and will go to the police unless Valent makes him a better offer.

Valent hires but doesn't trust him, at least until Barry, secretly working with the police, arranges a jewel theft and insurance scam. Turning again to Sue Morton for help, she pulls a gun on Barry and orders him to leave. But she learns from the police who he really is, Sue works with Barry, revealing she is actually the murdered man's daughter, Joyce Kern.

Unable to find some incriminating microfilm, Barry runs out of options until he schemes to make Connie jealous by introducing the other woman to Valent, who makes a play for her. Connie threatens to expose Valent, whose thugs give her a brutal beating. She gets the microfilm to Barry, who is shot and wounded before Valent is killed by the police.

Cast

Dennis O'Keefe as Barry Amsterdam

Abbe Lane as Connie Peters

Paul Stewart as Arnold 'Arnie' Valent

Xavier Cugat as Benny Chico

Allison Hayes as Joyce Kern – alias Sue Morton

Richard H. Cutting as David Healey / Narrator

Chris Alcaide as Nate

William Challee as Dolan

John Zaremba as Det. Lt. Robert Fenton

George Brand as Jack Roper

Hugh Sanders as Pat Winters

Mark Hanna as Brad Lacey

Carroll McComas as Mrs. Valent

Production

The King Brothers sued Columbia and Clover Productions for damages of $1 million due to their using the title Chicago Syndicate, claiming they registered the title The Syndicate in 1950.

References

External links

Chicago Syndicate at IMDb

Chicago Syndicate at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Chicago Syndicate on RetroFlix

Text from Chicago Syndicate (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Syndicate_(film)

Trivia

It premiered on July 1, 1955, a Friday.
It runs 1h23 — short for a feature film.
This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosClover Productions, Columbia Pictures
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
StatusReleased

More about this film

Set in

Chicago

Cast

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Crew

Fred Jackman Jr. Cinematography
Henry Freulich Cinematography
Fred F. Sears Director
Viola Lawrence Editing
Sam Katzman Producer
Arthur Morton Original music
George Duning Original music
Marlin Skiles Original music
Joseph Hoffman Screenplay
William Sackheim Story

Questions about this film

What is Chicago Syndicate about?

Chicago Syndicate: An ex-military accountant is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the mob in Chicago in an attempt to break open the rackets. To complicate his job, two women stand in his way, each with their own agenda.

Who directed Chicago Syndicate?

Chicago Syndicate was directed by Fred F. Sears in 1955.

Who stars in Chicago Syndicate?

The cast of Chicago Syndicate includes Dennis O'Keefe, Abbe Lane, Paul Stewart, Allison Hayes and Xavier Cugat.

How long is Chicago Syndicate?

Chicago Syndicate runs for 83 minutes, or 1h23.