The Phenix City Story

"ALABAMA'S CITY OF SIN AND SHAME!"

1955 1h 40m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 66🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 3,339

Crime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A crime-busting lawyer and his initially reluctant attorney father take on the forces that run gambling and prostitution in their small Southern town.

“ALABAMA'S CITY OF SIN AND SHAME!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

John McIntire
Albert L. "Pat" Patterson
Richard Kiley
John Patterson
Kathryn Grant
Ellie Rhodes
Edward Andrews
Rhett Tanner
Lenka Peterson
Mary Jo Patterson
Biff McGuire
Fred Gage
Truman Smith
Ed Gage
Jean Carson
Cassie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phil Karlson
Writers: Daniel Mainwaring, Crane Wilbur
Languages: German, English
Countries: United States of America

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Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Phil Karlson, shot by Harry Neumann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Sukman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George White shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John McIntire and Richard Kiley and Kathryn Grant carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "ALABAMA'S CITY OF SIN AND SHAME!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048488 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phil Karlson directs. Harry Neumann behind the camera. Harry Sukman scores. George White cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

171 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3Directed by Phil Karlson, shot by Harry Neumann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Harry Sukman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor George White shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John McIntire and Richard Kiley and Kathryn Grant carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "ALABAMA'S CITY OF SIN AND SHAME!".
8IMDB entry: tt0048488 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Neumann
Original score: Harry Sukman
Editing: George White
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Phenix City Story (1955)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 3,339 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination

Also by

Phil Karlson

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-02-16
★ 8/10
I'm not stickin' my neck out. Why should I? Phenix City has been what it is for 80, 90 years. Who am I to try to reform it? The Phenix City Story is directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. It stars John McIntire, Richard Kiley, Kathryn Grant, Edward Andrews and John Larch. Music is by Harry Sukman and cinematography by Harry Neumann. A crime-busting lawyer (Kiley) and his initially reluctant attorney father (McIntire) take on the forces that run gambling and prostitution in the "Sin City Of The South", Phenix City, Alabama. Karlson's uncompromising film noir is based around the real life 1954 assassination of Albert Patterson (McIntire), who after being nominated for the role of Alabama Attorney General was on a mission to rid Phenix City of organized crime. It's important to note that this is not a historical fact film as such, it's more an interpretation of the Patterson murder and how Phenix City was a cess pool at the time in focus. Print of the film I personally viewed had a 13-minute newsreel preface where newsman Clete Roberts interviews many of the actual participants of the events in the story. I wasn't prepared for it and thought I was about to watch a documentary, but then we shift to Karlson's film and it delivers quality noir film making. Karlson ("Scandal Sheet" - "99 River Street") and his team don't hold back from violence and devastating scenes. Yet somehow in spite of the dark turns that occur, where the stink of racism and organized crime resides, there's an overriding message that even though we may want to fight fire with fire, sometimes the lawful ballot box is the best option. Cast are well directed, so much so there's no weak links here, but one has to admire the class McIntire brings to the role of Patterson, while Larch gives us one of film noir's most repugnant villains. Neumann's photography is only ok, there's some flashes of expressionism here, but one can't help wishing for some chiaroscuro magic to befit the dark tones being played out. This is still a film noir enthusiast essential, on proviso that it's understood there's some poetic licence undertaken. 8/10

Production companies