The Killer That Stalked New York (1950)

Better Late Then Never

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The Killer That Stalked New York (AKA: Frightened City) is directed by Earl McEvoy and adapted to screenplay by Harry Essex from a story by Milton Lehman. It stars Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, William Bishop, Dorothy Malone and Lola Albright. Music is by Hans Salter and cinematography by Joseph Biroc.As the Police search for a diamond smuggler flown in from Cuba, doctors frantically trawl through an unprotected New York for a smallpox carrier, unaware that it is in fact the same person.The Blonde Death!Based on a real life incident the year previously, The Killer That Stalked New York is a very efficient thriller that has earned the right to be viewed now on its own terms. Comparisons are inevitably drawn with Panic in the Streets, the Elia Kazan film from the same year that deals in the same premise as here, but don't let anybody try and convince you otherwise, McEvoy's movie isn't in the same class. There is a reason Columbia Pictures delayed the release of "Killer" for six months. That said...It's a tautly constructed movie by McEvoy, decently performed by the cast (Keyes especially impressive carrying the film) and the documentary like approach to the piece works very much in its favour; even if Reed Hadley's stentorian narration is rather intrusive to the escalating drama. Bonus as well comes from having Biroc on photography duties, it's not so much about chiaroscuro techniques, in fact we don't really see the best noir visuals until the last fifteen minutes, but more about dripping a foreboding atmosphere over the New York City locales. As poor Sheila stumbles through the city, her alienation and disorientation is deftly brought out of the screen by the one time Oscar winner (The Towering Inferno).The race against time medical aspects of the drama hold the attention span well, we are constantly wondering who is going to succumb to "the blonde death" next? Though this core theme of the picture comes at the cost of narrative intrigue elsewhere, for instance there's infidelity in the mix involving our leading lady, but it barely registers and poor Lola Albright, playing a character of much potential, gets shunted out the way to be replaced by some more medical peril announced by Hadley's public service voice! As efficient as the film is, and it's easily recommended to the noir crowd, much more could have been made of this story.B picture by name, B picture by nature, but hugely enjoyable in that sweaty time filling way. 6.5/10

Who thought up this great idea? The Killer that Stalked New York is a wonderful cross-genre film-noir and medical thriller where small-pox stalks New York in the guise of attractive jewel smuggler Sheila Bennett (Evelyn Keyes). This film is an unexpected treasure -- besides the unique plot twist, nearly every role is played by a terrific character actor. Many of them are uncredited, but if you don't recognize them by name you'll know them by face. One of the biggest stars is New York City itself pre-1950 -- street shots include wonderful ID's of the Times Square area and the Third Avenue El before it was razed. There's even a cameo by the legendary Owl Drug Company -- though you'll have to play that scene in slo-mo to catch it. One thought that kept crossing my mind -- this is New York well before it became the film location capital of the country: how did they manage to clear all those mid-town streets for scenes? If not, how did they manage to get all those shots without having some passing Joe breaking into the shot all the time? The acting is classic '50's -- slightly overdramatized...and the twin plots move nicely in sync toward the crescendo. The ending? With the twin noir/med thriller plots I'm sure the writer worked overtime to come up with this one and it didn't disappoint. Well worth the watching...

Pretty hard to mix noir with a smallpox epidemic, but ace screenwriter Essex makes a go of it. That's thanks to weaving gem smuggler Sheila's (Keyes) personal story with the other thing she smuggled in, namely smallpox. So, as she travels around New York, so does the disease, causing a major urban crisis. As a result, we watch her get sicker and sicker chasing after a faithless boyfriend (Korvin); at the same time, the city comes more and more unglued chasing after her.I love those nighttime street shots of Manhattan. Cameraman Biroc does an eye-catching job translating those into a noirish atmosphere that hangs like a death shroud over the city. How appropriate. And catch that great supporting cast of one familiar face after another adding a ton of character color. I'm just sorry the gorgeous Dorothy Malone wasn't given more to do than follow Dr. Wood (Bishop) around with a hypodermic needle. Then too, I hope glamour girl Keyes was paid double because she sure looks a wreck by movie's end.Mark this one down as one more entry in the 1950's paranoia race. If it's not the Russian commies or some radioactive mutant or hideous space aliens, it's a deadly pandemic that threatened us all. It's a wonder we geezers survived. But that's okay, because the paranoia makes for exciting movie fare, including this nifty number. Meanwhile, I'm off to where else- - to get vaccinated, of course.

There must have been a sale on this storyline back in the 40's. An epidemic threatens New York (it's always New York) and nobody takes it seriously. Some might say that Richard Widmark and Jack Palance did it better in Panic in the Streets, but I disagree.There is always something about these Poverty Row productions that really touch a nerve. The production values are never that polished and the acting is a little rough around the edges, but that is the very reason I think this movie and those like it are effective. Rough, grainy, edgy. And the cast. All 2nd stringers or A list actors past their prime. No egos here. These folks were happy to get the work. Whit Bissell, Carl Benton Reid, Jim Backus, Arthur Space, Charles Korvin, and the melodious voice of Reed Hadley flowing in the background like crude oil. By the way, I've been in the hospital a couple of times; how come my nurses never looked like Dorothy Malone? In these kind of movies they don't bother much with make-up and hair, but they really managed to turn Evelyn Keyes into a hag. Or maybe they just skipped the make-up and hair altogether. Anyway, it was pretty effective. She plays a lovesick jewel smuggler who picks up a case of Small Pox in Cuba while smuggling jewels back for ultra-villain Charles Korvin (who is boffing her sister in the meantime). You got the Customs Agents looking for her because of the jewels, and the Health Department looking for her because she's about to de-populate New York. No 4th Amendment rights here. Everybody gets hassled.You gotta have the right attitude to enjoy a movie like this. I have a brother who scrutinizes movies to death. If they don't hold up to his Orson Wellian standards, he bombs them unmercifully. They must have the directorial excellence of a David Lean movie, the score of Wolfgang von Korngold, the Sound and Art of Douglas Shearer and Cedric Gibbons respectively. This ain't it.But I have the right attitude, and if you do as well, you'll love this movie.