'' is a
Black And White , 96-minute film directed by
Elia Kazan and
Released In 1950 by
20th Century Fox . It is
Film Noir Semidocumentary shot exclusively on location in
New Orleans, Louisiana and featuring numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles.
The film tells the story of Clinton Reed, an officer of the
U.S. Public Health Service (played by
Richard Widmark ) and a police captain (
Paul Douglas ) who have only a day or two in which to prevent an
Epidemic of
Pneumonic Plague after Reed determines a waterfront homicide victim is an
Index Case . Co-stars include
Barbara Bel Geddes (as Reed's wife Nancy),
Walter Jack Palance (in his film debut) and
Zero Mostel — the latter two play associates of the victim who had prompted the investigation. The film was also the debut of
Tommy Rettig , who played the Reeds' son.
The film won an
Academy Award For Writing (Motion Picture Story) in 1950. The script (adapted by writer
Daniel Fuchs ) was based on stories by
Edna Anhalt and
Edward Anhalt .
- Richard Widmark as Lt. Commander Dr. Clinton Reed
- Paul Douglas as New Orleans Police Captain Tom Warren
- Barbara Bel Geddes as Nancy Reed
- Walter Jack Palance as Blackie
- Zero Mostel as Raymond Fitch
The August 1950 '''':
:Although it is excitingly presented, ''Panic in the Streets'' misses the mark as superior
Melodrama because it is not without obvious, sometimes annoying exaggeration that demands more indulgence than some spectators may be willing to contribute. However, there is an electric quality to the climax staged in a warehouse on the New Orleans waterfront that should compensate for minor annoyances which come to the surface spasmodically in ''Panic in the Streets''.
A review from a New Orleans weekly published after the film's DVD release
Panic Attack , an April 2005 article from ''
Gambit Weekly '' notes the following:
:The film noir elements come from the movie's use of post-war
German Expressionist and
Italian Neo-Realist techniques. Kazan admired how the Expressionists used
Chiaroscuro lighting to heighten emotion, and he related to the Neo-Realists' verité portrayals of those living on the margin of society. ''Panic'' offered him a chance to explore these styles further by experimenting with cinematography and casting real people. After working with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood — Dorothy McGuire, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Dana Andrews, Gregory Peck and Ethel Barrymore — Kazan wanted to go in the opposite direction. To suit the needs of this picture and his new approach, he recruited not only lesser stars, but also some of his rougher cronies from the New York stage scene, and on top of that several New Orleanians with varied levels of acting experience.
This was one of the last films Mostel and Bel Geddes were in before being placed on the
Hollywood Blacklist . Kazan later testified against Mostel in front of the
House Committee On Un-American Activities .
