King of the Underworld
Don't kill this killer! Bring him back alive!
1939 | 67m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Lewis Seiler |
|---|---|
| Writer: | W.R. Burnett, Vincent Sherman, George Bricker |
| Staring: |
| Physician Carole Nelson, suspected of having ties to notorious gangster Joe Gurney, must prove her innocence or the Medical Board will revoke her license. When Gurney seeks her out for treatment after being shot, it could be the break Nelson needs. Now she has a chance to use her medical know-how to outwit Gurney and his goons and reestablish her professional reputation. | |
| Release Date: | Jan 14, 1939 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Lewis Seiler |
| Writer: | W.R. Burnett, Vincent Sherman, George Bricker |
| Genres: | Drama, Romance, Crime |
| Keywords | on the run |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 26, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Humphrey Bogart | Joe Gurney |
| Kay Francis | Dr. Carole Nelson |
| James Stephenson | Bill Stevens |
| John Eldredge | Dr. Niles Nelson |
| Jessie Busley | Aunt Josephine |
| Arthur Aylesworth | Dr. Sanders |
| Raymond Brown | Sheriff |
| Harland Tucker | Mr. Ames |
| Ralph Remley | Mr. Robert |
| Charley Foy | Slick |
| Murray Alper | Eddie |
| Joe Devlin | Porky |
| Elliott Sullivan | Mugsy |
| Alan Davis | Pete |
| John Harmon | Slats |
| John Ridgely | Jerry |
| Richard Bond | Interne |
| Pierre Watkin | District Attorney |
| Charles Trowbridge | Dr. Ryan |
| Edwin Stanley | Dr. Jacobs |
| Sherwood Bailey | Boy (uncredited) |
| Clem Bevans | Villager #3 (uncredited) |
| Sidney Bracey | Bert - the Farmer (uncredited) |
| Nat Carr | Second Villager (uncredited) |
| Glen Cavender | Deputy Shooting Bill (uncredited) |
| Edgar Dearing | Police Detective (uncredited) |
| Edgar Dearing | First Policeman (uncredited) |
| William Gould | Chief of Police (uncredited) |
| John Harron | G-Man (uncredited) |
| Lew Harvey | Chic - a Gangster (uncredited) |
| Herbert Heywood | Clem (uncredited) |
| Max Hoffman Jr. | Second Policeman (uncredited) |
| Stuart Holmes | Doorman (uncredited) |
| Mickey Kuhn | Young Boy (uncredited) |
| Al Lloyd | Drug Store Clerk (uncredited) |
| Paul M. MacWilliams | Anaesthetist (uncredited) |
| Jack Mower | G-Man (uncredited) |
| Jimmy O'Gatty | Gangster (uncredited) |
| Paul Panzer | Gangster (uncredited) |
| Richard Quine | Medical Student (uncredited) |
| John J. Richardson | Townsman Running (uncredited) |
| Ann Robinson | Second Nurse (uncredited) |
| Cliff Saum | Gangster (uncredited) |
| Janet Shaw | Blonde Nurse (uncredited) |
| Carl Stockdale | First Villager (uncredited) |
| Doc Stone | Gangster (uncredited) |
| Charles Sullivan | Gangster (uncredited) |
| Lottie Williams | Farmer's Wife (uncredited) |
| Tom Wilson | Deputy (uncredited) |
| Frank Bruno | Gangster (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| W.R. Burnett | Story |
| Vincent Sherman | Screenplay |
| Orry-Kelly | Costume Design |
| Lewis Seiler | Director |
| George Bricker | Screenplay |
| Heinz Roemheld | Original Music Composer |
| Charles Novi | Art Direction |
| Tenny Wright | Production Manager |
| Frank Heath | Assistant Director |
| Everett Alton Brown | Sound |
| Leo F. Forbstein | Music Director |
| Sidney Hickox | Director of Photography |
| Frank DeWar | Editor |
| Leo Morton Schulman | Technical Advisor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Bryan Foy | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
| 2024 | 8 | 6 | 17 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Trending Position
When one of his boys is saved by a young doctor, gangster "Joe" (Humphrey Bogart) pays the man a visit and thanks him with $500 and a promise (threat?) of future work. It's at one such consultation that the police swoop, the young man is killed in the melee and his now widow, fellow doctor, "Carole" ... (Kay Francis) is suspected of complicity. Though acquitted in court, she is given three months to prove her innocence or face being struck off as a physician - and that means she must do a bit of detective work of her own. It's not the most plausible of stories this. The involvement of James Stevenson ("Bill") as a latter day wandering minstrel doesn't help on that front and the ending is really pretty daft, but Bogart adds a charming degree of (very mild) menace to his Napoleon-obsessed character and Kay Francis, though hardly challenged any of this, still has a star quality to bring to the proceedings. Not great, no - but an enjoyable enough hour of cinema.