Pier 23
GANGLAND GALAHAD! He's a cop's pet peeve... and a gal's pet passion!
1951 | 58m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | William Berke |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Herb Margolis, Lou Morheim, Julian Harmon, Victor West |
| Staring: |
| Pier 23 was one of three hour-long mysteries produced by Lippert Productions for both TV and theatrical release. Each of the three films was evenly divided into two half-hour "episodes," and each starred Hugh Beaumont as San Francisco-based amateur sleuth Dennis O'Brien. In Pier 23, O'Brien first tackles the case of a wrestler who has died of a suspicious heart attack after refusing to lose a match. He then agrees to help a priest talk an escaped criminal into returning to prison. The film's two-part structure leads to repetition and predictability, but it's fun to watch TV's "Ward Cleaver" making like Philip Marlowe. | |
| Release Date: | May 11, 1951 |
|---|---|
| Director: | William Berke |
| Writer: | Herb Margolis, Lou Morheim, Julian Harmon, Victor West |
| Genres: | Drama, Crime, Mystery |
| Keywords | san francisco, california, b movie |
| Production Companies | Sigmund Neufeld Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 25, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Hugh Beaumont | Dennis O'Brien |
| Ann Savage | Ann Harmon |
| Edward Brophy | Prof. Shicker |
| Richard Travis | Police Inspector Lt. Bruger |
| Margia Dean | Flo Klingle |
| Mike Mazurki | Ape Danowski |
| David Bruce | Charles Giffen |
| Raymond Greenleaf | Father Donovan |
| Eve Miller | Norma Harmon |
| Harry Hayden | Dr. Earl J. Tomkins |
| Joi Lansing | The Cocktail Waitress |
| Peter Mamakos | Nick Garrison |
| Chris Drake | Mike Greeley |
| Billy Varga | Willie Klingle |
| John Indrisano | Mushy Cavelli |
| Richard Monahan | Henry - Bartender |
| Charles Wagenheim | Lefty - Policy Man |
| Jack Chefe | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Heinie Conklin | Counter Man (uncredited) |
| Jack Gordon | Wrestling Match Spectator (uncredited) |
| Kit Guard | Drunk at Wrestling Match (uncredited) |
| Barry Norton | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Cosmo Sardo | Club patron (uncredited) |
| Max Wagner | Bar Patron (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Stanley Price | Dialogue Coach |
| William Berke | Director |
| Herb Margolis | Story |
| Lou Morheim | Story |
| Glen Glenn | Sound |
| Julian Harmon | Screenplay |
| Victor West | Screenplay |
| Jack Greenhalgh | Director of Photography |
| Carl Pierson | Editor |
| Harry Reynolds | Editor |
| Harry Reif | Set Decoration |
| Frank Paul Sylos | Art Direction |
| Paul Stanhope | Makeup Artist |
| Bert Shefter | Music |
| John Francis Murphy | Assistant Director |
| Leigh Carson | Property Master |
| Tom Kemp | Construction Manager |
| Ray Mercer | Special Effects |
| Alfred Berke | Wardrobe Supervisor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| William Berke | Producer |
| Jack Leewood | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
Hugh Beaumont is adequate here as private investigator "O'Brien" in this really rather procedural crime drama. Indeed, it comes across as two separate episodes rather clunky joined together. What does link the themes though, is that he always seems to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong tim ... e and usually ends up trying to convince folks that he isn't the criminal that all fingers seem to want to point to. This rather dry feature sees him embroiled in a wrestling cover-up for a murder which is completely devoid of jeopardy because that story concludes with half an hour to go! The next sequence sees him trying to persuade a convicted felon not to try to escape from Alcatraz, only to - yet again - get all caught up in some shenanigans that could see him in the "chair". What really doesn't help is the annoying narration - peppered with what they must have hoped were witticisms - that describe what he is about to do before he does it. It is almost as if it were made by a production team with a radio background less used to the audience being able to see what action (activity may be better) is actually going on. Kills an hour, but then so does the hoovering.