Rogue Cop

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

1954 film by Roy Rowland

title: "Rogue Cop" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1954-films", "1954-crime-drama-films", "american-black-and-white-films", "american-crime-drama-films", "film-noir", "films-about-brothers", "films-based-on-american-novels", "films-based-on-crime-novels", "films-directed-by-roy-rowland", "metro-goldwyn-mayer-films", "1950s-english-language-films", "1954-american-films", "english-language-crime-drama-films"] description: "1954 film by Roy Rowland" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_Cop" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1954 film by Roy Rowland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]

Field	Value
name	Rogue Cop
image	RogueCopPoster.jpg
caption	Theatrical Film Poster
director	Roy Rowland
producer	Nicholas Nayfack
screenplay	Sydney Boehm
based_on
starring	Robert Taylor
Janet Leigh
George Raft
music	Jeff Alexander
cinematography	John F. Seitz
editing	James E. Newcom
studio	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
distributor	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
released
runtime	92 minutes
country	United States
language	English
budget	$695,000
gross	$2,509,000
::

Plot

Christopher Kelvaney is a crooked police officer who takes bribes and payoffs from criminals and other nefarious folk. His brother Eddie is a young member of the police force who is honest and loyal.

In a penny arcade, a drug dealer is stabbed to death by a man who claims the territory for himself, and Eddie witnesses the murderer flee. Mob boss Dan Beaumonte gives orders to Kelvaney to buy his brother's silence. Eddie refuses, and Kelvaney is unable to persuade Eddie's sweetheart, nightclub singer Karen Stephenson, to change his mind.

The ruthless Beaumonte brutally mistreats his moll Nancy Corlane, who then tries to help Kelvaney do what he has to do. Kelvaney exposes the fact that Karen was once a mobster's girlfriend in Miami. He gets her to admit that she's not in love with Eddie and is willing to let him go if it will save his life.

An out-of-town hitman named Langley is brought in to kill both brothers, but succeeds only in killing Eddie. His conscience aroused, Kelvaney goes after the mob leaders himself. He admits his corruption to superiors, but asks for a chance to bring them evidence that will convict those responsible for his brother's murder. In order to bring down Beaumont's entire syndicate, Kelvaney his prepared to tell what he knows about all of their illegal activities, even though this will implicate himself. Kelvaney succeeds in apprehending Langley, although he is shot in the process. He asks for forgiveness for his crooked ways on the way to the hospital

Cast

Robert Taylor as Det. Sgt. Christopher Kelvaney
Janet Leigh as Karen Stephenson
George Raft as Dan Beaumonte
Steve Forrest as Eddie Kelvaney
Anne Francis as Nancy Corlane
Robert Ellenstein as Det. Sidney Y. Myers
Robert F. Simon as Ackerman
Anthony Ross as Father Ahearn
Alan Hale, Jr. as Johnny Stark
Peter Brocco as George 'Wrinkles' Fallon
Vince Edwards as Joey Langley
Olive Carey as Selma
Roy Barcroft as Lt. Vince D. Bardeman
Dale Van Sickel as Manny
Ray Teal as Patrolman Mullins
Nesdon Booth as Detective Garrett
Robert Burton as Inspector Adrian Cassidy

Production

The film was based on a 1954 novel by William McGiven, who had written the novel on which The Big Heat was based. The New York Times called it "a classic study in guilt, retribution and atonement - without for an instant forgetting to tell an exciting story of swift action."Criminals at Large By ANTHONY BOUCHER. New York Times 2 May 1954: BR28.

MGM bought the screen rights prior to publication in November 1953 and assigned Nicholas Nayfack to produce. Sidney Boehm, who had adapted The Big Heat, wrote the script.5% WAGE RISE SET FOR FILM WORKERS: Union and Producers Reach Agreement on 4-Year Pact Retroactive to Oct. 25 By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. New York Times 5 Nov 1953: 40.

In March 1954 MGM assigned Robert Taylor to star, with shooting to begin in May. Filming was pushed back on another Taylor film, Many Rivers to Cross.COLUMBIA ASKING RIGHTS TO MUSICAL: Lot Owns Drama Version of 'My Sister Eilean,' but Wants Title to 'Wonderful Town' Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. New York Times 30 Mar 1954: 24.

In April 1954 Roy Rowland was assigned to directSCENARIST SIGNS TO BE A DIRECTOR: Richard Murphy Will Work in Dual Capacity on 'Gentle Wolfhound' at Columbia By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times. New York Times 2 Apr 1954: 23. Support roles were given to Janet Leigh, Steve Forrest and George Raft; the latter was making his first "A" picture in some years.Drama: Raft Sinister 'Rogue Cop' Star; Eighth Film for Stewart, Mann Set Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 3 Apr 1954: 17.

It was the last film Leigh made under her contract at MGM where she had been for eight years.JANET LEIGH SIGNS CONTRACT AT U.-I.: Actress, Leaving M-G-M After 8 Years, to Make 4 Films -- Also Seeks Columbia Pact By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times. New York Times 17 Apr 1954: 7.

Anne Francis was cast as Raft's moll. Francis described it as "the one part I've been waiting for" and it led to her being signed to a long-term contract by MGM.Actress' Tenacity Pays Off: Tenacity of Anne Francis Gets Results in Hollywood Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times (10 Oct 1954: D1.

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $1,417,000 in the US and Canada and $1,092,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $920,000.

Critical response

Film critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a positive review and wrote, "This is not a new thesis. They've been making movies on it for years. And Rogue Cop is not so exceptional in its construction or performance that it is likely to cause surprise. But it is a well-done melodrama, produced and directed in a hard, crisp style, and it is very well acted by Robert Taylor in the somewhat disagreeable title role...For what it is in the line of crime pictures, there's a lot to be said for Rogue Cop."

The film was banned in several states because police believed that depiction of crooked cops in the film would give juvenile delinquents bad ideas, spurring film critic Pauline Kael to suggest that there was "almost no subject matter left for the mass-audience" and that everyone knew there was "widespread police corruption."

It led to a brief comeback in "A" pictures for George Raft.

Awards

Nominations

Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, John F. Seitz; 1955.

References

"The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
Everett Aaker, ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company, 2013 p 159
Aaker, Everett. (April 19, 2013). "George Raft: The Films". McFarland.
(January 5, 1955). "1954 Box Office Champs".
[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E4D6113EE53BBC4052DFBF66838F649EDE Crowther, Bosly]. ''[[The New York Times]],'' film review, September 18, 1954. Last accessed: January 18, 2008.
"The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael (paperback)".
Vagg, Stephen. (February 9, 2020). "Why Stars Stop Being Stars: George Raft".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::