{{Short description|1953 film noir directed by Phil Karlson}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = 99 River Street | image = 99riverstreet.jpg | alt = | caption = theatrical release poster | director = [[Phil Karlson]] | producer = [[Edward Small]] | screenplay = Robert Smith | story = [[George Zuckerman]] | based_on = "Crosstown" (short story, in ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'', October 1945) by [[George Zuckerman]] | narrator = | starring = [[John Payne (actor)|John Payne]]<br>[[Evelyn Keyes]] | music = [[Arthur Lange]]<br>[[Emil Newman]] | cinematography = [[Franz Planer]] | editing = Buddy Small | studio = World Films (Edward Small Productions) | distributor = [[United Artists]] | released = {{Film date|1953|8|21|LA|1953|10|2|NYC|1953|10|3|U.S.}} | runtime = 82-83 minutes<ref name=afi /> | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }}

'''''99 River Street''''' is a 1953 [[film noir]] directed by [[Phil Karlson]] and starring [[John Payne (actor)|John Payne]] and [[Evelyn Keyes]]. It also features [[Brad Dexter]], [[Frank Faylen]] and [[Peggie Castle]]. The screenplay is by Robert Smith based on a short story by [[George Zuckerman]]. The film was produced by [[Edward Small]], with cinematography by [[Franz Planer]].<ref>{{IMDb title|id=0045465|title=99 River Street}}.</ref>

==Plot== Ernie Driscoll is a New York taxi driver and former boxer who retired from the ring after sustaining a severe injury. His unhappy wife Pauline is having an affair with well-heeled jewel thief Victor Rawlins. An arrangement that Rawlins made for a batch of stolen diamonds is scuttled, and his [[Fence (criminal)|fence]] indicates that Pauline's presence impeded the deal. Trying to save the deal, Rawlins kills Pauline and attempts to frame Driscoll for the murder. With the help of a female acquaintance, Driscoll tries to find Rawlins before he can escape the country.

==Cast== {{stack|[[File:Evelyn keyes in 99 river street.jpg|thumb|right|237px|[[Evelyn Keyes]] in the film's trailer]]}}

* [[John Payne (actor)|John Payne]] as Ernie Driscoll * [[Evelyn Keyes]] as Linda James * [[Brad Dexter]] as Victor Rawlins * [[Frank Faylen]] as Stan Hogan * [[Peggie Castle]] as Pauline Driscoll * [[Jay Adler]] as Christopher * [[Jack Lambert (American actor)|Jack Lambert]] as Mickey * [[Glenn Langan]] as Lloyd Morgan * [[Eddy Waller]] as Pop Durkee * John Day as Bud * [[Ian Wolfe]] as Waldo Daggett * [[Peter Leeds]] as Nat Finley * [[William Tannen]] as director * [[Gene Reynolds]] as Chuck * [[Paul Bryar]] as Bartender

==Production== The rights to George Zuckerman's short story "Crosstown" were originally purchased by producer [[Albert Zugsmith]], who sold them to Edward Small. In keeping with the source story, the film was originally known as ''Crosstown'',<ref>Staff (March 13, 1953) review ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> but the title was changed two months before the film's release.<ref name="intro">Muller, Eddie (April 7, 2019) Intro to the [[Turner Classic Movies]] presentation</ref>

[[Linda Darnell]] was Small's first choice to play the female lead, a role that was awarded to Evelyn Keyes.<ref name="afi">{{AFI film|50960}}</ref>

==Reception== Critic Oscar Godbout of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called ''99 River Street'' "one of those tasteless melodramas peopled with unpleasant hoods, two-timing blondes and lots of sequences of what purports to be everyday life in the underworld" and wrote: "To say that this film is offensive would be kind; to point out that it induces an irritated boredom would be accurate. The defendants in this artistic felony are Robert Smith, the scenarist, and Phil Karlson, the director. It is interesting to ponder how Mr. Karlson managed to slip some objectionable scenes past the production code. Maybe it was just artistic license."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Godbout |first=Oscar |date=1953-10-03 |title=Melodrama of Murder |url= |access-date= |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=14 |language= |issn=}}</ref>

In its review of the film, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote: "It's as plotty as a comic-strip serial ... And so action-thick that sometimes the actors seem to stumble over the plot. Also the tale follows the modern pattern of having the hero suffer and suffer while the heroine follows along to pick up the pieces and do the rescuing."<ref>{{Cite news |date=1953-09-19 |title='99 River Street' Thick in Melodramatic Plot |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=9}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} * {{IMDb title|id=0045465|title=99 River Street}} * {{TCMDb title|id=13209|title=99 River Street}} * [http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/dvd_reviews53/99_river_street.htm ''99 River Street''] informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images) * {{YouTube|FYY48zTTsDk|''99 River Street'' film trailer}}

{{Phil Karlson}} {{Edward Small}}

[[Category:1953 films]] [[Category:1953 crime drama films]] [[Category:American crime drama films]] [[Category:American black-and-white films]] [[Category:American boxing films]] [[Category:1953 English-language films]] [[Category:Film noir]] [[Category:Films directed by Phil Karlson]] [[Category:Films scored by Emil Newman]] [[Category:Films set in New York City]] [[Category:United Artists films]] [[Category:Films produced by Edward Small]] [[Category:Films scored by Arthur Lange]] [[Category:1953 American films]] [[Category:English-language crime drama films]]