I, THE JURY (1953)

Bestsellers back in the day, surely the old Mickey Spillane potboilers with detective Mike Hammer couldn’t have been this bad.  On page delivering an edgy ‘50s thrill, presumably for their frank sex & violence, this initial Spillane film is pure amateurville.  (Make that puerile amateurville; so bad, you wonder if they’re ‘kidding on the square' or merely incompetent.)  Laughably written & ineptly directed by episodic tv man Harry Essex, this independent production wastes such notable talent as producer Victor Saville, composer Franz Waxman & lenser John Alton on a loopy tale of murder & revenge as Mike looks to uncover the killer of his one-armed pal.  Shot in 3D, but released ‘flat’ which perhaps explains the OTT acting from vets like Hammer’s boss Preston Foster as well as debuting lead Biff Eliot, maxi-intense, hopelessly over-parted.  Perhaps a film festival 3D presentation would perk things all the way up to campy fun.  Nah.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  Two reasons to watch: The incredible interior where Hammer has his office, the Bradbury Building (those elevators!).  The building still stands, still seen on screen, now with close to 100 appearances.  Reason #2 below . . . 

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT/LINK: The second reason to watch is to better appreciate just how well THE BAND WAGON/”53 caught Spillane’s self-parodistic voice in the Vincente Minnelli/Michael Kidd ‘Girl Hunt’ Ballet with Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse.  The great musical released exactly one week before JURY came out.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-band-wagon-1953.html