Johnny Allegro

Moviecut—Johnny Allegro

source: Johnny Allegro

An ex-gangster (Raft), now a florist, is hired by a federal agent to go undercover and keep tabs on Nina Foch, and after a nifty set-up, Nina takes him to an island where her crime lord husband (Macready), who enjoys hunting humans for sport, playing with his bow and arrow, revelling in the comforts of his room regaled with trophies, and relaxes to classical music, reigns supreme. Cautiously he integrates Raft into his crime ring, and Raft has the tenuous task to get enough info to get Macready arrested. One of my fave Raft thrillers, Johnny Allegro goes at a nippy pace, is thoroughly engaging, and the ending -a la the most Dangerous Game - is a tense one. Stone-faced tough guy Raft is his usual reliable self, delivering wry quips, countering Macready's sanctimonious and snobby commentary. But Macready, a scene stealer as the bow and arrow-toting villain, has some good lines ("But your type never changes. Just looking at you makes one think of alley fighting, tommy guns."). Just love his voice, has enough menace to shame a rattler. The beautiful Nina Foch is very good as his wife. Highly enjoyable Raft thriller.

**SPOILERS** Tough guy George Raft is fugitive from the law Johnny Rock who's now on the lamb as the genteel and soft spoken hotel florist Johnny Allgero trying to live his life on the straight and narrow. That's until Johnny runs into, while delivering flowers, mystery woman Glenda Chapman, Nina Foch, who's being tracked down by the US Treasury Department. Not at first knowing what he's getting himself into, in his involvement with Glenda, Johnny is soon contacted by US Treasury Agent Schulty, Will Green, who fills him in on all the details. It seems that Glenda's husband Morgan Vallin, George MacReady, together with his Commie secret agents is in the process of destroying the US economy by passing off as much as a half billion dollars in counterfeit money while playing the horses at the local, Hialeah & Gulfstream, Florida racetracks. This gets real serious, which is why the US Government is now taking a keen interest in it, in that Vallin is in fact, even though it's not mentioned in the movie, a paid Soviet Agent himself who's working for the NKVD to undermine with his two Soviet controllers Vetch & Gote, Ivan Triesdault & Walter Rode, the US currency exchange by devaluation the US Dollar in flooding the country, as well as the world, with fake US currency! It's now Johnny's job, like it or not, to stop Vallin and his Commie friends from passing hundreds of millions of fake US dollars through racetracks and casinos by getting in good with him and finding out where he has the phony money stashed! If Johnny succeeds he's get a pardon from the President that will have his sentence of ten years behind bars, at Sing Sing Prison, reduced to time served! Johnny using his wit charm as well as tough guy good looks soon get's Glenda to see things his way in going against her scare-faced husband Vallin and his gang who was keeping her in the dark about what his sinister motives are. Glenda thought that he was just a run of the mill Hollywood type gangster not a Communist Agent planing to destroy her, as well as 150 million other Americans, way of life! Even though George Raft was in his mid fifties at the time he did look and act convincingly, as Johnny Allegro, as the no BS sh*t-kicking though guy that we all got to know and love in his younger days in the many previous gangster films he stared in. We learned earlier in the movie that Johnny while on the lamb from the law did his patriotic duty by joining the O.S.S, predecessor to the C.I.A, and US paratroopers, while in his late 40's, to fight the Japs in the Pacifc! That despite the fact that Johnny was a fugitive from the law at the time that he did it!

This is an interesting film for its supporting cast. If you see the film, look for Gloria Henry (Dennis' mom from the TV show "Dennis the Menace") and Will Geer. You don't see a young Will Geer in many films, as he was blacklisted not too long after he made this film due to his very liberal politics (even by Hollywood standards). As for Henry, it's tough to recognize her at first, as she is very fast-talking and a bit fresh--and quite cute. She just doesn't look or act much like Dennis' mom! The film stars George Raft during his 'wooden phase'. After he was no longer a tough-guy with Warner Brothers (in the 30s and early 40s), he settled into a long string of much more sedate roles--playing heroic types with very little energy in his performances. It was like the tough persona was in slow-motion in these later films--not exactly unpleasant but with very little of the bravura and intensity of his earlier roles...and a bit wooden. You may not have noticed this, but I've seen enough of his films to see there is a clear difference--and many of the films were made by second-tier studios such as Columbia as well as some UK productions. I noticed another reviewer said Raft is "a bit bland at times" and this is clearly the case in his post-war films--they just lack zip! This film finds the ex-con Johnny Allegro (Raft) getting tangled up in a killing, as he appears to kill a cop. However, after he makes his escape with the dame (Nina Foch), you learn that the shooting was a ruse--and Apollo's gun loaded with blanks as he's working with Federal agents! Why? Because they wanted someone to infiltrate the criminal empire run by a creepy and probably sexually impotent man (George Macready). Can Apollo get to in good with the gang? Will he be killed by the gang? Can he, somehow, still get the girl? Will the audience by a 54 year-old man as an action hero? Overall, this is a pleasant little noir film from Columbia. While it's not great film noir and Raft has definitely done better stuff, it's a good but rather slow-paced gangster film. With a bit more energy and an actor who didn't appear a bit old for the role, it might have been a bit better. But as for Macready, it's another excellent menacing performance--as no one could do BAD quite like him!

While Raft never does any role is any way but very straight forward, the image of the hero is just too starched. Raft ends up on a tropical island without a change of clothes yet in the succeeding days he always appears in the same suit and tie, often with a hat, always perfect. He runs through the steaming jungle and never appears sweaty - what a hero! It is these kinds of conceits that seemed so cool now make these B thrillers just silly. The mastermind, George MacCready, with his smooth evil voice was the real star; the unlikely use of a bow and arrow as his offensive weapon of choice, along with the ease with which this slightly built man drew back the nominally 70 lb bow, made everything fun. No this things don't have to make sense, but they were enjoyable and exciting when the world was simpler and young.

Columbia was known for often having tighter budgets than the other major studios, but this is a worthy effort. One good point is that they use plenty of exteriors, especially with motor boats and on the mysterious island where most of the story takes place. Raft, Foch and Macready all are very good. The feeling of this movie is much like that of "Key Largo", which was around the same time. The pacing of the film is enjoyable, and there are no slow stretches. There is a lot of character development for viewers to appreciate. The villain of the story would be worthy of a James Bond movie! The front door to his mansion is the biggest front door I've ever seen, worthy of a castle. Take special notice of the villain's huge library room--it's a virtuoso display of imaginative and evocative set decoration. The designer had a lot of fun with that! The movie is a fine example of late 1940's film noir. Raft gives a thoughtful, understated performance. Foch is sultry. Well worth seeing.

Good crime/gangster film which, as Leonard Maltin notes, has similar elements to 'The Most Dangerous Game' throughout much of its second half. George Raft plays the title character, a reformed hoodlum, who now runs a florist shop (!!) in a hotel. He encounters a mysterious blonde, of the femme fatale variety, and winds up involved in a counterfeiting operation. Most of the action then takes place on an island off Florida where the womens husband is a tall, blonde master-criminal who enjoys hunting with a bow and arrow. Everything here is above average and the film comes together in all areas very well. The interplay between Allegro and the evil, sophisticated Morgan Vallin, is similar to many a James Bond film with mutual distrust and respect between the two antagonists. With good performances all round, a brisk plot and the inventiveness of the storyline, 'Johnny Allegro' is well worth watching for B-movie fans. The director was better known as a cinematographer, and his obvious skills are shown to good effect.

Another one of those that is Forced into the Film-Noir Genre and yet Another "Johnny" Crime Movie. It's a Story about an X-Con Trying to make Amends. The Government is Involved in a Counterfeit Scheme by Foreign Enemies to Weaken America's Economy. A Fine Production with Sprawling Locations, some Good Sets, and a Villain's Villain George MaCready Playing a Character Named Vallin. Nina Foch is Not a Beauty's Beauty but is Beautiful Enough to Attract the Dead-Panned George Raft in yet Another Dull Static Performance. The Film Looks Great but is Hardly Noir and MaCready's Weapon of Choice (a bow and arrow) is just Awkward. Meant to be Eccentric but comes off as Silly. Worth a Watch for the Overall but Nothing Special.

Johnny Allegro (George Raft) is a florist in Los Angeles with a dark secret. Femme fatale Glenda Chapman (Nina Foch) gets him to help elude the police. Treasury Department agents blackmail him into going undercover to discover her secret plot. Setting up the plot is a little bit wonky and a little rushed. Raft does fine but this cannot rise above its B-movie nature. There is also an element of James Bond villainy and trying to be high class style. I sorta expected Allegro to order a martini although Raft is definitely no Bond. The movie is trying to be a few things at the same time but it falls a little flat. The tension is never raised that high. The bow and arrow is probably the definition of that. It's a little odd but it's not intense. It's also a little camp like summer camp. I'm giving this a passing grade.