Johnny Allegro (1949)

Johnny Allegro is a 1949 American film noir directed by Ted Tetzlaff and starring George Raft. An ex-gangster (Raft), temporarily working as a federal agent, runs afoul of a counterfeiting crime lord (Macready) who enjoys hunting. It was one of several thrillers Raft made in the late 1940s.

Director – Ted Tetzlaff

Writers – Karen DeWolf (screen play), Guy Endore (screen play), James Edward Grant (story)

Cast –
George Raft as Johnny Allegro
Nina Foch as Glenda Chapman
George Macready as Morgan Vallin
Will Geer as Schultzy
Gloria Henry as Addie
Ivan Triesault as Pelham Vetch
Harry Antrim as Pudgy
William ‘Bill’ Phillips as Roy

Watch “Johnny Allegro” (1949)

Plot

Johnny Allegro (George Raft) escaped from prison in New York and is trying to rebuild his life working as a florist in a large hotel in Los Angeles. He meets Glenda Chapman (Nina Foch) when she asks for his help in avoiding police detectives who are following her. But Treasury agents ask Allegro to help them by working undercover for them to stop the plot that Glenda is involved in. Allegro has no choice but to cooperate because they know that he is an escaped prisoner. At the same time Glenda and Allegro are falling in love even though Glenda is married. Glenda takes Allegro with her to an island off the coast of Florida where Morgan Vallin (George MacReady), her husband, is the mastermind of a plot to bring down the American government by flooding the U.S. economy with counterfeit currency.

Vallin is a sadistic criminal who enjoys toying with his victims. He doesn’t trust Allegro nor even his wife. Allegro manages to contact the Treasury agents with a short wave radio on one of the boats at the wharf. Allegro finds out where the counterfeit bills are hidden on the island. The Treasury agents arrive after Allegro kills Vallin in a desperate fight. The agents tell Allegro that he can rest easy about returning to prison now that his cooperation has resulted in the end of the threat. As they all sit in the boat leaving the island, Allegro and Glenda hug.