Night and the City (1950)
Night and the City is a 1950 film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. Shot on location in London and at Shepperton Studios, the plot revolves around an ambitious hustler who meets continuous failures.
The film contains a very tough and prolonged fight scene between Stanislaus Zbyszko, a celebrated professional wrestler in real life, and Mike Mazurki, who before becoming an actor was himself a professional wrestler.
Director – Jules Dassin
Writers – Jo Eisinger (screen play), Gerald Kersh (novel), Austin Dempster (contributing writer)
Cast –
Richard Widmark as Harry Fabian
Gene Tierney as Mary Bristol (singing voice dubbed by Maudie Edwards)
Googie Withers as Helen Nosseross
Hugh Marlowe as Adam Dunne
Francis L. Sullivan as Phil Nosseross, Silver Fox Club
Herbert Lom as Kristo
Aubrey Dexter as Mr Chilk
Maureen Delany as Anna Siberia/O’Leary
Stanislaus Zbyszko as Gregorius the Great
Mike Mazurki as The Strangler
Ada Reeve as Molly
Charles Farrell as Mickey Beer
Ken Richmond as Nikolas of Athens
Edward Chapman as Hoskins
James Hayter as Figler
Gibb McLaughlin as Googin (uncredited)
Dirk Bogarde (uncredited)
Adelaide Hall (scenes cut from the final edit)
Watch “Night and the City” (1950)
Plot
Harry Fabian is an ambitious American hustler and con man on the make in London. He maintains a fractured relationship with the honest Mary Bristol, nightclub owner and businessman Phil Nosseross, and Helen, who is Phil’s scheming wife.
While attempting a con at a wrestling match, Fabian witnesses Gregorius, a veteran Greek wrestler, arguing with his son Kristo, who has organised the fight, and who effectively controls all wrestling in London. After denouncing Kristo’s event as tasteless exhibitionism that shames the sport’s Greco-Roman traditions, Gregorius leaves with Nikolas, a fellow wrestler.
Fabian catches up with the two and befriends them, having realised that he can host wrestling in London without interference from Kristo if he can persuade his father to support the enterprise.
Fabian approaches Phil and Helen with his proposal, then asks for an investment. Incredulous, Phil offers to provide half of the required £400, if Fabian can equal it. Desperate, Fabian asks Figler, a panhandler and unofficial head of an informal society of street criminals, Googin, a forger, and Anna, a Thameside smuggler, but none can offer any help.
Fabian is eventually approached by Helen, who offers the £200 in exchange for a licence to continue running her own nightclub, having obtained the money by selling an expensive fur Phil recently bought for her. Fabian agrees, but tricks Helen by having Googin forge the licence.
Meanwhile, Phil is visited by associates of Kristo, who warn him to keep Fabian away from London’s wrestling scene. Already suspecting Helen of duplicity, Phil neglects to warn Fabian, who proceeds to open his own gym with Gregorius and Nikolas as the stars, and Phil as a silent partner.
A furious Kristo visits the gym, only to discover that his father is supporting Fabian’s endeavour. Meeting with Phil, the two plot to kill Fabian, but realise that they can only do so if Gregorius leaves Fabian. Phil meets with Fabian and removes his backing, suggesting that Fabian get Nikolas and The Strangler, a showy wrestler favoured by Kristo, into the ring together to keep the business going, knowing that Gregorius would never allow it.
Finding The Strangler’s manager, Mickey Beer, Fabian convinces him to support the fight, and taunts The Strangler into confronting Gregorius and Nikolas. Gregorius agrees to the fight, convinced by Fabian that it will prove that his traditional style of wrestling is superior. Beer asks Fabian for £200 to cover his fee, so Fabian asks Phil for the money. Instead, Phil calls Kristo, informing him that The Strangler is in Fabian’s gym.
Betrayed, Fabian steals the money from Mary, and returns to the gym. However, The Strangler goads Gregorius into a prolonged and brutal fight, during which Nikolas’ wrist is broken.
Gregorius eventually defeats The Strangler in the ring as Kristo arrives, but dies minutes later in his son’s arms from exhaustion. Seeing that both his business and protection are lost, Fabian flees.
In revenge of his father’s death, Kristo puts a £1,000 bounty on Fabian’s head, sending word to all of London’s underworld. Fabian is hunted through the night, first by Kristo’s men, then by Figler, who attempts to trap Fabian for the reward. Convinced that her licence is authentic, Helen leaves Phil, only to discover that the work is a worthless forgery.
She returns to Phil in desperation, only to discover that he has committed suicide, leaving everything to Molly, the club’s elderly cleaner and flower stand operator.
Fabian eventually finds shelter at Anna’s scow on the Thames, but has already been tracked down by Kristo. Mary arrives, and Fabian attempts to redeem himself by shouting to Kristo that Mary betrayed him, so that she will get the reward. As he runs towards where Kristo is standing on Hammersmith Bridge, he is caught and killed by The Strangler, who throws his body into the river. The Strangler is arrested moments later, and Kristo walks away from the scene.