Posted on 09/16/2025 10:23:19 AM PDT by simpson96
Rooney plays Dan Brady, a mechanic in Santa Monica. A regular guy who wants something just a little out of reach - a date with a pretty girl and a chance to feel like more than just a grease monkey.
The girl's name is Vera, a seductive diner waitress played by Jeanne Cagney (yes...Jimmy’s sister), who turns out to be far more manipulative than she first appears.
Dan’s descent starts with something as small as “borrowing” $20 from the shop register to impress Vera. That one choice snowballs fast...suddenly he’s tangled up in situations where each one makes you sit on the edge of your seat a little more...
Quicksand (1950, film noir full movie - Mickey Rooney, Peter Lorre)
*ping*
And suddenly, for some reason, I realized this film would fall short.
A most excellent movie. Seen it countless times.
Borrowing the 20 dollars from the shop register so that he could have money for his date with the waitress, he figures he can replace the borrowed 20 on payday. Only for the shops accountant to come earlier than expected to count out the shops receipts.
Panicking, he walks the street, wondering how hes going to replace the 20. He runs across a jewelery store that is offering for sale a 100 dollar watch for one dollar down and 10 dollars a month. So, he buys a watch and then turns around to a pawn shop and hocks it for 30 dollars. Only to be approached by a detective who informs him that the watch he pawned wasnt yet his to pawn. And that he has to either pay for the watch in full for one hundred dollars or go to jail, etc.
Another noir film I like is Scarlet Street starring Edward G. Robinson
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