In the annals of movie villainy, few careers can boast of such colorful characters as Richard Widmark's, by all accounts a talented, scandal-free, thoroughly decent solid citizen in real life, who played some of the quirkiest, most gleefully despicable evildoers in movie history. Widmark, a theater actor, was signed to a seven-year contract by 20th Century Fox and made a spectacular film debut in 1947 as the sadistic thug in Kiss of Death, unleashing a maniacal giggle and exuding genuine menace. The following year, he played another creepy villain in another film noir, The Street With No Name, but this time his menace is icier and more controlled-- he's a smartly-dressed mob boss gone corporate, heading up a large and successful crime operation in "Center City" (with impressive location shooting in suitably sketchy Los Angeles neighborhoods). Widmark made it clear once and for all that his spectacular performance in Kiss of Death was no fluke.

The Street With No Name gets off to an unpromising start but becomes a gripping thriller. The film begins with the FBI's logo (in much the same way as the 1960s and 1970s television series, The FBI did) and a written statement from FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover warning that "organized gangsterism is returning." It continues with staccato narration, spending a bit too much time on documentary-style footage of FBI employees at work. Then it introduces Mark Stevens, as a stalwart agent who goes undercover (using the tongue-in-cheek pseudonym George Manly) as a boxer in order to infiltrate the crime ring. But once the movie gets down to business and Widmark shows up about twenty minutes in--a great entrance, sharply dressed, surrounded by thugs, and casually eating an apple--the film comes to life. From then on, it's Widmark's film, and he makes the most of his character's idiosyncrasies, such as using an inhaler and being afraid of drafts. And, as in Kiss of Death, he has a terrific death scene.

With The Street With No Name, the public and the critics sat up and took notice of Widmark. "No actor yet has managed to move in the furtive, feline way that this fellow does, and few have shown us such cruelty in the face. His timing and tension are perfect and the timber of his voice is that of filthy water going down a sewer," raved Bosley Crowther of the New York Times. Crowther's review had high praise for the entire production, calling it "A sizzling crime film....William Keighley has directed it swiftly and with sharp emphasis and, as a consequence, it packs the old punch."

The Street With No Name did well at the box office, and Widmark played another villain in his next film, Yellow Sky (1948). The poster for that film featured stars Gregory Peck and Ann Baxter in an embrace, and Widmark sneering. Over the years, Widmark was able to demonstrate his versatility, playing heroic roles and complex characters as well as villains. But his most memorable performances arguably remained those terrifying sociopaths he played at the beginning of his film career.

Director: William Keighley
Producer: Samuel G. Engel
Screenplay: Harry Kleiner
Cinematography: Joe MacDonald
Editor: William Reynolds
Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler
Music: Lionel Newman
Principal Cast: Mark Stevens (Gene Cordell/George Manly), Richard Widmark (Alec Stiles), Lloyd Nolan (Inspector George A. Briggs), Barbara Lawrence (Judy Stiles), Ed Begley (Police Chief Bernard Harmatz), Donald Buka (Shivvy), Joseph Pevney (Matty), John McIntire (Cy Gordon)
91 minutes

by Margarita Landazuri