Film

Pier 23

Name: Pier 23
Director: William Berke
Released: 1951
Rating: 5.1
Cast: Hugh Beaumont, Ann Savage, Edward Brophy, Mike Mazurki, Richard Travis

1951 · 58 min · ★ 5.1 · Dir. William Berke

GANGLAND GALAHAD! He's a cop's pet peeve... and a gal's pet passion!

Pier 23 was one of three hour-long mysteries produced by Lippert Productions for both TV and theatrical release. Each of the three films was evenly divided into two half-hour "episodes," and each starred Hugh Beaumont as San Francisco-based amateur sleuth Dennis O'Brien. In Pier 23, O'Brien first tackles the case of a wrestler who has died of a suspicious heart attack after refusing to lose a match. He then agrees to help a priest talk an escaped criminal into returning to prison. The film's two-part structure leads to repetition and predictability, but it's fun to watch TV's "Ward Cleaver" making like Philip Marlowe.