THE BLOODHOUNDS OF BROADWAY

US, 1952, 89 minutes, Colour.
Mitzi Gaynor, Scott Brady, George Jessell.
Directed by Harmon Jones.

The Bloodhounds of Broadway is an entertaining Damon Runyon story. Runyon's popular gangster stories have been filmed many times, Little Miss Marker, Guys and Dolls. This film was an early vehicle for Mitzi Gaynor and for Scott Brady, in the days when he was expected to be a screen hero rather than a character actor. Colourful humorous entertainment from producer-actor George Jessell.

1. Entertaining comedy? Musical? Piece of Americana?

2. Colour photography, re-creation of period? Songs, choreography?

3. Damon Runyon and his stories? Ironic characters and situations? Pleasing caricatures? Comment on society through humour?

4. The plausibility of the plot? The gangsters? The orphans? The strange meeting of the two? New York society? Nightclubs? The encounter of Numbers and Emily-Ann? The happy resolution of the plot?

5. The sketch of Numbers? His genius for calculation, the running of the nightclub, bookmakers, gambling? Encounters with the police? His friends? The moving to New York? Being stranded in the country? Emily-Ann? The bloodhounds? Emily-Ann? falling in love with Numbers? Her success? The exposure and the prison? Emily-Ann? waiting?

6. Mitzi Gaynor's charm as Emily-Ann? As orphan, falling in love, cabaret success? Waiting?

7. The presentation of the orphanage? The people at the orphanage? Expected types?

8. The range of gangster characters: appearance, names, manners? Paulie, Shamus, Dave the Dude, Ropes McGonile?, Lookout Louis? The gangsters' girlfriends?

9. Comedy routines? Musical numbers? The blend of humour and sentiment? A pleasant piece of Americana?