Sometimes Columbia took a good story and trashed it. A Lawless Street is a good example. Columbia gave the project a B-List writer, a B-List producer a B-List Director, and a B-List supporting cast. Not surprisingly, Columbia came out with a B-List film. Considering what Columbia aspired to in the 50s, the result was probably not unexpected. The two stars had previously shown they were worthy of A-List projects, but studios weren't adverse to putting their best contract players in whatever would keep them working, since, working or not, they were getting paid. The result was, all-too-often, films such as A Lawless Street. Both Randolph Scott and Angela Lansbury were better than this, and their work in the film has flashes of their better work. Maybe someone will discover this buried treasure and give it the A-List rewrite it deserves.
Review of A Lawless Street
