The Clay Pigeon
The Clay Pigeon is a 1949 American film noir directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Carl Foreman, based on a true story. The drama features Bill Williams and Barbara Hale, real-life husband and wife.[2]
| The Clay Pigeon | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release lobby card | |
| Directed by | Richard Fleischer |
| Produced by | Herman Schlom |
| Screenplay by | Carl Foreman |
| Story by | Carl Foreman |
| Starring | Bill Williams Barbara Hale Richard Quine |
| Music by | Paul Sawtell |
| Cinematography | Robert De Grasse |
| Edited by | Samuel E. Beetley |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Jim Fletcher (Williams), a former inmate in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, awakes from a coma at a naval hospital, only to be told he's been accused of murder. Fletcher is not quite certain of his guilt so he escapes from the hospital in search of his best friend, another ex-POW.
Cast
- Bill Williams as Jim Fletcher
- Barbara Hale as Martha Gregory
- Richard Quine as Ted Niles
- Richard Loo as Ken Tokoyama aka The Weasel
- Frank Fenton as Lt. Cmdr. Prentice
- Frank Wilcox as Navy Hospital Doctor
- Marya Marco as Helen Minoto
- Robert Bray as Gunsel Blake
- Martha Hyer as Miss Harwick, Wheeler's Receptionist
- Harold Landon as Blind Veteran
- James Craven as John Wheeler
Reception
Critical response
Time Out film reviews wrote of the film, "Directed by Fleischer with tight, spare energy, although the implausible script and bland leading performances (with Hale as the dead friend's wife, initially hostile but soon losing her heart) make it much inferior to The Narrow Margin.[3]
References
- "The Clay Pigeon: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- The Clay Pigeon at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- Time Out Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine. Film reviews, 2008. Last accessed: February 16, 2008.