Chicago Calling

"$53 means life or death to him!"

Jan 11 1952 N/A 1h 15m
Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller

Bill Cannon (Dan Duryea) loses everything to alcohol: his job, his family, his self-respect. Soon after his wife and daughter leave him, he receives word his little girl has been injured in a car accident outside Chicago. His wife will call later with news, but Bill’s short the $53 he needs to keep his phone from being disconnected. Filled with anguish, he heads out onto the Los Angeles streets to find some way to come up with the cash. As his character encounters expected cruelty and unexpected kindness, Duryea takes what might have been mere melodrama and turns it into a perceptive examination of one shattered soul. The other fine star of this race-against-the-clock programmer is an unglamorous, lunch-bucket L.A. rarely captured on film.

Plot

A poor father makes monumental efforts to get money to keep his phone installed, so he can get word on his critically injured little daughter.

Written by

John Reinhardt, Peter Berneis

Directed by

John Reinhardt

Cast

Dan Duryea, Mary Anderson, Gordon Gebert

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Arrowhead Pictures

Languages

English, Deutsch

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
386
Average Rating
7.1 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA