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The Naked City

"The soul of a city. Her glory stripped! Her passion bared!"

1948-03-04 Crime 1hr 36m

After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.

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The Naked City
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Storyline

After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.

  • Released
    1948-03-04
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 36m
  • Genre
    Crime, Mystery, Thriller
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.5
  • Production
    Universal International Pictures

Crew

Jules Dassin
Director
Albert Maltz
Screenplay
Mark Hellinger
Producer
Keywords:
new york city narration film noir murder docudrama semi-documentary procedural

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Cast

Barry Fitzgerald

Barry Fitzgerald
Lt. Dan Muldoon
Howard Duff

Howard Duff
Frank Niles
Dorothy Hart

Dorothy Hart
Ruth Morrison
Don Taylor

Don Taylor
Jimmy Halloran
Frank Conroy

Frank Conroy
Captain Donahue
Ted de Corsia

Ted de Corsia
Willy Garzah
House Jameson

House Jameson
Dr. Lawrence Stoneman
Anne Sargent

Anne Sargent
Mrs. Halloran
Adelaide Klein

Adelaide Klein
Mrs. Batory
Grover Burgess

Grover Burgess
Mr. Batory
Tom Pedi

Tom Pedi
Detective Perelli
Enid Markey

Enid Markey
Mrs. Hylton
Mark Hellinger

Mark Hellinger
Narrator (voice)
Jean Adair

Jean Adair
Little Old Lady (Uncredited)
Celia Adler

Celia Adler
Dress Shop Proprietor (Uncredited)
Janie Alexander

Janie Alexander
Girl (Uncredited)
Joyce Allen

Joyce Allen
Shopgirl (Uncredited)
Beverly Bayne

Beverly Bayne
Mrs. Stoneman (Uncredited)
Ralph Brooks

Ralph Brooks
Detective (Uncredited)
Harris Brown

Harris Brown
Harvey (Uncredited)
Ralph Bunker

Ralph Bunker
Hoffman (Uncredited)
Walter Burke

Walter Burke
Pater Backalis (Uncredited)
Alexander Campbell

Alexander Campbell
Policeman (Uncredited)
Retta Coleman

Retta Coleman
Crippled Girl (Uncredited)
G. Pat Collins

G. Pat Collins
Charles Meade (Uncredited)
Curt Conway

Curt Conway
Det. Nick (Uncredited)
Russ Conway

Russ Conway
Ambulance Doctor (Uncredited)
Grace Coppin

Grace Coppin
Miss Livingston (Uncredited)
William Cottrell

William Cottrell
Bisbee (Uncredited)
Harold Crane

Harold Crane
Man (Uncredited)
Sarah Cunningham

Sarah Cunningham
Nurse (Uncredited)
Johnny Dale

Johnny Dale
Mr. Stillman (Uncredited)
Denise Doyle

Denise Doyle
Girl (Uncredited)
Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig

Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig
Photographer (Uncredited)
Paul Ford

Paul Ford
Henry Fowler (Uncredited)
Andre D. Foster

Andre D. Foster
Jeweler (Uncredited)
Kathleen Freeman

Kathleen Freeman
Stout Young Woman on an Elevated Train (Uncredited)
Pearl Gaines

Pearl Gaines
Mrs. Hylton's Maid (Uncredited)
Earle Gilbert

Earle Gilbert
Banker (Uncredited)
Bruce Gordon

Bruce Gordon
Cop at Williamsburg Bridge (uncredited)
William E. Green

William E. Green
Man (uncredited)
Raymond Greenleaf

Raymond Greenleaf
City Editor (uncredited)
James Gregory

James Gregory
Patrolman Albert Hicks (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton

Chuck Hamilton
Cop (uncredited)
Robert H. Harris

Robert H. Harris
Druggist (uncredited)
Percy Helton

Percy Helton
Street Cleaner (uncredited)
Bern Hoffman

Bern Hoffman
Wrestler (uncredited)
Cavada Humphrey

Cavada Humphrey
Mother (uncredited)
Edwin Jerome

Edwin Jerome
Publisher (uncredited)
Nicholas Joy

Nicholas Joy
Mr. McCormick (uncredited)
Joe Kerr

Joe Kerr
Ned Harvey (uncredited)
Judson Laire

Judson Laire
Publisher (uncredited)
Perc Launders

Perc Launders
Police Photographer (uncredited)
Marion Leeds

Marion Leeds
Nurse (uncredited)
George Lynn

George Lynn
Detective Fredericks (uncredited)
John Marley

John Marley
Managing Editor (uncredited)
John McQuade

John McQuade
Detective Dace Constantino (uncredited)
Carl Milletaire

Carl Milletaire
Young Man Who Confesses to Dexter Murder (uncredited)
Virginia Mullen

Virginia Mullen
Martha Swenson (uncredited)
Arthur O'Connell

Arthur O'Connell
Sgt. Shaeffer (uncredited)
David Opatoshu

David Opatoshu
Sgt. Dave Miller (uncredited)
Lee Shumway

Lee Shumway
Patrolman (uncredited)
Hester Sondergaard

Hester Sondergaard
Miss Owens (uncredited)
John Randolph

John Randolph
Ed Garzah (uncredited)
William Cottrell

William Cottrell
Bisbee (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Naked City
reviewer avatar

A Review by JPV852 8

Written by JPV852 on 2020-08-29

Entertaining crime-drama featuring some great NYC locales and the performance from Barry Fitzgerald was fun. Not a great film noir so can't ... read more

Entertaining crime-drama featuring some great NYC locales and the performance from Barry Fitzgerald was fun. Not a great film noir so can't say it's a classic in my book, but still a well done film from the 1940s. **3.75/5**

reviewer avatar

A Review by griggs79 4

Written by griggs79 on 2024-11-14

By being filmed on the streets of New York, _Naked City_ is a film that earnestly attempts to bring a sense of realism to the noir genre. Th... read more

By being filmed on the streets of New York, _Naked City_ is a film that earnestly attempts to bring a sense of realism to the noir genre. This ambitious attempt, however, falls short of the mark, lacking the grit and charm that define true noir, and becomes painfully melodramatic. Its effort at authenticity is marred by its excessive voiceover, as Brian Cox's character in _Adaptation._ warned: "And God help you if you use voiceover in your work, my friends. God help you. That's flaccid, sloppy writing." The narration feels like a lazy shortcut that detracts from the visual storytelling instead of enhancing it. This one's all talk, no grit.

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-11-20

There's quite an affecting documentary feel to this film as "Lt. Muldoon" (Barry Fitzgerald) investigates the drowning of model "Jean" in wh... read more

There's quite an affecting documentary feel to this film as "Lt. Muldoon" (Barry Fitzgerald) investigates the drowning of model "Jean" in what should have been the safety of her New York apartment. This cop is no slouch and is quickly dragging his newbie sidekick "Jimmy" (Don Taylor) all over the place in search of clues. Suspicion initially falls on the woman's close friend "Niles" (Howard Duff) but the police are pretty convinced that her maid, and also possibly her best pal "Ruth" (Dorothy Hart), may know more than they're letting on too. When they discover a bottle of sedatives, that some of her jewellery has gone missing and then a corpse floating in the East River the men must wade through a mire of lies, deceit and mis-information from witnesses who seem determined that the truth will never out. Fitzgerald is entirely convincing in this drama. He leads the process with a gritty determination and a plausible eye for not just the detail but the practical. He knows his city and he knows how to best to get results - sometimes using less conventional methods as he and his team start to hone in on the criminal and their MO. Taylor also does well here marrying the rookie approach to his task with a fresh angle less available to his less flexible boss. Hart, too, contributes well but it's really the procedural approach to the crime that sets this apart from standard mysteries. The writing reads as if it is based on real life experiences and also on an understanding of the value of the emerging use of scientific processes and team policing to narrow the field and get to the perpetrators. It takes it's time, but it never drags and there are clues for us watching to piece together too as this untrustworthy bunch look to self preservation more than to solving the killing. This takes a different approach to thriller story-telling and though I found the score a bit intrusive at times, I did enjoy it.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by JPV852

Entertaining crime-drama featuring some great NYC locales and the performance from Barry Fitzgerald was fun. Not a great film noir so can't say it's a classic in my book, but still a well done film from the 1940s. **3.75/5**...

reviewer avatar

A Review by JPV852 8

Written by JPV852 on 2020-08-29

Entertaining crime-drama featuring some great NYC locales and the performance from Barry Fitzgerald was fun. Not a great film noir so can't say it's a classic in my book, but still a well done film fr...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by griggs79 4

Written by griggs79 on 2024-11-14

By being filmed on the streets of New York, _Naked City_ is a film that earnestly attempts to bring a sense of realism to the noir genre. This ambitious attempt, however, falls short of the mark, lack...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-11-20

There's quite an affecting documentary feel to this film as "Lt. Muldoon" (Barry Fitzgerald) investigates the drowning of model "Jean" in what should have been the safety of her New York apartment. Th...

read more