The Hoodlum (1951)
“They begged for his freedom. They paid for it.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
Lawrence Tierney, noir's great heavy, plays Vincent Lubeck, a remorseless career criminal sprung from prison only because his dying mother begs the parole board. Put to work at his straight-arrow brother's gas station, Vincent betrays everyone who tries to help him — seducing his brother's fiancée and using the station to case an armored-car robbery. The low-budget production leans entirely on Tierney's coiled menace, and it delivers a bleak, fatalistic spiral toward tragedy. It is a hard, mean little gangster noir.
Cast
About the Director
Max Nosseck — Max Nosseck, who had earlier directed Tierney in the title role of Dillinger, again builds a film around the actor's authentic ferocity. The threadbare budget shows, but Nosseck stages the heist and its grim aftermath with tabloid punch. Casting Lawrence's real brother Edward as the virtuous sibling sharpens the family contrast.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Produced by Jack Schwarz Productions and distributed by Eagle-Lion in 1951, the film's US copyright was not renewed after its first term and it passed into the public domain. It is listed on Wikipedia's roll of public-domain American films.
Behind the Scenes
The film was a quickie independent production riding the late-cycle gangster-noir wave, built to exploit Lawrence Tierney's tough-guy persona. Director Max Nosseck and Tierney had previously paired on the 1945 hit Dillinger. Edward Tierney, Lawrence's brother, plays the upstanding sibling, mirroring the film's good-brother/bad-brother spine. It survives today mainly through public-domain prints.
Did You Know?
- Lawrence Tierney's real-life brother Edward plays his on-screen brother Johnny.
- Director Max Nosseck had previously directed Tierney in Dillinger (1945).
- The film runs barely over an hour, a true B-picture programmer.
- Tierney's volatile off-screen reputation closely echoed the violent characters he specialized in playing.
Reception & Legacy
Dismissed as a cheap programmer on release, the film has since drawn cult attention from noir fans for Tierney's pure-menace performance. Critics note its grimy fatalism and economy. It is valued more as a Tierney showcase than as a polished production.
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Fear in the Night
Too Late for Tears
He Walked by Night