The Killer That Stalked New York

Released Dec 1, 1950

1h 19m

Drama

List

20%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

31%

Audience Score

50+ Ratings

In New York, Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) and her spouse, Matt Krane (Charles Korvin), are trying to unload a trove of rare jewels they smuggled into America from Cuba, but the police are hot on the couple's trail. Meanwhile, government officials begin a desperate search for an unknown individual who is infecting the city with smallpox. When the cops discover that Sheila has the virus, they team up to find and quarantine her as she continues to unwittingly pass her sickness on to others.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Unfortunately, the script of Harry Essex, based on a factual magazine piece, has a bad tendency to ramble and to confuse two separate hunts. And the performances of the principal characters, while adequate, have little punch.

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 29, 2007

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...[a] satisfying piece of work that couldn't possibly be more relevant in 2021.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 12, 2021

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

A second-tier film noir of the 1950s

Rated: C+

Apr 5, 2011

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Seanax.com

... it plays as a kind of low-budget retake on Panic in the Streets and Earl McEvoy spends more time with the officials than with the crooks, who are far more interesting.

Feb 7, 2010

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

There's not much in the way of thrills or surprises in this minor film noir.

Rated: C

Sep 24, 2007

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nick s

A little like a classic disaster movie, the movie struggled to dump information on the audience in an organic way. It used exposition and narration, which came at the cost of immersion. It's a shame because the acting and sets were good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

With the Covid virus making most of us more sensitive to the vast killing potential of a pandemic, this 1950 movie about a Smallpox outbreak in New York is especially dramatic now more than 70 years later. My problem with the film is the lack of a captivating lead for the role of Dr. Ben Wood. William Bishop is the actor entrusted with the role and he simply fails to pierce through as he tries to track down the carrier of the disease (well played by Evelyn Keyes). Even his nurse (Dorothy Malone) fends off his advances. He's just too dull.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

deke p

very timely now during WuFlu pandemic, about a SMALLPOX pandemic threatening NYC, USA & the worl. Never heard of until saw on the movie channel 7.2.2020.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

stu b

Call this one an overcooked piece of public health propaganda. When diamond smuggler Evelyn Keyes returns to New York from Cuba, she's carrying with her a lot more than just a handful of sparklers; she's also been infected with smallpox, and soon--waxen-faced and wobbly--she's spreading it to everyone around her. As citizens drop like flies, and the police and health departments try desperately to track down the source of the plague (even as they attempt to inoculate everyone in the city--no small task), her sleazy, two-timing, partner-in-crime husband carries out nefarious plans of his own. With its overly earnest doctors, flummoxed nurses, and laughably ubiquitous (and completely unnecessary) voice-over narration, it's quite an experience. For fans of cinematic oddities only.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/19/18

Full Review

Audience Member

Good old fashioned supsense.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a fair to good film noir involving smugglers and a small pox epidemic good noir lighting to

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Earl McEvoy

Director

Evelyn Keyes

Sheila Bennet

Charles Korvin

Matt Krane

William Bishop

Dr. Ben Wood

Harry Essex

Writer

Robert Cohn

Producer

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Synopsis

In New York, Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) and her spouse, Matt Krane (Charles Korvin), are trying to unload a trove of rare jewels they smuggled into America from Cuba, but the police are hot on the couple's trail. Meanwhile, government officials begin a desperate search for an unknown individual who is infecting the city with smallpox. When the cops discover that Sheila has the virus, they team up to find and quarantine her as she continues to unwittingly pass her sickness on to others.

Director: Earl McEvoy
Producer: Robert Cohn
Screenwriter: Harry Essex
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 1, 1950, Original
Release Date (DVD): Feb 9, 2010
Runtime: 1h 19m
Sound Mix: Mono

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