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The Human Jungle (film)

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The Human Jungle
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph M. Newman
Written byDaniel Fuchs
William Sackheim
Produced byHayes Goetz
StarringGary Merrill
Jan Sterling
Regis Toomey
CinematographyEllis W. Carter
Edited bySam Fields
Music byHans J. Salter
Production
company
Distributed byAllied Artists Pictures
Release date
  • October 3, 1954 (1954-10-03)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million[1]

The Human Jungle is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Gary Merrill, Jan Sterling and Regis Toomey.[2] It was produced and distributed by the Hollywood studio Allied Artists.

Plot

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Under pressure to clean up crime in the streets, Abe Rowan, chief of police, assigns Capt. "Danny" Danforth to take charge and restore order. Danforth assures wife Pat the dangerous assignment is strictly temporary, determined to get out of police work for good.

A murder of a striptease dancer becomes Danforth's top priority. He and second-in-command Detective Geddes cast their suspicions toward hoodlum Earl Swados, attempting to persuade another stripper, Mary Abbott, to turn state's evidence against him. After charging her with prostitution, the cops spread the word that Mary is going to inform on Swados and the local crime boss, Leonard Ustick.

Complications arise when another detective, Strauss, shoots an innocent bystander and police are falsely accused of beating three young men, causing neighborhood tensions to rise. Danforth takes a chance by releasing Mary, who had no intention of double-crossing the gangsters. Swados tries to murder her, chasing Mary through a brewery before Danforth and Geddes come to her rescue. Danforth resolves to stay on the job, no matter how long it takes.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ "1954 Box Office Champs". Variety Weekly. January 5, 1955. p. 59. - figures are rentals in the US and Canada
  2. ^ The Human Jungle at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Bibliography

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  • Hannan, Brian. In Theaters Everywhere: A History of the Hollywood Wide Release, 1913-2017. McFarland, 2018.
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