Pier 23 main backdrop
Pier 23 main poster

5.2/10 • 8

1951-05-110h 58m

CrimeMysteryDrama

GANGLAND GALAHAD! He's a cop's pet peeve... and a gal's pet passion!

Pier 23 was one of three hour-long mysteries produced by Lippert Productions for both TV and theatrical release. Each of the three films was evenly divided into two half-hour "episodes," and each starred Hugh Beaumont as San Francisco-based amateur sleuth Dennis O'Brien. In Pier 23, O'Brien first tackles the case of a wrestler who has died of a suspicious heart attack after refusing to lose a match. He then agrees to help a priest talk an escaped criminal into returning to prison. The film's two-part structure leads to repetition and predictability, but it's fun to watch TV's "Ward Cleaver" making like Philip Marlowe.

Directors
William Berke
Editors
Harry Reynolds

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Hugh Beaumont

    Hugh Beaumont

    Dennis O'Brien

  2. Ann Savage

    Ann Savage

    Ann Harmon

  3. Edward Brophy

    Edward Brophy

    Prof. Shicker

  4. Richard Travis

    Richard Travis

    Police Inspector Lt. Bruger

  5. Margia Dean

    Margia Dean

    Flo Klingle

  6. Mike Mazurki

    Mike Mazurki

    Ape Danowski

  7. David Bruce

    David Bruce

    Charles Giffen

  8. Raymond Greenleaf

    Raymond Greenleaf

    Father Donovan

  9. Eve Miller

    Eve Miller

    Norma Harmon

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jan 2, 2023

5/10

Hugh Beaumont is adequate here as private investigator "O'Brien" in this really rather procedural crime drama. Indeed, it comes across as two separate episodes rather clunky joined together. What does link the themes though, is that he always seems to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and usually ends up trying to convince folks that he isn't the criminal that all fingers seem to want to point to. This rather dry feature sees him embroiled in a wrestling cover-up for a murder which is completely devoid of jeopardy because that story concludes with half an hour to go! The next sequence sees him trying to persuade a convicted felon not to try to escape from Alcatraz, only to - yet again - get all caught up in some shenanigans that could see him in the "chair". What really doesn't help is the annoying narration - peppered with what they must have hoped were witticisms - that describe what he is about to do before he does it. It is almost as if it were made by a production team with a radio background less used to the audience being able to see what action (activity may be better) is actually going on. Kills an hour, but then so does the hoovering.

Media

  • Pier 23 poster
  • Pier 23 poster
  • Pier 23 poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
san francisco, californiab movie