Side Street

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Side Street ★★ 1950

Sweaty noir with young postman Joe Norson (Granger) giving into a momentary weakness and finding a world of hurt. He just wants to provide for pregnant wife Ellen (O'Connell), so when he sees a wad of cash in a lawyer's office, he takes it. But the tainted loot is part of a blackmail payoff tied to murder. Joe tries to return the dough but runs into problems and finds more trouble when the money (and the friend who was holding it for him) disappears. About this time Joe learns the greenbacks belonged to gangster Garsell (Craig). Joe has to go on the lam from Garsell and the cops, who now think the poor stooge is tied into the murder. 83m/B DVD . Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell, James Craig, Paul Kelly, Edmon Ryan, Paul Harvey, Jean Hagen, Charles McGraw, Nick Drumman; D: Anthony Mann; W: Sydney (Sidney) Boehm; C: Joseph Ruttenberg; M: Lennie Hayton.