Loophole (1954 film)
Encyclopedia
Loophole is a black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...

 B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....

 film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...

 crime drama. The film was directed by editor turned director Harold D. Schuster. Actress Mary Beth Hughes
Mary Beth Hughes
Mary Beth Hughes was an American film, television, and stage actress best known for her roles in B movies.-Early life and career:...

 plays the movie's femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...

.

Plot

The film tells the story of a bank teller Mike Donovan (Sullivan) who failed to report a $49,000 shortage from his drawer. He's accused of theft and quickly fired from his job. He is then prevented from finding other employment by insurance investigator Gus Slavin (McGraw) who is convinced Donovan took the money.

Despite many setbacks, Donovan tries to clear his name but even his wife (Malone) doesn't think that he'll be able to do it. Turns out the money was heisted by a phony bank examiner and his mole working at the bank (Hughes).

Cast

  • Barry Sullivan
    Barry Sullivan (actor)
    Barry Sullivan was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.Born in New York City, Sullivan fell into acting when in college playing semi-pro football...

     as Mike Donovan
  • Dorothy Malone
    Dorothy Malone
    Dorothy Malone is an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years she played small roles, mainly in B-movies. After a decade in films, she began to acquire a more glamorous image, particularly after her performance in Written on the Wind , for which she won the Academy...

     as Ruthie Donovan
  • Charles McGraw
    Charles McGraw
    Charles Butters , best known by his stage name Charles McGraw, was an American actor, who made his first film in 1942, albeit in a small, uncredited role. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa.-Career:...

     as Gus Slavin
  • Don Haggerty
    Don Haggerty
    Don Haggerty was an American film actor appearing in films in the 1940s and 1950s. Before entering films in 1947, Haggerty was a Brown University athlete and served in the US military...

     as Neil Sanford
  • Mary Beth Hughes
    Mary Beth Hughes
    Mary Beth Hughes was an American film, television, and stage actress best known for her roles in B movies.-Early life and career:...

     as Vera
  • Don Beddoe
    Don Beddoe
    -Career:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe made his Broadway acting debut in 1929, receiving top billing in Nigger Rich....

     as Herman Tate
  • Dayton Lummis as Jim Starling
  • Joanne Jordan as Georgia Hoard
  • John Eldredge
    John Eldredge
    John Eldredge is an author, counselor, and lecturer of Christianity.-Life and work:While living in Los Angeles Eldredge was looking for a "worldview." After exploring other religions, Eastern mysticism, Lao-Tzu, and New Age spirituality, he discovered the writings of Francis Schaeffer, whom he...

     as Frank Temple
  • Richard Reeves
    Richard Reeves (actor)
    Richard Reeves was an American actor best known for playing henchmen and thugs. He appeared in many television series, particularly those based on comic books, and his height and build made him suitable for roles involving muscle.-External links:...

    as Pete Mazurki / Tanner

Noir analysis

Film critic Dennis Schwartz explains why the film is considered a film noir: "The poignancy of the story is in how an innocent, hard-working person like Mike, could have his whole life turned upside-down over an incident where he makes an error in judgment. When he tells his boss (Lummis) about it, he has no explanation why he didn't report it immediately except he couldn't understand how so much money was missing. This slip-up is why Mike becomes a noir protagonist, though he doesn't have the dark side to his character this genre usually calls for...[and] his life turns into hell when, even though he is not charged with anything, the bonding company that must insure him cancels his certification and the bank is forced to fire him. Not only can't he get bonded so he can get another teller's job, but the bond company puts a mean-spirited insurance investigator on his tail, Gus Slavin (Charles McGraw). Slavin is convinced Mike is guilty and tails him everywhere, and when Mike gets a job he informs the boss on him and Mike is always promptly fired."
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