Four Star Playhouse (TV Series) The Hard Way (1953) User Reviews

"You wear more cologne than a healthy harem."

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 3 February 2021]

Another great one from the pen of Blake Edwards, writer of the "Dante's Inferno" segments of the "Four Star Playhouse". and once again, it's directed by Robert Aldrich who would go to great fame as a director of action films while Edwards went on to legendary status as a director of comedies. this one starts off terrifically as Powell shows up on what seems to be a normal night to his gambling establishment and finds out that guest Jack Elam has broke the bank.

The above little piece of dialogue comes out of an intense conversation that Powell has with Elam after Elam threatens to spread the news around Powell's establishment is not worth visiting. To top it off, Elam claims that Powell paid him off in counterfeit money which leads to their being forced together to solve the issue. Veteran character floozy Elizabeth Fraser has an amusing part as a vivacious patron while pop-eyed Elam is like something out of a Dick Tracy comic strip. Lots of great moments in this memorable episode.

Not one of the better ones.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 3 June 2021]

Generally, the episodes to 'Four Star Playhouse' are amazingly good...some of the best programs of the 1950s. "The Hard Way", however, is not among the better ones. I'm not saying it's bad....but it just didn't impress me like most of the others.

The story was written by Blake Edward, who was a very prolific writer for television before he became a famous director. He wrote a lot of brilliant things....and maybe since this is one of his earlier efforts, he was still learning the ropes. I will say that soon after this, he was writing some brilliant scripts...including the amazing teleplay and film "Days of Wine and Roses".

Dick Powell plays Willie Dante, a guy he played in quite a few other installments of the show. Dante owns an illegal gambling hall and has a series of adventures. In this one, his gambling establishment is in trouble. First, Vic (Jack Elam) has some amazing luck and nearly cleans out the place. Second, when Vic is paid off someone slips him counterfeit money....and Vic is NOT a nice guy and might just take it out on Dante. But Dante is able to EASILY convince him that they both were screwed by a third party and they both go looking for that person.

The problems with the script are that Vic is supposed to be a very nasty gangster character....yet when he's robbed, he seems amazingly calm and reasonable. In addition, finding the real money turns out to be amazingly easy! I think had this been longer (like a movie), all this could have been worked out better. Crammed into a half hour time slot, it just seems rather weak...despite some good acting.

Superb Television!

[gordonl56 · 9/10 · 26 February 2015]

FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE – The Hard Way – 1953

This is an episode from "Four Star Playhouse". This anthology series ran for 130 episodes between 1952 and 1956. The series was produced by, Dick Powell, David Niven, Ida Lupino and Charles Boyer. It was a popular series that drew many well-known Hollywood types as guest stars. This is the 29th episode of the series.

This one is a nifty Blake Edwards penned episode with up and coming director Robert Aldrich at the controls.

Dick Powell plays Willie Dante, a club owner with a back-room that caters to the gambling crowd. Tonight, local gangster, Jack Elam, is having a good run at the craps table. Powell is forced to close down the table when Elam hits $100, 000 in winnings. Powell cannot cover more losses than that. Elam is shall we say, less than amused with this decision. He tells Powell he will regret it. Powell has his cashier pay off Elam.

Later that evening, after closing, Powell is having drinks with perky blonde, Elisabeth Fraser. This happy event is brought to a sudden halt when Elam and his henchman, Leonard Bremen show up. Elam tells the broad to beat it then delivers a solid punch to Powell. He then tosses a bundle of cash at Powell. The punch was for paying him off in counterfeit bills. Elam intends to take Powell out for a swim with a concrete swimsuit.

Of course Powell is just as surprised by this as Elam was. He quickly talks Elam into getting to the bottom of the problem. He explains that he would never be so stupid as to pay the gangster in funny money. It had to be the cashier doing a switch. They take a ride over to the man's apartment for a "friendly" chat.

This however does not quite turn out as planned. The man is dead and the friendly neighbourhood Police detective, Regis Toomey is there. He quickly collars the trio for a chat of his own.

Of course the trio can prove they were nowhere near at the time of the murder and are released.

Powell decides there could only be one other person involved, the pit boss on the craps table, Robert Osterloh. The boys now head for Osterloh's place. They do not notice that they are being tailed by Detective Toomey and a couple of harness cops.

Needless to say Osterloh is the man they seek. He yanks a gun and prepares to dispatch Powell, Elam and Berman. He is however distracted by Detective Toomey when he starts pounding on the door. Powell, sees his chance, and puts Osterloh down with a solid punch. The cops break in and put the grab on everyone. Powell and company are soon out while Osterloh is booked for murder.

It seems that Osterloh had been slipping Elam loaded dice during the game. This allowed Elam to run up a sizable pot. Elam never knew about the dice switch. Then Osterloh and the cashier switched the real loot for the funny cash. Osterloh it turns out felt a one way split was the way to go and killed his partner.

This is a pretty good episode, with plenty of snappy lines and fine work from the entire cast and crew.

This was only the 10th directing job of future big screen helmsman, Robert Aldrich. His film work included, KISS ME DEADLY, VERA CRUZ, ATTACK, HUSH, HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE, THE DIRTY DOZEN, THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX, THE LONGEST YARD, ULZANA'S RAID and THE CHOIRBOYS.

Actor, writer, producer and director Blake Edwards would score big-time with the series, PETER GUNN and THE PINK PANTHER films.

The director of photography on the episode was George Diskant. Diskant is well known to film noir fans. He was the cinematographer on, PORT OF NEW YORK, RIFFRAFF, THEY LIVE BY NIGHT, THE RACKET, BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN, ON DANGEROUS GROUND, BEWARE MY LOVELY, NARROW MARGIN and DESPERATE.

Dick Powell shines for a couple of bona fide auteurs

[lor_ · 18 January 2011]

As a tribute to the recently deceased Blake Edwards I watched this ancient, and forgotten, TV episode, part of the FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE anthology series of the '50s. It's an excellent screenplay (that's the credit) for the small screen, which series star Dick Powell knocks out of the park.

It's a precursor of Edwards' hit show MR. LUCKY, itself adapted from the classic Cary Grant/Laraine Day '40s film written by Milton Holmes. Powell plays Willie Dante, owner of the Gotham nightspot Dante's Inferno, where gambling in the backroom is de rigeur. The character was revived in the '60s with Howard Duff in the role.

Aided by a very clever and witty Edwards script, which is still delightful 58 years later (ouch!), Powell is a real smoothie, handling his mild insult dialog with aplomb in a manner reminiscent of the off-handed readings of Bing Crosby in his heyday. He is coping with a Runyon-esque lovable heavy Vic played by Jack Elam -utterly delightful and limning a truly memorable character.

Elam wins $100,000 at the craps table in Dante's back room, literally breaking the bank. He takes considerable offense when Dante closes down the table, interrupting what was perhaps the only enjoyable and successful night of gambling for the small-time gangster, and really blows up when one of Dante's cracks seems to be insulting his mother! But when Vic discovers the payout is in counterfeit bills, there has to be a reckoning. Dante figures out who the real culprits are and all is put to right in the matter of a brisk 24-minute episode. Along for the ride as a regular is hapless police Lt. Waldo, played invevitably by Regis Toomey.

Right at the beginning of his directing career, the great Robert Aldrich handles the material with a sure hand. Both he and the vastly underrated Edwards are due for reappraisal by new generations of so-called film buffs whose tastes admittedly skew away from these mainstream auteurs. I've seen all the movies of both Aldrich & Edwards and in Edwards' case the various early screenplays for director Richard Quine (see DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD) and others are also highly recommended. As writer-director, Edwards' wonderful MR. CORY, showcasing Tony Curtis, is a perfect place to start.

As for Aldrich, the clowns handling the commentary and historical stuff on the recent DVD issue of James Hadley Chase's NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH (1948 British version) go out of their way to insult Aldrich in nasty fashion, with idiotic remarks about his 1971 version THE GRISSOM GANG. I saw that film in first run and it featured a brilliant performance (noted by critics at the time) by Irene Dailey as Ma Grissom, a role literally thrown away in the vastly overrated 1948 original made by "Sinjun" L. Clowes.