Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney find out “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) is an American film noir directed and produced by Otto Preminger and starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht, and the cinematography was by Joseph LaShelle.

Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a tough New York City cop who was demoted due to excessive force in the line of duty. During a routine investigation with a witness to a crime (a possible murder), things go terribly wrong. When Dixon questions Ken Paine (Craig Stevens), a drunk Paine becomes angry and starts a fight. Defending himself, Dixon punches Paine who falls and hits his head, killing him instantly. In a panic, because of his recent demotion and fearing his career would be over if he told his superiors, Dixon disposes of Paine’s body. 

Paine’s estranged wife, model Morgan Taylor (Tierney), is brought in for questioning because she too was a possible witness to the murder. Morgan’s husband used her as “bait” to lure a Texas tycoon to a floating crap game at mobster Tommy Scalise’s (Gary Merrill) apartment. The tycoon ends up dead and it looks like Scalise was trying to pin it on Paine. When circumstantial evidence gets Morgan’s father (Tom Tully) arrested for the murder of his son-in-law, Dixon finds himself with a moral dilemma, complicated by his attraction to Morgan.

Will Dixon come clean and face the consequences, or will he let Morgan’s father take the fall?

Otto Preminger (1905 -1986) was an American film director who made more than 35 feature films during a five-decade career. Born in Austro-Hungarian into a Jewish family. Preminger was drawn to acting from an early age and became the apprentice of famed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1935, he was recruited by Twentieth Century-Fox to apprentice as a director at the studio. After a rocky start, Preminger established himself as an A-list director after Rouben Mamoulian was fired from Laura (1944). The film noir classic made major stars of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and is considered one of the best film noirs of all time. While under contract to Fox, Preminger directed Fallen Angel (1945), Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947). After he left Fox, Preminger became a maverick, constantly clashing with members of the Production Code. He released two films without the approval of the Production Code: The Moon is Blue (1953) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Both films were financial successes and helped bring an end to the Code entirely. Later successes for Preminger include Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960).

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man, starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958, he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television, guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. She was spotted by 20th Century-Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck and he offered her a movie contract. Zanuck said that Tierney was the most beautiful woman in the movies. Tierney proved that she could carry a film not completely based on her beauty in films like Laura (1944) and Leave Her To Heaven (1945) for which she was nominated for her first and only Best Actress Academy Award. Other important films include The Razor’s Edge (1946), Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Iron Curtain (1948), Whirlpool (1949), and The Mating Season (1951). In the late 1940s, she struggled with mental illness which negatively affected her career. After 1955’s The Left Hand of God, Tierney was off the screen until Advice & Consent (1962). She appeared in two films after that, but her career in film effectively ended in 1964 after a guest appearance in The Pleasure Seekers.

Where the Sidewalk Ends trivia:

• This was the last film that director Otto Preminger directed under contract to 20th Century-Fox.
• It reunited Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, and Preminger, who all worked on the classic film noir Laura (1944). 
• Andrews and Tierney starred in five films together; this was their last.
• Designer Oleg Cassini, who was married to Gene Tierney at the time, has a small role as a fashion designer in the film. While the two were married, Cassini designed many of the film costumes for Tierney.
• Craig Stevens, who played Ken Paine went on to fame on the small screen in the television series Peter Gunn.
• Otto Preminger made more films with Dana Andrews than any other actor; the two made five films together.

Why watch this film?

The film has a reputation as one of the first, if not the first, of the “bad cop” films. Dana Andrews delivers a great multi-layered performance as Dixon. Otto Preminger was a master of the film noir genre, and this is one of his best.

It’s the last time Andrews and Gene Tierney appeared together on film.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on May 12, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you make of  Dixon’s character? Were you rooting for or against him?
2. How do you think the director handled the subject matter? Was it believable?
3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
4. The film had some amazing character actors. Did you have a favorite?
5. Was the chemistry between Andrews and Tierney believable?
6. Did the film end the way you expected it to? Did you find it satisfying?

Dana Andrews leads the cast of "Boomerang!"

Boomerang! (1947) is based on a true crime. A minister is murdered in a small town in Connecticut and John Waldron (Arthur Kennedy), a young drifter, is arrested and charged with the crime.

Arthur Kennedy and Dana Andrews

The prosecuting attorney Henry Harvey (Dana Andrews) is under pressure from local politicians to convict Waldron. The evidence points toward Waldron’s guilt, but Harvey has his doubts. Directed in a semidocumentary style by Elia Kazan, the movie features an impressive supporting cast that includes Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Sam Levine.

Elia Kazan (1909 – 2003) was an American director, producer, writer, and actor. He is one of the co-founders of the Actors Studio in 1947 with Robert Lewis and Cheryl Crawford. Kazan is also one of the most celebrated directors of the theater and movies. Kazan won two Best Director Academy Awards-1947 for Gentleman’s Agreement and 1954 for On the Waterfront—a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award in 1998. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) was Kazan’s feature film debut as a director.

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958 he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Boomerang! trivia

• Boomerang! was Kazan's fourth feature film.
• Ed Begley's film debut.
• After Lee J. Cobb and Arthur Kennedy appeared in Boomerang!, Kazan cast them both in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
• Speaking of Arthur Miller, he has a cameo as one of the men in the police lineup.
• First of four films, Kazan directed Karl Malden.
• Walter Huston, Fredric March, and Joseph Cotten were considered for the role of Henry Harvey. John Payne was also considered for the role at one time.
• First of two films starring Dana Andrews where the plot concerns the murder of a priest. The second is Edge of Doom (1950).

Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on August 26, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join us on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Did the film shot on location add authenticity to the narrative?
2. What did you think about the politics of the film? Did it seem realistic? 
3. The film has an impressive cast, but the film rests primarily on the shoulders of Dana Andrews's character. Was he successful in the role of Henry Harvey?
4. Why do you think there was a rush to judgment in convicting the Arthur Kennedy character?
5. As mentioned, the supporting cast is impressive; did anyone stand out to you?

 

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney find out “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) is an American film noir directed and produced by Otto Preminger and starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht and the cinematography was by Joseph LaShelle.

Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a tough New York City cop who was demoted due to excessive force in the line of duty. During a routine investigation with a witness to a crime (a possible murder), things go terribly wrong. When Dixon questions Ken Paine (Craig Stevens), a drunk Paine becomes angry and starts a fight. Defending himself, Dixon punches Paine who falls and hits his head, killing him instantly. In a panic, because of his recent demotion and fearing his career would be over if he told his superiors, Dixon disposes of Paine’s body. 

Paine’s estranged wife, model Morgan Taylor (Tierney), is brought in for questioning because she too was a possible witness to the murder. Morgan’s husband used her as “bait” to lure a Texas tycoon to a floating crap game at mobster Tommy Scalise’s (Gary Merrill) apartment. The tycoon ends up dead and it looks like Scalise was trying to pin it on Paine. When circumstantial evidence gets Morgan’s father (Tom Tully) arrested for the murder of his son-in-law, Dixon finds himself with a moral dilemma, complicated by his attraction to Morgan.

Will Dixon come clean and face the consequences or will he let Morgan’s father take the fall?

Otto Preminger (1905 -1986) was an American film director who made more than 35 feature films during a five-decade career. Born in Austro-Hungarian into a Jewish family. Preminger was drawn to acting from an early age and became the apprentice of famed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1935, he was recruited by Twentieth Century-Fox to apprentice as a director at the studio. After a rocky start, Preminger established himself as an A-list director after Rouben Mamoulian was fired from Laura (1944). The film noir classic made major stars of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and is considered one of the best film noirs of all time. While under contract to Fox, Preminger directed Fallen Angel (1945), Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947). After he left Fox, Preminger became a maverick, constantly clashing with members of the Production Code. He released two films without the approval of the Production Code: The Moon is Blue (1953) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Both films were financial successes and helped bring an end to the Code entirely. Later successes for Preminger include Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960).

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958 he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. She was spotted by 20th Century-Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck and he offered her a movie contract. Zanuck said that Tierney was the most beautiful woman in the movies. Tierney proved that she could carry a film not completely based on her beauty in films like Laura (1944) and Leave Her To Heaven (1945) for which she was nominated for her first and only Best Actress Academy Award. Other important films include The Razor’s Edge (1946), Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Iron Curtain (1948), Whirlpool (1949), and The Mating Season (1951). In the late 1940s, she struggled with mental illness which negatively affected her career. After 1955’s The Left Hand of God, Tierney was off the screen until Advice & Consent (1962). She appeared in two films after that, but her career in film effectively ended in 1964 after a guest appearance in The Pleasure Seekers.

Where the Side Walk Ends trivia:

• This was the last film director Otto Preminger directed under contract to 20th Century-Fox.
• It reunited Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, and Preminger who all worked on the classic film noir Laura (1944). 
• Andrews and Tierney starred in five films together; this was their last.
• Designer Oleg Cassini, who was married to Gene Tierney at the time, has a small role as a fashion designer in the film. While the two were married, Cassini designed many of the film costumes for Tierney.
• Craig Stevens who played Ken Paine went on to fame on the small screen in the television series Peter Gunn.
• Otto Preminger made more films with Dana Andrews more than any other actor; the two made five films together.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

Why watch this film?

The film has a reputation as one of the first, if not the first, of the “bad cop” films.

Dana Andrews delivers a great multi-layered performance as Dixon.

Otto Preminger was a master of the film noir genre and this is one of his best.

It’s the last time Andrews and Gene Tierney appeared together on film.

To join the discussion on October 25, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you make of  Dixon’s character? Were you rooting for or against him?
2. How do you think the director handled the subject matter? Was it believable?
3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
4. The film had some amazing character actors. Did you have a  favorite?
5. Was the chemistry between Andrews and Tierney believable?
6. Did the film end the way you expected it to? Did you find it satisfying?

Screening of "Boomerang!" at Daystar Center October 13

Boomerang! (1947)

Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Room 102

When: October 13, 2018

Time: 6:45 p.m

Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Boomerang! (1947) is based on a true crime. A minister is murdered in a small town in Connecticut and John Waldron (Arthur Kennedy), a young drifter, is arrested and charged with the crime.

The prosecuting attorney Henry Harvey (Dana Andrews) is under pressure from local politicians to convict Waldron. The evidence points toward Waldrons’ guilt, but Harvey has his doubts. Directed in a semidocumentary-style by Elia Kazan, the movie features an impressive supporting cast that includes Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Sam Levine.

General Admission: $5, Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Screening of "Where the Sidewalk Ends" at Daystar Center November 18

“Noirvember” Series: Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street
When: November 18, 2017
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) reunites the star’s of Laura (1944), Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney in another classic film noir directed by Otto Preminger. The plot concerns a rogue cop, Mark Dixon (Andrews) who goes a little too far when pursuing some crooks and hoodlums. When he accidentally kills one of the suspects involved with gangster Steve Scalise (Gary Merrill), Dixon’s life begins to spiral out of control. Things become even more complicated when Dixon begins to fall in love with Morgan Taylor-Paine (Tierney) the widow of the suspect he killed. Will Dixon be able to solve the case without implicating himself? The film boast a superior supporting cast including, Karl Malden, Ruth Donnelly, and Craig Stevens.

Backstory: Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney made five movies together: Tobacco Road, Belle Starr (both 1941), Laura (1944), The Iron Curtain (1948), and Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950). Where the Sidewalk Ends was the last film that Otto Preminger made under his contract with Twentieth Century-Fox.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Chicago Film Club field trip: “On the Waterfront” April 24 at ShowPlace ICON at Roosevelt Road

Where: ShowPlace ICON, 150 W Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60605

When: April 24

Time: 2:00 p.m. 
Hosted by Stephen Reginald
Run Time: 2 hours (approximate)

Ticketing: Tickets are available by clicking here. If online ticketing is not available for your location, you can purchase your tickets by visiting the box office at your local participating cinema or check back often as updates are being made daily.

Special Fathom Feature: Go behind the scenes with exclusive commentary from Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz that will illustrate how this movie, which was filmed in only 36 days, made such a long-lasting cultural impact.

“You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” Watch Marlon Brando deliver those famous lines on the big screen when Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Entertainment bring On the Waterfront (1954) back to select cinemas nationwide for a special two-day event on Sunday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 27.

Karl Malden, Marlon Brando, and Eva Marie Saint

Marlon Brando stars as Terry Malloy, a washed up prizefighter who, through the influence of his brother, Charley (Rod Steiger), a lawyer for a corrupt waterfront union, is employed as an errand boy for the mob. After luring a fellow dockworker and friend to his death to keep him from testifying against labor boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), the appeals of the dead man's sister (Eva Marie Saint) and a crusading priest (Karl Malden) awaken Terry’s guilty conscience and love prompts Terry to seek redemption.

Do not miss the opportunity to see this classic, winner of eight Academy Awards® including Best Picture in 1954, as it was meant to be seen – on the big screen.

If you come they’ll be stinkin’ badges.