John Payne and Colleen Gray star in “Kansas City Confidential”

Kansas City Confidential (1952) is an American film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne, Coleen Gray, and Preston Foster.

A ruthless ex-cop named Mr. Big (Foster) is planning an armored car heist. Part of the plan is to use a florist delivery truck, similar to the one real-life delivery man Joe Rolfe (Payne) drives.

The robbery goes as planned, and Rolfe is arrested instead of the robbers. The police are convinced that he is the mastermind of the heist and try to beat a confession out of him.

Rolfe is eventually released when his alibi checks out and the real robbery vehicle is found. However, the damage has been done. Rolfe loses his job and reputation and is determined to fight to get it back.

Phil Karlson (1908 – 1982) was a Chicago-born and raised American film director specializing in B pictures at various studios. Karlson was the original choice to direct Dr. No (1962), but his salary requirements were too high. He made a series of successful films noir with actor John Payne in the 1950s. He directed Elvis Presley in Kid Galahad (1962), one of the biggest box office successes of that year. Later in his career, he directed Dean Martin in two films in the Matt Helm series, The Silencers (1966) and The Wrecking Crew (1968). He had a huge success in 1973 with Walking Tall. Its success made him a very rich man since he owned a percentage of the film. Other films directed by Karslon include Hornet’s Nest (1970) starring Rock Hudson, and Ben (1972).

John Payne (1912 – 1989) was an American film actor. He made his film debut in Dodsworth (1936). He had roles at various studios but found stardom at 20^th Century-Fox. At Fox, he had major roles in Tin Pan Ally (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), The Dolly Sisters (1945), The Razor’s Edge (1946), and perhaps his most famous role as Fred Gayley in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947). Payne wasn’t happy with the roles he was being offered at Fox, so he broke his contract, which had four more years to go. As an independent freelance actor, Payne then specialized in westerns and films noir. During this period, he starred in Kansas City Confidential (1952), 99 River Street (1953), and Santa Fe Passage (1955). From 1957 to 1959, he starred as Vint Bonner in the western TV series The Restless Gun. Payne’s final role was in an episode of Columbo in 1975.

Colleen Gray (1922 – 2015) was an American actress who was under contract to 20th Century-Fox in the 1940s. She was in the film noir, Kiss of Death (1947) with Victor Mature and Richard Widmark. She also had a role in Red River (1948) with John Wayne. In the 1950s, she started working in television, guest-starring in many popular shows of that period.

John Payne and Coleen Gray

Kansas City Confidential trivia

• John Payne broke some of Jack Elam’s ribs in a fight scene.
• Quentin Tarantino said that Reservoir Dogs was inspired by this film.
• The $1.2 million stolen from the bank is the equivalent of $12 million today.
• Coleen Gray and John Payne became romantically involved during the filming.
• None of the film was shot in Kansas City. All shots of Kansas City are stock footage.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the discussion on July 7, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. As caper movies go, where do you think it ranks?
2. Director Quentin Tarantino said this film inspired Reservoir Dogs. Did this film remind you of any other caper films you’ve seen?
3. Do you think the heist was believable?
4. Did the budding romance between Rolfe and Helen add or detract from the film?

Broderick Crawford, Donna Reed, and John Derek all work for a "Scandal Sheet"

Scandal Sheet (1952) is an American film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring Broderick Crawford, Donna Reed, and John Derek. The strong supporting cast includes Rosemary DeCamp, Harry Morgan, and Strother Martin.

Mark Chapman (Crawford) is a newspaperman with a lot of experience in the business. He has turned the New York Express into a successful paper by focusing on the sensational. Steve McCleary (Derek) is the paper’s ace reporter and likely successor to Chapman. Julie Allison (Reed) is the features editor who is growing weary of the paper’s turn toward yellow journalism.

When Chapman is confronted by his estranged wife (DeCamp), things begin to unravel. Will Chapman become the subject of his own scandal sheet?

Phil Karlson (1908 – 1982) was a Chicago-born and raised American film director specializing in B pictures at various studios. Karlson was the original choice to direct Dr. No (1962) but his salary requirements were too high. He made a series of successful films noir with actor John Payne in the 1950s. He directed Elvis Presley in Kid Galahad (1962), one of the biggest box office success of that year. Later in his career, he directed Dean Martin in two films in the Matt Helm series, The Silencers (1966) and The Wrecking Crew (1968). He had a huge success in 1973 with Walking Tall. Its success made him a very rich man since he owned a percentage of the film. Other films directed by Karslon include Hornet’s Nest (1970) starring Rock Hudson, and Ben (1972).

Broderick Crawford (1911 – 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. Born in Philadelphia to a show business family, Crawford acted with his parents on stage and then established himself as a talent on his own by winning acclaim as Lenny in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men in 1937. He later moved to Hollywood and began acting in small roles and bit parts throughout the 1940s. He finally got his chance at stardom in All the King’s Men (1949), the film version of Robert Penn Warren’s award-winning novel. The film was a big hit and Crawford won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Willie Stark. Now a star, Crawford starred in more prestigious productions including Born Yesterday (1950) receiving top-billing over co-stars Judy Holiday and William Holden. Crawford became a television icon as Dan Matthews in the police dram Highway Patrol (1955 – 1959.) 

Donna Reed (1921 – 1986) was an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the war drama From Here to Eternity (1953). But perhaps she is best known to film fans as Mary Hatch Bailey in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) co-starring James Stewart. Reed enjoyed success on television as Donna Stone, a housewife in the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958 – 1966). She won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star in 1963. Later in her career, Reed replaced an ailing Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow in the 1984 – 1985 season of Dallas.

John Derek (1926 – 1998) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Derek who said he never liked acting, appeared in over 30 films during his career. Some of the films Derek starred in include All The King’s Men (1949), Prince of Players (1955) where he played John Wilkes Booth, and The Ten Commandments (1956) as Joshua. Derek quit acting in the late-1960s to focus on directing and photography.

Donna Reed, John Derek, and Broderick Crawford

Scandal Sheet trivia

• William Holden was supposed to co-star with Broderick.
• Director Howard Hawks was attached to the project early on; he want Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart as the male leads.
• Scandal Sheet was adapted from the novel The Dark Page (1944) by Samuel Fuller.
• John Payne was also in the running to star due to his successful relationship with director Karlson.

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

To join the discussion on September 12, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Did this feel like a film noir to you? If not a film noir, what category would place it?
2. What did you make of the newsroom setting? Was it realistic to you?
3. Was there a performance that stuck out to you or was more memorable than the others?
4. Did anything about the film surprise you?