''The Tattooed Stranger'', originally titled ''Backtrail'', is a 1950 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

directed by

Edward Montagne Edward J. Montagne Jr. (May 20, 1912 – December 15, 2003) was an American television series producer and film director. He was the son of screenwriter Edward J. Montagne, Career He produced the successful American television series '' The Ph ...

and starring John Miles,

Patricia Barry Patricia Barry (born Patricia Allen White, November 16, 1922 – October 11, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Although Barry has numerous credits performing in stage productions and in films, the majority of her work w ...

(billed as Patricia White), Walter Kinsella, Frank Tweddell.

Plot

Rookie police detective Tobin leads the investigation into a series of brutal murders, starting with that of an unidentified woman with a tattoo on her wrist. He seeks the help of

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

Dr. Mahan to identify blades of grass in the car in which the corpse was found, and is surprised to learn that Mahan is a woman.

Cast

* John Miles as Detective Tobin *

as Dr. Mary Mahan * Walter Kinsella as Lieutenant Corrigan * Frank Tweddell as Captain Lundquist * Rod McLennan as Captain Gavin * Henry Lasko as Joe Canko *

Arthur L. Jarrett Arthur L. Jarrett (February 5, 1884 – June 12, 1960) was an American screenwriter and film actor. He wrote for 70 films between 1932 and 1947. He also appeared in 12 films between 1914 and 1950. He was born in Marysville, California, firs ...

as Johnny Marseille *

Jim Boles Jim Boles (February 28, 1914 – May 26, 1977) was an American actor. He appeared in the films '' The Tattooed Stranger'', '' The Man with My Face'', '' Naked in the Sun'', '' Fluffy'', '' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'', '' The Trouble with Angels' ...

as Fisher * William Gibberson as Aberfoyle *

Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progr ...

as Det. Deke Del Vecchio This was Miles' final film appearance and one of the first film roles for Lord, the future star of ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

''.

Production

The film features many New York location shots, many showing areas and structures that no longer exist, including

elevated railroad An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train or el for short) is a railway with the tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concrete, or bricks). The rai ...

s, the

Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighbourhood, neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row (Manhattan), Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th ...

when it was a derelict district and the dockside sections near the lower Manhattan bridges. Tobin and Mahan visit

Fort Tryon Park Fort Tryon Park is a public park located in the Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The park is situated on a ridge in Upper Manhattan, close to the Hudson River to the west. It extends ...

with the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after George W ...

visible in the background. Their investigation also leads them to

Saint Raymond's Cemetery (Bronx) Saint Raymond's Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery at 2600 Lafayette Avenue in the Throggs Neck and Schuylerville sections of the Bronx, New York City, United States. The cemetery is composed of two separate locations: the older section (main entran ...

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "The thrills are few and far between in this manhunt but its authenticity is obvious."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tattooed Stranger, The 1950 films 1950s crime thriller films American crime thriller films American black-and-white films American detective films Film noir RKO Pictures films Films set in New York City Films directed by Edward Montagne 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language crime thriller films