Naked Alibi

 (1954)
Directed by Jerry Hopper
Written by Lawrence Roman, from a story by Gladys Atwater and J. Robert Bren
Starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, Gene Barry
IMDB Entry

I've been impressed by Sterling Hayden from when I first saw Dr. Strangelove. And Gloria Grahame was absolutely delightful as Ado Annie in the film version of Oklahoma! But neither had the type of career that made them stars. Naked Alibi allows them both to showcase their talents.

Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) is police chief in a small California city.  After a string of robberies, Albert Willis (Gene Barry) looks like a suspect and, under interrogation, he punches a cop. The cop punches back and they are separated, but not until after Willis vows revenge. The cop is shot; Willis is the obvious suspect, but he falls down trying to escape. Police brutality is alleged. Then two more cops are shot. Conroy goes after Willis, but there's another fight in front of a reporter and, due to the complaints about brutality, Conroy is fired. 

He's still certain that Willis is guilty and follows him down to Border City.*  Willis is there to meet his mistress Marianna (Gloria Grahame). Conroy is mugged and taken into an apartment to recover. Marianna lives in the building and comes to help him. She learns that Willis is married and the two of them work together to get the evidence that will connect Willis with the murders. 

Hayden is excellent as the hero, with some of the same qualities that made him effective as Jack D. Ripper and in The Long Goodbye. He's intense and obsessed with catching Willis. Grahame shows a neat vulnerability and is utterly charming throughout.

It's strange to see Gene Barry in the role as a sociopath. His TV persona was much more genial, but he does a great job of turning mean.

Chuck Connors has a small role as a cop. Connors was a two-sport pro athlete** who, while playing for the Los Angeles Angels (the minor league team), started getting small roles in films and quit sports for acting, eventually becoming a TV star.

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*Much like Los Robles in Touch of Evil, though with fewer Mexicans.

**He played for both the Chicago Cubs and Boston Celtics.