City Without Men
About City Without Men
In July 1941, Tom Adams is sent to prison for five years, charged with helping Japanese men he had tried to report. His girlfriend Nancy Johnson moves into Maria Barton’s boarding house beside the prison, where the other residents are inmates’ wives. She works in the laundry and asks Judge Michael T. Mallory, whose brother sits on the parole board, to get Tom out. After Pearl Harbor, Tom asks for parole into the service and is refused. The wives plan a break, hiding men in bales for a boat. Nancy finds a headline that clears him. The sirens stop the escape. Tom is freed and goes back to Nancy. Linda Darnell plays Nancy. Michael Duane plays Tom. Sidney Salkow directed.
Cast & crew
More about City Without Men
Columbia released it on 14 January 1943. Wikipedia times it at 75 minutes. Budd Schulberg and Martin Berkeley wrote the original story. W. L. River wrote the screenplay. George Sklar and Donald Davis added dialogue. Philip Tannura photographed it. B. P. Schulberg produced. Samuel Bronston was executive producer. Samuel Goldwyn had bought a story by Albert Bein and Aben Kandel in 1939 and sold those rights to Columbia in 1942 for $43,000. Glenda Farrell replaced Claire Trevor as Billie LaRue. Edgar Buchanan plays the judge. Sara Allgood plays Maria Barton.
Themes
Background
The prologue is dated July 1941, five months before Pearl Harbor. The parole-into-the-army request comes after the attack.
Making
Goldwyn held the story for three years, then Columbia paid $43,000 and Salkow shot it with Darnell in the boarding house next to the prison.
Look
Philip Tannura shot the boarding house, the laundry, and the prison yard.
Preservation
The film survives. Copies are on the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The charge is not a murder. Tom is accused of aiding Japanese men.
- PRC is not the company. Columbia released a Schulberg production.
- Margaret Hamilton plays Dora. Sheldon Leonard plays Monk LaRue.
- An Internet Archive identifier is CityWithoutMen1943.
Scenes
- Nancy takes a room among the inmates’ wives.
- The wives pack the escape into bales for a boat.
- Sirens stop the break, and a headline frees Tom.
Also available
- Internet Archive (CityWithoutMen1943)
- Wikimedia Commons (City Without Men (1943) by Sidney Salkow.webm)