Detective Story (1951)

Set amidst the hectic activity of a New York City police station, a rigid sanctimonious detective (Kirk Douglas) has become twisted from dealing with the criminal element. But his self righteousness gets a blow when he must deal with his wife's (Eleanor Parker) hidden past. Based on the play by Sidney Kingsley and directed by William Wyler (BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES). While some playwrights were quite popular in their day, posterity has not always been kind to their output. The Pulitzer winning playwright Sidney Kingsley is among them and DETECTIVE STORY, which is probably his best play, hasn't aged well. At least the film version hasn't. Wisely, Wyler hasn't attempted to "open up" Kingsley's play for the screen because the closed in claustrophobic setting allows the film to simmer and opening it up would only have dissipated the building tension. But the dialog leans toward listening to a sermon and some of the actors bang out the dialog with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer. Kirk Douglas's overacting seems restrained compared next to Joseph Wiseman's hysterical burglar who seems to think he's in an insane asylum and not a police station. Both Wiseman and Lee Grant (in an Oscar nominated performance) were in the original play and make their film debuts. With William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, George Macready, Gladys George, Gerald Mohr, Warner Anderson and Ann Codee.