Thursday, December 20th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.
Every month, films from the Library’s collection are shown at the Mary Pickford Theater in the James Madison building, ranging from titles newly preserved by the National Audio Visual Conservation Center film lab, classics from the National Film Registry, and lesser known titles worthy of discovery.
This month we present Rogue Cop:
ROGUE COP (MGM, 1954). Directed by Roy Rowland. Screenplay by Sydney Boehm, from the novel of the same name by William P. McGivern. With Robert Taylor, Janet Leigh, George Raft, Steve Forrest, Anne Francis. (93 min, black & white, 35mm).
Two brothers, one a police detective receiving payoffs from criminals, the other a virtuous rookie patrolman, run afoul of a ruthless mobster. Produced by a studio not known for gritty crime films, this forgotten gem is considered by those who have seen it as “one of the best film noirs of the 1950s, standing alongside such classics as The Big Heat (1953) and The Big Combo (1955)” (Stone Wallace, Film Noir of the Week). Playing against type, Robert Taylor is terrific as the corrupt, arrogant and thoroughly unsympathetic title character, while George Raft, after years of trying to move away from his underworld persona (both on screen and off), returns to the type of role that made him famous and creates one of his most vicious villains. This film was never released on home video.
Seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
For more information on our programs, please visit the Mary Pickford Theater website.
The Mary Pickford Theater is located on the 3rd floor of the Library of Congress James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC, 20540.