Lisa Golm

The Hoodlum -- Paroled sociopath career criminal Vincent Lubeck betrays his family's trust when he masterminds a complex armored car robbery.

The Hoodlum -- One of the niftiest 'B' gangster films of the 'noir' era tells the story of ex-con Vincent Lubeck (a solid performance by Reservoir Dogs' Lawrence Tierney) on parole because of the pleadings of his mother, with orders to stay clean for five years. Working for his brother at a gas station, Lawrence looks for an easy way to make money. He calls in some of his old associates and they rob an armored car where several people are killed. Edward Tierney (real-life brother of Lawrence) makes his screen debut delivering a promising performance, and the rest of the cast offer excellent performances in this tough, fast-paced dramatic film from the director of Dillinger, based on actual news accounts of the plight of many ex-cons.

No more loneliness. Shy, plain Ellen Bowker has found unexpected fulfillment as the bride of handsome Dan Pierce. What she doesn't know is that Dan was bought and paid for - he's a "gift" from Ellen's wealthy father, who wants his fatally ill daughter to experience romance before she dies. A story that might have been a three-hanky soaper in lesser hands instead exudes luminous emotion, thanks largely to its two stars. As Dan, Van Johnson captures the guilt and untapped decency of a man who falls in love with the woman he married for money. And Dorothy McGuire, whose gentle charm and beauty are ideal for the role, gives a heartbreaking performance as the wife who finally discovers the stunning truth.

Montgomery Clift stars as George Eastman, a poor young man determined to win a place in respectable society and the heart of a beautiful socialite (Elizabeth Taylor). Shelley Winters plays the factory girl whose dark secret threatens Eastman’s professional and romantic prospects.