User reviews

For those of you who see this title and expect a film built around Shelley Fabares big teen idol hit from the early Sixties, skip this one by. If you're looking for an above average noir film with a World War II background than don't miss Johnny Angel.

It was with this film that George Raft entered his B picture noir period of his career. His films vary in quality from now on. Any A films he would be in from this point on were strictly in support of other players most famously in Some Like It Hot.

Raft is a sea captain who is out searching and finds a derelict freighter commanded by his father J. Farrell MacDonald. When he tows it into the port of New Orleans a stowaway played by Signe Hasso gets off. Raft of course trails her, but there are some other people after her as well, people who might be able to tell Raft what happened to his father and the rest of the crew.

Hasso was the custodian of five million dollars in gold that the Free French have smuggled out of Vichy from Casablanca. Of course that's what is involved in the disappearance of the crew.

Claire Trevor is back as a femme fatale, repeating essentially the part she had in Murder My Sweet. In this she's a two timing dame, married to mother dominated Marvin Miller, the owner of the freight line where Raft and MacDonald work. One look at her and you know she's up to no good.

And of course the film is graced by the presence of Hoagy Carmichael who contributes his piano and a song to the proceedings.

All in all, not a bad way for Raft to begin this new portion of his career.

Johnny Angel was a movie that gripped me early and tightly, but when all is said and done left me wanting a bit more.

The characters are first rate: George Raft is plays your trademark noir good guy with rough edges leading role and does so very nicely. Claire Trevor plays a calculating woman with a heart of ice that only Johnny can melt. Both give very strong performances; I felt that they could have used some more development, but I almost always do with these types of movies. Hoagy Carmichael is a first rate supporting character in Celestial O'Brien, a quirky, musical taxi driver. He is right up there with my all-time favorite secondary characters. The rest of the cast is decent, not nearly as strong as the above three, but not weak enough either to really detract from the movie.

The overall feel of the movie is superb. The cinematography is generally dark and gritty (as is typical in the genre) and really draws you into the scenes and gets you emotionally involved. The scene where Johnny is searching the ship by himself was especially excellent, it had me on edge the whole time. The director, Marin, really did a first-rate job on the film, and it's worth watching just for the acting and the direction.

The story had good points and bad points. The basic plot line is quite good and fairly fresh, considering the usual formulaic plots noir often gives you (not that I mind terribly). Other comments will give you the basic plot outline, so I'll skip it, but let me say that it is, at first anyways, even more interesting than you might think. The problem is, the movie doesn't quite flesh out all of the aspects of it and leaves several loose ends and plot holes. It's really exasperating, and almost made me rate the movie even lower, but I won't spoil the plot here by mentioning the specific holes. It's hard for me to fathom why the movie starts out so strongly and then ends so sloppily! I believe it was based on a play, so perhaps the play script got a bit mangled as they tried to fit it into the feature film/noir mold, or there were budget problems. It is a rather short movie, they certainly had time for more plot and character development.

But, all that aside, it is a very solid film that is well acted and directed. Even if though the thought of what it could have been is frustrating at times, the plot still never fails to keep you interested for the length of the film. It probably won't go in my collection, but I would still recommend it to anyone who likes classic movies or noirs to give it a watch.

Johnny Angel (George Raft) finds his father's ship abandoned and adrift. He assumes that his father, as the Captain, would not abandon ship and is probably dead. He sets out to investigate. He tracks down surviving passenger Paulette Girard who tells him about a secret gold shipment being stolen by a gang of killers.

This is a standard noir. Raft is very ordinary as a leading man. The most memorable part is Paulette's flashback. There is a lack of spark in the performances and story. I have to attribute it to Raft as a performer. He's trying to be Bogie but it's not in him.

Shades of the "Mary Celeste" as a seemingly deserted ship looms out of the mist off the coast of New Orleans. It's boarded by George Raft whose father was it's captain. Raft (more animated than usual} uncovers a complex plot. The colorful New Orleans backgrounds and good performances make this an above average noir film. Claire Trevor is excellent as a double crossing blonde and Hoagy Carmichael plays to type as a ubiquitous taxi driver and sings "Memphis In June". All very nicely put together.

JOHNNY ANGEL (1945) Much has been written about the changes of fate in the film careers of George Raft & Humphrey Bogart. The irony is Bogart made lemonade out of flicks Raft believed were lemons in furthering his career. As Bogart reached stardom performing roles associated with Adventure rather than Gangsters, George Raft, still a viable Box Office Draw, was also given roles in a couple of movies that might have just as easily been offered to Bogart.

The first opportunity for George Raft to try capturing the same success that Bogart had achieved in Casablanca & Across the Pacific (1943) was his Warner Brothers Swan Song - Background to Danger (1943) with Director Raoul Walsh, Writer William Faulkner and Co-Stars Sydney Greenstreet & Peter Lorre. The film successfully captured the Suspense and Non-Stop Thrills of a 12-Chapter Cliffhanger as the hero valiantly fights against a Nazi Fifth-Column in Neutral Turkey.

Johnny Angel is George Raft's second swing at performing as an Adventurer. This film, like Background to Danger, is written to play-up Raft's strengths in the role of a Stoic-Tough-as-Nails Ship Captain, who's bound and determine to clear the name of his late father killed while in command of another Ship on its way from Casablanca with a cargo of Gold Bullion.

This movie features several excellent Character Actors who have appeared over the years in several Humphrey Bogart's Great WWII Adventure & Film Noir Flicks. Hoagy Carmichael, who made a big impression with audiences the year before in Howard Hawks' To Have and Have Not, returns in another memorable character role as a Worldly-Wise Cabby named Celestial O'Brien. It is interesting to note a key scene where Carmichael bullies Raft into stepping-up his acting game. Playing with a funny looking Gee Haw Whirligig Carmichael deliberately ignores Raft, forcing him to break-off the stiff stoic gaze and seize the moment by breathing life into the performance. While Raft's on screen chemistry with women seems to be forever reserved for his frequent co-star Sylvia Sidney, Actress Claire Trevor (Key Largo - 1948) steps up her raw sexuality enough to smoke-up the cinema!

Lastly, the presence of Character Actors Signe Hasso (Seventh Cross - 1944), Margaret Wycherly (Crossroads - 1942 & White Heat - 1949) and Marvin Miller (Dead Reckoning - 1947) all help strengthen George Raft's performance and the film's story.

Johnny Angel would have a better status today, if it wasn't for its misleading Gangster Theme Title. The Danish Title 'Gold From Casablanca' would have been a far better marketing handle. The film's plot is well written. All three writers, who contributed to the script, are renowned for their work in Film-Noir: Frank Gruber - The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), Charles G. Booth - The House on 92nd Street (1945) & Steve Fisher - Dead Reckoning (1947). The film's Cinematographer Harry J. Wild is also well-known for his great work in the Film-Noirs Murder, My Sweet (1944) & Macao (1952). JOHNNY ANGEL is a Great 'B' that garnered 'A' returns for RKO Radio Pictures.

George Raft made a lot of films I enjoyed. However, despite enjoying the pictures, I must admit that he had almost no emotional range in films and was prone to appearing wooden. He was at his best when playing a thug...other roles were a bit more problematic, especially love stories. It just wasn't his forte. But somehow, despite his range, I almost always liked his movies...so when I found "Johnny Angel" on TCM, I was sure to watch it as it's one of his pictures I haven't seen.

When the film begins, Johnny Angel (Raft) is the captain of a merchant vessel that comes upon a derelict ship in the sea. It turns out that it's his father's ship...but there's no trace of anyone aboard nor any indication where they'd gone. However, the ship was a mess...as if there was some violent altercation. When the ships arrive back in New Orleans, the tacitern Johnny goes through the French Quarter looking for clues...as well as the woman whose shoe he found aboard the derelict ship. Perhaps she was hidden and managed to slip off the boat and she could explain what happened to the ship and crew. See the film to find out the rest of the story.

Like so many other Raft films, despite his wooden performance, the story was enjoyable and worth seeing. I especially liked the femme fatale role played by Claire Trevor. Worth seeing.

George Raft has his own style of doing things unique unto him which makes for memorable movie watching. Throw in a decent story, some dames and someone trying to kill someone and you have Hollywood doing what it did best in the 30's, 40's and 50's. Imagine you were out for the night and wanted to catch movie, this would be one of thousands that the studios would churn out. Here we have Raft playing a straight shooter and a mystery of mysteries just pops up right in front of him and becomes personal as it unravels. Ships at sea, fog, large amounts of money, women, bad guys, good guys and various sound affects soon weave a tale of entertainment. I recommend a sandwich with a tasty drink plus some delicious personal candy favorite for this little gem. By the way, it was always the custom for the good guy to get the girl in many movies of that time because that is what was going on more often than not. No exception here and the only thing is, which girl? Also, you had to be good with your fists and guns were last resorts or no fair. Enjoy

Stars George Raft and Clair Trevor, as Johnny and Lily. when a ship is found floating off new orleans, Johnny tries to figure out what happened to the crew. which included his own father as captain. the awesome Hoagy Carmichael is O'brien, the cabby. usually he's the talented piano player, although he does do some singing. and whistling. some intrigue between Lily and Johnny; and Lily and her husband; and Lily and Miss Drum, longtime company employee. O'brien and Johnny drive around and try to solve the mystery of what happened to the ship. Signe Hasso is Paulette, who knows more than she is telling. and now we're in the flashback. about an hour in, Carmichael finally starts playing piany and singing. it's pretty good. filmed right at the end of WWII. directed by Ed Marin for RKO...he died so young at 52.

This should have been rated higher since it had several people who usually keep your attention: George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso and Hoagie Carmichael.

The story moved along pretty well but had an unsatisfying ending. Overall, it was simply an unmemorable story and film. Too bad, because Raft usually adds an edge to almost every film he's in: a true, convincing tough guy. In this movie, the plot revolves around him trying to find his father's killer.

It's worth a look, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find this movie or buy it sight unseen. You're not missing anything if you don't find it.

Put Humphrey Bogart in the title role and this would be remembered along with the likes of "The Maltese Falcon," and "The Big Sleep" as a true classic. With George Raft as the lead it's not quite a classic but still damn close. Frankly I was expecting a B movie and was simply knocked out by how good it was. I'm not going to dump on Raft the way some others have because, while unquestionably a limited actor, he did have a solid presence about him and is undeniably effective at times despite his obvious limitations.

Raft is at his best when he's asked to be tough, relentless and decisive. He gets into trouble during those scenes where he's required to be scheming or thoughtful; saying one thing while thinking another. Let's just say he's not real big on nuance. That hurts the latter half of the film where the audience really needs to FEEL his escalating outrage, impatience and thirst for revenge (such as Dick Powell is able to convey in the classic 1945 film noir "Cornered.") The way Raft plays it, what you see is what you get. Everything is on the surface. You assume he's only romancing Claire Trevor's femme fatale to find out more about his father's murder, but Raft doesn't give you the subtext. It just seems like a lackluster and rather puzzling liaison, considering how angry and anxious he had previously been to uncover the truth.

But Raft is much more inspired throughout the first portion of the film and actually does register true pain and regret over his beloved father's death as he's roaming the - supposedly - deserted ship. (A Nosferatu-like premise that sets a truly eerie, haunting tone which never lets up.) And his no nonsense, take no prisoners search to find the killer showcases Raft at his very best. An early scene with fragile Signe Hasso where he brutally interrogates/romances her absolutely crackles, and culminates with a great film noir line. Just before Raft wipes away a tear from Hasso's face he growls, "Looks like rain."

But the true star of this film is director Edwin Marin. Talk about painting with light - this is one of the most gorgeously photographed, most visually arresting films I've ever seen. It just OOZES mood and atmosphere - not to mention some serious post-war disillusionment. And Marin's camera work is equally stunning as he tracks and pans and zooms and frames each shot in fresh, exciting ways. It's one of those movies where "The Past" is almost an actual character always lurking in the shadows that NO ONE can escape. But what else would you expect from something with a quintessentially cryptic noir title like "Johnny Angel"?

In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Alan Parker wasn't paying homage to this little gem with his not dissimilar, equally unsettling "Angel Heart", also set in New Orleans. Mickey Rourke's character in that 1987 film was also named, I believe, Johnny Angel.

Early on a floozie throws herself at Raft and he brushes her off. She complains to no one in particular with a shrug - "Looks like Angel is wearing his halo tonight."

You want noir? THAT'S noir.

"Johnny Angel" is a 1945 noir starring George Raft, Signe Hasso, Claire Trevor, Hoagy Carmichael, and Marvin Miller. Johnny Angel (Raft) endeavors to find out who stole a gold shipment from his father's ship and killed his father, who was the captain. He discovers that there was a survivor on the ship, which seems empty when he boards it -- Paulette (Signe Hasso). Her father was killed by the hijackers, and she's trying to clear his name by finding out who took the gold.

No one from my generation can see Marvin Miller without thinking of him as Michael Anthony, the associate of John Beresford Tipton, who used to give random people $1 million. I'm still waiting for him to show up at my house. Here, Miller plays the weak husband of Lilah (Trevor). Lilah is madly in love with Johnny, and he wonders if she may know something about the missing gold.

The big problem here is Raft. I admit that I like him - he had a certain presence, and sometimes even warmth, but he was a very specialized actor. In the right role, he had all the bells and whistles, such as in Nocturne, but in the wrong role, he was ordinary. He wasn't really a leading man. Johnny Angel was a part for Bogart or Mitchum. Without that gravitas, it falls flat. Bogart certainly had a lot to thank him for, since he turned down High Sierra, Casablanca, and The Maltese Falcon. Amazing.

Still, it's pretty good, with the film elevated by the presence and singing of Hoagy Carmichael, one of my all-time favorites, as well as the marvelous Trevor and Signe Hasso.

I just caught this on TCM's Noir Alley. It's not really Noir and it should have been taken into an alley and beat up. Raft moves along stiffly in his crisp, white captain's outfit even though he was far from stiff in real life. He was an excellent dancer. Here though, he is badly miscast as a leading man. Hoagy Carmichael steals the show, though it's like taking candy from a baby.

One of Noir Alley's most boring offers yet.

Johnny Angel is directed by Edwin L. Marin and adapted to screenplay by Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher from Mr. Angel Comes Aboard written by Charles Gordon Booth. It stars George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso and Hoagy Carmichael. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.

Merchant sailor Johnny Angel (Raft) returns from duty to seek out who was responsible for his Father's death...

Fans of film noir as a film making style will get much from this, in fact the story has enough about it for fans of the form to enjoy. Yet peeking through the wonderful fogs and shadows, you find a pretty unadventerous narrative, a routine job where Raft is on auto-pilot and Trevor has you hankering for her other (great) noir endeavours. Still, what do us amateur reviewers know? Film made money at the box office!

Noir shadings in look and narrative twists, Johnny Angel is however lacking in thrills and surprises. 6/10

I didn't read the book. I've watched the movie twice and gone over it in many places numerous times. Am I the only one who doesn't know what happened to the money? Did I miss it? Are we just supposed to suppose?

Tough sea captain Johnny Angel (George Raft) finds his father's ship adrift at sea and boards it. He finds no trace of anyone on board, including his father. So Johnny tows the ship into New Orleans and begins investigating, wooing dames and punching faces where needed.

Raft gets a lot of flack these days for being a stiff or limited actor. Okay he wasn't the most versatile or charismatic actor around but he still had a good screen presence and could deliver when needed. Here the only problems are his love scenes with Signe Hasso which are just uncomfortable to watch. But when he's angry-man-out-for-justice, then he's pretty compelling. I do agree with others' assessment, however, that with a stronger lead like Bogart this would probably be a more appreciated film. A punchier script wouldn't hurt, either. The cast backing Raft up is pretty good. Hoagy Carmichael steals his scenes as cab driver Celestial O'Brien (what a great name). He also sings "Memphis in June." Signe Hasso and Claire Trevor play the good and bad girl respectively. Take a wild guess which of those parts is more interesting. Marvin Miller as the mama's boy owner of the steamship line and Margaret Wycherly as his overprotective nursemaid are the kinds of characters that make a so-so noir into something more. Nice score from Leigh Harline and atmospheric photography by Harry J. Wild. It's not a strong film noir at all and it does drag in the middle but it is enjoyable, especially for Raft and Trevor fans.

George Raft's performance is as starched as the sailor suit he strolls around in while Signe Hasso's anxiety seems to stem from her inability to understand or speak English rather than the mysterious woman with a past in the abysmal Johnny Angel.

When Captain Angel's ( Raft ) father, also a sea captain, is murdered for a gold shipment on his boat he sets out to solve and settle score. During his investigation he gets involved with Paulette (Hasso) and Lily (Claire Trevor), married to a child hood friend, to get some answers and a little face time. As he gets closer threat and violence ratchet up while his uniform remains crisp.

Raft's career had already self destructed by the time he took on the title role in this leaden clunker. Rejecting roles (High Sierra) that would make Bogart a star he had to settle for Ed Marin instead of Huston and Hawks but stylish and cool as he was in his Scarface days Raft was a flat and limited actor. He's no different in Angel but his performance has nothing on the clueless and stiff Ms.Hasso who looks like she could use a lot more rehearsing.

Claire Trevor gives her usual solid greedy tart performance while Marvin Miller as her unctuous doughy husband and the always memorable Margaret Wycherly introduce an Oedipal angle to the mix. But with the lifeless leads and Marin's slapdash, mood less direction Johnny Angel does a terrible job of winging it.

Almost everyone says the same thing about this very-well-done noir mystery. they wish someone other than George Raftrhad performed the part. He played the son of a sea captain., When his father's ship drifts into port with no one aboard, he does not accept that his father had absconded or committed a crime; he goes into action trying to find out what really happened, stay alive, and clear his father's name. Of course the company's owners deny any knowledge of what had happened. So Raft has to end up romancing one of their women and enlisting the reluctant help of a frightened girl who knows more than she is telling before he can ferret out the murderers, who were robbers on a grand scale as well. Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher were responsible for this taut and fast-moving screenplay; the film was directed in B/W by Edward L. Marion, and he deserves most of the credit for the excellence it achieves in many departments. He is helped bu the cinematography of Harry J. Wild, art direction by veterans Albert S. d'Agostino and Jack Okey, the fine set decorations by Darrell Silvera and William Stevens, costume designs by Reni and Leigh Harline's jazz film score counterpointed by Paul Francis Webster's songs and Hoagy Carmichael's prior compositions used in the film. In the very good cast, the viewer should note besides Raft, who as some reviewers have noted, tends not to have nuances but does well as a one-note line reader, Marvin Miller, Margaret Wycherly, Signe Hasso, Hoagy Carmichael as a cabdriver named Celestial O'Brien, Claire Trevor, Lowell Gilmore, J. Farrel MacDonald and Mack Gray. Much of the movie was shot in low light, or simulated night, or fog or cramped quarters. This makes Marin's directing achievement all the more impressive. The pace works like a stopwatch; and the relationships between strong characters is carried out well in dialogue, in actions and in interactions of a peaceable or a violent sort. With a great lead, the film would be a classic; but Trevor and Hasso are very good indeed and Miller has an interesting character to play for once. Catch this one.

This film is such a complete mess I bet each of the credited writers took turns cranking out a page or two.

First we get the setup - sea captain George Raft and his ship come alongside his dad's ship in a heavy fog. Dad's ship has nobody aboard. Signs of foul play. That seems promising.

But then it devolves into some kind of dull search for a French woman (Signe Hasso) in Fake New Orleans. So boring.

Hasso eventually gets around - in badly fractured English - to explaining what happened on the lifeless ship in a flashback. I couldn't make sense of it, but I'm fairly confident it inspired The Usual Suspects.

Once the movie comes out of the flashback we're stuck with Inanimate Carbon Rod George Raft trying to carry the picture. The guy has all the screen presence of an unpainted 2x4. And Hasso's a first-class mutt. Bad combo.

Claire Trevor is brittle and gorgeous, of course, But we don't get enough of her. Hoagy Carmichael slipping in a song between fares as a cabby doesn't salvage matters. But it marked an excellent point to bail on this easily forgotten snoozer.

I couldn't really get into this one, mainly because of the casting of George Raft as the hero. I'm not a big fan of Raft at the best of times, but he was usually convincing as a gangster or something similar. In this movie he looks uncomfortable as a more conventional leading man, and I just didn't find his character believable. With another actor, say Bogart or Robert Mitchum, I might have enjoyed 'Johnny Angel' a lot more, but as it is I found it very difficult to get interested in the plot, and my attention kept wandering. However the movie isn't entirely worthless, Hoagy Carmichael gives an entertaining turn as the wonderfully named eccentric cabbie Celestial O'Brien. And yes he sings. watch this movie for Hoagy if nothing else.

Confusing script, poor acting and unrealistic New Orleans setting lead to very disappointing movie. Coincidences abound and long boring exposition scenes are required to tell the story. George Raft much too old for his character and, seemingly, much to bored to make a real effort at acting. Miss this one.

Despite its lackluster title, based on a book with an equally unexciting name, "Mr. Angel Comes Aboard," "Johnny Angel" stands out for its dazzling camera-work by Harry J. Wild--too bad it wasn't shot on location in New Orleans, but "The Naked City" was still three years away to popularize filming in the streets of big towns--and for the well-written noir script. The acting is sufficient for the story being told with Claire Trevor as Lilah (as in Delilah) Gustafson making an alluring femme fatale. And who can best Margaret Wycherly as a domineering mother (in this case a domineering nanny)?-with shades of Ma Jarrett already visible. The music by the multi-talented Hoagy Carmichael is added spice, but why "Memphis in June" when the film is about New Orleans?

The story is a good one with the elements of mystery and suspense handled just right by director Edwin L. Marin so that too much is not revealed too soon. Seaman Johnny Angel discovers his father's ship deserted with signs of fowl play aplenty. In his mind he knows his father is dead, but why? A mysterious French lady in a green raincoat (Signe Hasso)was seen leaving the ship once it was towed in to harbor at New Orleans. Angel must find this vanishing woman to unlock the door to the enigma and to uncover the ones responsible for the dastardly deed. He works for George 'Gusty' Gustafson, portrayed as a nefarious milksop by Marvin Miller, later of TV's "The Millionaire" fame.

Gusty who owns and operates the Gustafson Shipping Company is preoccupied with satisfying his demanding wife, Lilah, no easy task, who also has the hots for Angel. Lilah was a former entertainer at the popular hang-out, "The Jewel Box." When one of the girls at the club states, "I wish I could sing like she could." The bartender replies, "Who said she could sing?"