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The Sleeping City

  • 1950
  • Approved
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
The Sleeping City (1950)
Film NoirCrimeDramaMystery

In New York, the murder of a Bellevue Hospital intern prompts the police to send an undercover detective to investigate.In New York, the murder of a Bellevue Hospital intern prompts the police to send an undercover detective to investigate.In New York, the murder of a Bellevue Hospital intern prompts the police to send an undercover detective to investigate.

  • Director
    • George Sherman
  • Writer
    • Jo Eisinger
  • Stars
    • Richard Conte
    • Coleen Gray
    • Richard Taber
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George Sherman
    • Writer
      • Jo Eisinger
    • Stars
      • Richard Conte
      • Coleen Gray
      • Richard Taber
    • 23User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos33

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    Top Cast32

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    Richard Conte
    Richard Conte
    • Fred Rowan, aka Fred Gilbert
    Coleen Gray
    Coleen Gray
    • Ann Sebastian
    Richard Taber
    • 'Pop' Ware
    John Alexander
    John Alexander
    • Police Insp. Gordon
    Peggy Dow
    Peggy Dow
    • Kathy Hall
    Alex Nicol
    Alex Nicol
    • Dr. Steve Anderson
    Carroll Ashburn
    Carroll Ashburn
    • Famous Surgeon
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Baxter
    • Interne
    • (uncredited)
    Dort Clark
    Dort Clark
    • Interne
    • (uncredited)
    Mickey Cochran
    • Police Det. Diamond
    • (uncredited)
    Russell Collins
    Russell Collins
    • Medical Examiner
    • (uncredited)
    James Daly
    James Daly
    • Interne
    • (uncredited)
    Henry Hart
    • Dr. Nester
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Hertz
    • Broken-legged Patient
    • (uncredited)
    Tom Hoirer
    • Mr. Daye
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Kendrick
    • Dr. Dutra
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Lescoulie
    Jack Lescoulie
    • Paulsen
    • (uncredited)
    Jimmy Little
    • Police Det. Travers
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George Sherman
    • Writer
      • Jo Eisinger
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    6.61K
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    Featured reviews

    7WeAreBrainPolice

    Conte carries this obscure B-movie

    The Sleeping City has a unique, unfortunately not fully realized, setting for a noir. Shot on location at Bellevue Hospital, the film stars Richard Conte as policeman Fred Rowan as he goes undercover to solve the murder of a hospital intern.

    Conte carries the film while the supporting cast mostly serves as window dressing to keep the plot moving forward. The exception being Rowan's interactions with staff member Steve Anderson, played by Alex Nichols. Nichols' character reveals more intimate details than Rowan's supposed love interest (Coleen Gray) of the film, and it his personal struggles feel genuine.

    Although I won't give any spoilers, the twists in the plot are surprises sure, yet still underwhelming. What keeps this film from being more than good was its underutilization of the hospital setting. Besides one scene where Rowan aids a patient, the setting serves nothing more than as a locale when it could have uplifted an otherwise average plot. Despite the missed opportunity, Conte alone makes the Sleeping City a B-movie noir worth watching.
    8dballtwo

    Where There's Smoke

    This novel crime film set entirely in Bellvue Hospital in NYC is more interesting for its picture of intern life at mid-century than for its farfetched premise of a police detective planted inside the institution as a physician to try to catch a murderer. Realistic location shooting enjoyed a vogue in the late 40's and early 50's, and undoubtedly Bellvue was well compensated for extending its hospitality to Hollywood. It's also a reminder of how much cigarette smoking was an accepted "relaxant" in those days, even for the medical profession. Among numerous tobacco moments, Nurse Coleen Gray urges undercover man Richrd Conte to step outside for "a cigarette and a breath of fresh air," as though one went hand in hand with the other. Although that kind of thing seems ridiculous now, in an age of idiotic comic book and video game movies, it's a pleasure to watch a film performed on an intimately human scale.
    jsmarr4

    Where, or where is this noir classic?

    I saw this movie once, many years ago, in NYC. It was filmed on location at Bellevue Hospital, eighty blocks south from where I did my residency training in medicine (50's-60's.) The medical attire, locations, and medical palaver are certainly dated, but that was the way it was ... many years ago. The movie's characters (Conte et al.) were grand; an atherosclerotic, aging, Bellevue Hospital was really like that, the state-of-the-art treatments, the accomodations for patients were all shockingly interesting. In this sense, it is living history of a past medical era.

    The Noir is also so nicely done: hospital corridors, primitive art deco elevators, and night shots of Gotham streets. (All these retro-images are based on a film once seen by me forty years ago!)

    If film renovators/DVD entreprenuers were to read this clip, I would recommend they consider this movie as one that many forgotten Noirs that need to be resurrected. It would be a cryptogenic discovery. Conte was a great actor, and he has a loyal following. (This movie was in his early career, and he plays a good guy!) He would be lauded later for his Godfather roles.)
    7blanche-2

    Conte poses as an intern to investigate a death

    The Sleeping City is a 1950 film directed by George Sherman starring Richard Conte and Coleen Gray.

    The story begins with an intro by Richard Conte, extolling the virtues of Bellevue Hospital, where the filming took place, and explaining that the story is fictional. This was done to overcome the objective of Mayor O'Dwyer, who did not want the hospital portrayed negatively.

    In the film, an intern is shot and killed. In order to investigate, Detective Fred Rowan (Conte) who has a medical background, is sent in to pose as an intern from Los Angeles.

    There is something going on among the hospital interns, but it's hard to pinpoint. Rowan suspects it may have something to do with an old man who works there, Pop (Richard Taber) who takes gambling bets from the interns.

    Rowan refuses to bet on the horses, but eventually does to find out what's going on. He soon learns of the sinister happenings that caused one intern to be killed and another to commit suicide.

    Good story that keeps the viewer absorbed throughout, with good performance by Conte, Taber, Gray, and Alex Nicol as an unhappy intern. Exciting finale.
    jsmarr4

    Sleeping Noir

    I happened to see this movie in the latter '60's on TV, while working as a resident in a NYC hospital. I was intrigued by the story, the gritty, noir hospital setting (a decaying [old]Bellevue Hospital), and unusual plot line. Although it depicts an unusual event in the 1950's, the same event had become truly epidemic a decade later. Richard Conte was wonderful, and the chronic atmosphere of the City and Bellue hung over the movie like a moldy, wet wash rag.

    Now with old movies being restored on DVD, I would hope that an entrepreneur might read this and decide to add it to the annals of deep noir. Conte,a wonderful actor, needs to be seen more.

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    Related interests

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Film Noir
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to overcome New York Mayor O'Dwyer's objections to the negative portrayal of hospital procedures, Universal-International provided an introduction, spoken by Richard Conte, in which he said the story was fictitious and did not take place in any particular U.S. city.
    • Quotes

      Fred Rowan, aka Fred Gilbert: [opening narration] Hello, everybody, my name is Richard Conte. In the picture you're about to see, I play the part of Doctor Gilbert, an intern at Bellevue Hospital. With the permission of the City Authorities, all the facilities of Bellevue Hospital, located in the heart of New York City, were made available to the film production crew. The story itself is completely fictional, and did not actually happen in Bellevue Hospital or in New York City. During our stay at Bellevue, in making this picture, we saw the real Bellevue at work - in its wards, its clinics and research laboratories. And we came to know the unrivalled opportunities, offered by this great teaching centre, to young students of all races, colours and creeds in advancing in their chosen profession of medicine. On this same site, will rise during the next ten years, the new buildings of Bellevue, already planned and begun. And they will form the world's greatest and most complete medical research and teaching centre. To the old and the coming new Bellevue and on behalf of our entire company, we salute the magnificent, professional skill and highest devotion to duty known throughout the world as the mark of each of Bellevue's thirteen hundred doctors and eleven hundred nurses.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Where's Marlowe? (1998)

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    FAQ13

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 1950 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Streaming on "filevans" YouTube Channel
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Confidential Squad
    • Filming locations
      • Bellevue Hospital - 462 First Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal International Pictures (UI)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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