John Wayne's production company Batjac footed the bill on director Andrew V. McLaglen's sophomore effort "Man in the Vault, and RKO Studios released it in 1956. This threadbare, black & white, quasi-noir crime thriller about a one-man bank heist provides some tense moments, an adequate cast, but it's strictly a minor item. Actually, "Man in the Vault" foreshadows director Richard Brooks' Warren Beatty heist thriller "Dollars" where the stakes were higher, the villains more menacing, and the rewards greater.
Actors and actresses that had appeared in many of John Wayne's movies fleshed out the cast of "Man in the Vault," with contract labor serving behind the cameras. For example, Wayne later gave McLaglen a chance to direct him in "McLintock" in 1964, while co-writer Burt Kennedy wrote and directed a couple of Wayne's top 1960s westerns. Of course, cinematographer William H. Clothier had been on Wayne's payroll even before "Man in the Vault." Unfortunately, McLaglen, Kennedy, and Clothier cannot salvage this lackluster, low-stakes movie.
A sleazy, small-fry mobster Willis Trent (Berry Kroeger of "Seven Thieves")approaches locksmith Tommy Dancer (William Campbell of "The High and the Mighty") at a bowling alley one night with a job to open an old footlocker back at his house. Tommy grabs his tools and rides with Trent to the hoodlum's house. Tommy has no problem opening the footlocker, but he smells a rat when Trent invites him to have some liquor at the party he's hosting with several good looking dames. One of them even sings the song "Let the chips fall where they may" to him. A pampered, single, 23-year-old doll in a mink stole, Betty Turner (Karen Sharpe of "The High and the Mighty"), arouses Tommy's curiosity as she stands alone in the middle of the party. Betty gets into an argument with her attorney boyfriend Earl Farraday (Robert Keys of "The High and the Mighty") while Tommy stands between them. As it turns out, Farrady has been fooling around with Paul De Camp's torpedo-breasted mistress, Flo(voluptuous Anita Ekberg of "La Dolce Vita"), but he has other reasons for attaching himself to her than her well-endowed upper torso. Primarily, he wants the number and the location of a safety deposit box in Paul De Camp's name that contains $200-thousand in cash that Trent and he want to steal.
Betty doesn't know about the conspiracy between Farraday and Trent. Anyway, Tommy leaves Trent's party, finds boo-hooing Turner outside, and she lets him drive her over to his place. Eventually, Tommy gets fresh with Turner and kisses her. Turner slaps him and storms out, forgetting her mink. Later, Tommy suspects that Trent is leading him on when he asks him to make two keys to open De Camp's safety deposit box. At first, Tommy refuses to take the job despite the $5-thousand dollars tax-free that Trent is offering. "More than I make in a whole year," Tommy observes. Our clean-scrubbed protagonist initially rejects Trent's offer. "You know, Mr. Trent, I've been half expecting this since the first time I met you at the bowling alley." He adds, "The footlocker was the clincher. You didn't need a key to open it, it was already open." Finally, he points out, "You know I may do a lot of things that I shouldn't, but breaking into safety deposit boxes isn't one of them."
Later, Tommy realizes that he is out of his class and income as a lowly locksmith around wealthy Betty, so the $5,000 gives him second thoughts. Reluctantly, later, Tommy takes the job because Trent threatens to turn his gargantuan, club-fisted, ex-prizefighting bodyguard Louie, Mike Mazurki, loose on Betty. In other words, if Tommy doesn't do the job, Betty won't have enough of a face to sip soup through a straw. Meanwhile, De Camp wants Trent out of town. "I'm far from an honest man," he assures Trent. "I worked by way up to the curb, you've never been able to get out of the gutter."
The Duke's younger brother, Robert E. Morrison, received credit as the producer for "Man in a Vault." Scenarist Burt Kennedy adapted novelist Frank Gruber's novel is oddly structured and occasionally weirdly convoluted, as if a scene or two of important exposition were cut (it crams a lot of story into its 73-minute running time), or maybe some footage was shuffled around. Most of the film centers around Tommy Dancer, but the story opens with a long scene involving Trent that isn't really necessary. Both Betty and Trent are connected to Tommy via their association with Farraday, and mistress Flo likewise ties Farraday to the safety deposit box, own by Flo's husband, the semi-reformed gangster Paul De Camp (James Seay of "The Buccaneer"). Added to all this is Herbie (Paul Fix), yet another crook trying to muscle in on the action.
"Man in a Vault" contains only a modicum of action. Perennial heavy Mike Mazurki wields his club-like fists on our hero, but nothing big happens in the way of action set-pieces. The best scenes are with Campbell when he is inside the vault, keeping his eye on the vault clerk outside while he jiggles the keys a safe deposit box. The storyline catches Tommy at a turning point in his life. He has found the woman of his dreams and he is prepared to stick his neck out for her, even if it means becoming a criminal. Ultimately, however, our conscientious protagonist decides to face the music so that he can help out his new girl friend.
Campbell and Sharpe make an attractive couple. Meanwhile, the cigar-chewing Kroeger emerges as an unsavory villain, and Mexican-American Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales makes the most of his comic relief bit part as Tommy's pal who clears the fallen ten-pins at the bowling alley. Beautiful Anita Ekberg has little to do except display her feminine pulchritude.
"Man in the Vault" qualifies as a tolerable potboiler.
Actors and actresses that had appeared in many of John Wayne's movies fleshed out the cast of "Man in the Vault," with contract labor serving behind the cameras. For example, Wayne later gave McLaglen a chance to direct him in "McLintock" in 1964, while co-writer Burt Kennedy wrote and directed a couple of Wayne's top 1960s westerns. Of course, cinematographer William H. Clothier had been on Wayne's payroll even before "Man in the Vault." Unfortunately, McLaglen, Kennedy, and Clothier cannot salvage this lackluster, low-stakes movie.
A sleazy, small-fry mobster Willis Trent (Berry Kroeger of "Seven Thieves")approaches locksmith Tommy Dancer (William Campbell of "The High and the Mighty") at a bowling alley one night with a job to open an old footlocker back at his house. Tommy grabs his tools and rides with Trent to the hoodlum's house. Tommy has no problem opening the footlocker, but he smells a rat when Trent invites him to have some liquor at the party he's hosting with several good looking dames. One of them even sings the song "Let the chips fall where they may" to him. A pampered, single, 23-year-old doll in a mink stole, Betty Turner (Karen Sharpe of "The High and the Mighty"), arouses Tommy's curiosity as she stands alone in the middle of the party. Betty gets into an argument with her attorney boyfriend Earl Farraday (Robert Keys of "The High and the Mighty") while Tommy stands between them. As it turns out, Farrady has been fooling around with Paul De Camp's torpedo-breasted mistress, Flo(voluptuous Anita Ekberg of "La Dolce Vita"), but he has other reasons for attaching himself to her than her well-endowed upper torso. Primarily, he wants the number and the location of a safety deposit box in Paul De Camp's name that contains $200-thousand in cash that Trent and he want to steal.
Betty doesn't know about the conspiracy between Farraday and Trent. Anyway, Tommy leaves Trent's party, finds boo-hooing Turner outside, and she lets him drive her over to his place. Eventually, Tommy gets fresh with Turner and kisses her. Turner slaps him and storms out, forgetting her mink. Later, Tommy suspects that Trent is leading him on when he asks him to make two keys to open De Camp's safety deposit box. At first, Tommy refuses to take the job despite the $5-thousand dollars tax-free that Trent is offering. "More than I make in a whole year," Tommy observes. Our clean-scrubbed protagonist initially rejects Trent's offer. "You know, Mr. Trent, I've been half expecting this since the first time I met you at the bowling alley." He adds, "The footlocker was the clincher. You didn't need a key to open it, it was already open." Finally, he points out, "You know I may do a lot of things that I shouldn't, but breaking into safety deposit boxes isn't one of them."
Later, Tommy realizes that he is out of his class and income as a lowly locksmith around wealthy Betty, so the $5,000 gives him second thoughts. Reluctantly, later, Tommy takes the job because Trent threatens to turn his gargantuan, club-fisted, ex-prizefighting bodyguard Louie, Mike Mazurki, loose on Betty. In other words, if Tommy doesn't do the job, Betty won't have enough of a face to sip soup through a straw. Meanwhile, De Camp wants Trent out of town. "I'm far from an honest man," he assures Trent. "I worked by way up to the curb, you've never been able to get out of the gutter."
The Duke's younger brother, Robert E. Morrison, received credit as the producer for "Man in a Vault." Scenarist Burt Kennedy adapted novelist Frank Gruber's novel is oddly structured and occasionally weirdly convoluted, as if a scene or two of important exposition were cut (it crams a lot of story into its 73-minute running time), or maybe some footage was shuffled around. Most of the film centers around Tommy Dancer, but the story opens with a long scene involving Trent that isn't really necessary. Both Betty and Trent are connected to Tommy via their association with Farraday, and mistress Flo likewise ties Farraday to the safety deposit box, own by Flo's husband, the semi-reformed gangster Paul De Camp (James Seay of "The Buccaneer"). Added to all this is Herbie (Paul Fix), yet another crook trying to muscle in on the action.
"Man in a Vault" contains only a modicum of action. Perennial heavy Mike Mazurki wields his club-like fists on our hero, but nothing big happens in the way of action set-pieces. The best scenes are with Campbell when he is inside the vault, keeping his eye on the vault clerk outside while he jiggles the keys a safe deposit box. The storyline catches Tommy at a turning point in his life. He has found the woman of his dreams and he is prepared to stick his neck out for her, even if it means becoming a criminal. Ultimately, however, our conscientious protagonist decides to face the music so that he can help out his new girl friend.
Campbell and Sharpe make an attractive couple. Meanwhile, the cigar-chewing Kroeger emerges as an unsavory villain, and Mexican-American Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales makes the most of his comic relief bit part as Tommy's pal who clears the fallen ten-pins at the bowling alley. Beautiful Anita Ekberg has little to do except display her feminine pulchritude.
"Man in the Vault" qualifies as a tolerable potboiler.