John Payne

John Payne (May 28, 1912 – December 6, 1989). Was mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, as well as his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series, The Restless Gun.
Please click here to read past John Payne reviews.

Today on TCM: John Payne films listed below:

99 River Street (1953) A taxi driver gets mixed up with jewel thieves. Cast: John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Frank Faylen. Dir: Phil Karlson.

Kansas City Confidential (1952). To commit the perfect crime, a former detective keeps his colleagues' identities secret from each other. Cast: Preston Foster, John Payne, Coleen Gray. Dir: Phil Karlson.



Crooked Way, The (1949) A war hero's amnesia keeps him from dealing with his criminal past. Cast: John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew.



To the Shores of Tripoli (1942). A brash young Marine has to redeem himself after trying to romance a female officer. Cast: John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Randolph Scott. Dir: H. Bruce Humberstone.

Kansas City Confidential (1952). Every city wears a mask!

Kansas City Confidential(1952).Noir/crime film. Director: Phil Karlson. Cast: John Payne. Karlson and Payne teamed up a year later for another noir, titled 99 River Street, followed by a 1955 color film, Hell's Island.


Retired police captain Tim Foster, has been watching the bank and the flower shop next door for a week. So he can keep track of the timing of each of their delivery trucks. Soon he calls on three criminals to help him rob the bank: Pete Harris, a gambler, Tony Romano, a womanizer and Boyd Kane, a cold-blooded killer.

Wearing a mask, Foster visits each separately and threatens to turn them in to the police if they do not follow his plans. Soon, the four men, who also are masked, wait until the flower delivery truck drives away and then pull up in the same type of truck. Pretending to be working for the flower shop, they rob the armored bank truck of over one million dollars.

They meet up with Foster, who informs them that they will split the money in a few days and gives each half of a playing card to help identify them.

Meanwhile back at the scene of the robbery, the police arrest Joe Rolfe, the innocent deliveryman of the real flower truck. Unfortunately, Joe was an ex-con and the police beat him up to try and get a confession out of him. Soon they learn the truth and release him.

Out looking for revenge he wants find the real thieves before the police do. Joe goes to Eddie, an old Army buddy to see if he can get any information from his shady brother, who informs him that Harris, recently fled to Tijuana, may be involved. Joe travels there and finds Harris at a casino and then onto his hotel, where he finds a plane ticket and note from Foster, telling Harris to go to Borados. Harris, admits he was involved in the robbery but has no information and they go together to the airport to meet up with the others, so he can find out who set him up, and why....

I really enjoyed this film Noir. The performance of Foster is very believable when his film character goes from good to evil to.... I do not want to give the ending away. I also like the performances of Jack Elam and of Lee Van Cleef, their characters both make believable criminals. Colleen Gray, performance was wonderful as Foster's daughter and Payne's love interest.
Click to view movie: Kansas City Confidential (1952).

Coleen Gray, performed in the film noirs: Kiss of Death and Nightmare Alley.

In 1948, she also performed as John Wayne's love interest in Red River.

In the 1950s, She performed in, The Sleeping City(1950) and Kansas City Confidential(1952)and the film noir The Killing (1956).

Other films includ: Father Is a Bachelor (1950), The Leech Woman(1960), The Phantom Planet(1961)and P.J.(1968). She made only one film in the 70's, The Late Liz(1971).

John Payne: Was the first person in Hollywood interested in making the James Bond films.

John Payne, was offered a contract by Samuel Goldwyn in 1936 and moved to Hollywood. He worked for various studios until 1940, when he signed with 20th Century Fox. Payne performed in many 1940s musicals: Springtime in the Rockies, Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943).

One of my favorite John Payne films was with, Gene Tierney and Tyrone Power in The Razor's Edge (1946). The Razor Edge(1946) movie review. Payne's, most popular performance was his final film, Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

Later, Payne changed his image and began playing tough-guy roles in Hollywood films noir and westerns: Kansas City Confidential (1952), 99 River Street (1953), Silver Lode (1954), Tennessee's Partner (1955) and Slightly Scarlet (1956).

Payne was a contract star with Pine-Thoma Productions where he insisted that the films he performed in would be filmed in color and that he had the rights to all his films. Payne, also performed in a television western series, The Restless Gun(1957-1959).

In 1955, he paid a $1,000-a-month option for nine months on the Ian Fleming James Bond novel, Moonraker (he eventually gave up the option when he learned he could not retain the rights for the entire book series).

In March 1961, Payne suffered life-threatening injuries when hit by a car in New York City. His recovery took two years. Payne directed one of his last films, They Ran for Their Lives (1968). His final role was in 1975 when he co-starred with Peter Falk and Janet Leigh in my favorite Columbo episode, Forgotten Lady.



Kansas City Confidential (1952) movie review.


Springtime in the Rockies(1942) movie review.


Dolly Sisters (1945) movie review.

The Crooked Way(1949). He's got a date ...with DEATH!

The Crooked Way (1949). Black-and-white film noir. Director; Robert Florey. The film was based on a radio play No Blade Too Sharp. cast: John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew. The film, with a similar plot (a war hero loses his memory stateside) to another film noir Somewhere in the Night, was shot by noted cameraman John Alton.


Eddie Rice, a war veteran with amnesia, returns home to Los Angeles hoping to learn who he is and learns the hard way that he is a gangster named Eddie Riccardi with a police record. Eddie does not remember that he was acquitted of murder after turning state's evidence. His long time friend, Vince Alexander, took the "rap" and spent two years in prison. A woman recognizes Eddie and informs Vince who confronts Eddie about the past and gives him one day to leave town. Kemble, reads the newspaper article and learns the woman who recognized him was Nina Martin, a nightclub singer. Eddie visits Nina and, telling her that he has amnesia and wants her to tell him about his past. Nina tells him that she used to be his wife, but divorced him three years ago and now works for Vince. Meanwhile, Vince murders Kelly, a gangster whom Williams was using as an informant. Nina is beginning to fall in love with her ex-husband and warns him to leave. Instead, Eddie goes to Vince's gambling house, the Golden Horn. Williams, learns that Eddie has amnesia and goes to the Golden Horn to pick him up. Williams accuses Vince of Kelly's murder, and is himself shot dead by Vince. Later, Eddie wakes up and finds himself in Williams' car, holding the murder weapon, and runs for his life.. Will he be able to prove his innocence?

John Alton, and a wonderful cast of film noir actors, John Payne, Sonny Tufts, and Percy Helton . In my opinion some of most imaginative lighted scenes in film. The scenes in the warehouse are amazing .
The Crooked Way movie in full.