A 90-minute crime cocktail: gambling dens, killer collectors, and the press circling like vultures.
A gambling boss is pressured by the law and press when a crusade is started against him after one of his collectors becomes a killer.
Acting
Frank Lovejoy's weary eyes doing all the heavy lifting.
Production
Maximum atmosphere on minimum budget — textbook B-noir.
Director
Lewis Seiler
Frank Lovejoy
John E. 'Johnny' Merrick
Joan Weldon
Felice Stuart
Robert Arthur
Rex Merrick
Paul Picerni
David Wiley
Don Beddoe
Jerry Allen
Jerome Cowan
Barry X. Brady
Sarah Selby
Liz Allen
Fay Roope
Roger Stuart
Frank Richards
Charley, Merrick's Butler
Vic Perrin
Little Harry Goubenek
Henry Corden
Specs alias Marty Kubek
Howard Negley
Senator Richard Ketteridge
Bruno VeSota
Angelo Bruno
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lewis Seiler directed this between Warner Bros. assignments, cranking it out in under two weeks for Allied Artists.
The 'System' of the title refers to both the criminal organization AND the newspaper racket — the film's bitter joke is they're nearly indistinguishable.
US
