Columbia Noir #5 - Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart stars in this collection of six classic films noir produced by Columbia Pictures in the 1940s and '50s.

In 'Dead Reckoning' (1947) Bogart stars as Rip Murdock, an ex-paratrooper who conducts his own investigation into the disappearance and subsequent death of his army buddy Johnny Drake (William Prince).

Murdock's enquiry soon leads him to Drake's one-time girlfriend Coral Chandler (Lizabeth Scott), and in no time at all the hard-boiled hero becomes embroiled in a complex web of blackmail and murder.

In 'Knock On Any Door' (1949) Andrew Morton (Bogart) is a criminal lawyer who has risen through the ranks from humble beginnings in the city slums.

His past comes back to haunt him, however, when his client, career criminal Nick Romano (John Derek), is accused of murdering a policeman during a robbery.

In 'Tokyo Joe' (1949) Bogart stars as Joe Barrett, an American who returns to Tokyo three years after the Second World War and attempts to pick up threads of his life in the city before the war.

He hopes to return to his bar, Tokyo Joe's, and his wife Trina (Florence Marly), with whom he has a seven-year-old daughter - but circumstances have changed greatly since he left and he runs into troubles of both a personal and a political nature as he struggles to straighten things out.

In 'Sirocco' (1951) Bogart stars as 1920s gunrunner Harry Smith, who is operating in war-torn Syria and supplying weapons to the rebel forces.

His wits are keenly matched by a French intelligence officer - his constant spy and judge.

In 'The Family Secret' (1951) retired lawyer Howard Clark (Lee J.

Cobb) must defend an innocent man accused of murder knowing that his own son is guilty of the crime.

Finally, in 'The Harder They Fall' (1956) Bogart stars in his final screen role as sports writer Eddie Willis, who takes a job as a publicist for boxing promoter Nick Benko (Rod Steiger).

However, Willis soon finds himself embroiled in a corrupt and exploitative scheme to secure Benko's fighter a shot at the heavyweight title.