ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

bkoganbing For a chance to look at Atlantic City in the Fifties before the casinos moved in The Burglar is the film for you. Dan Duryea stars in this small B film from Columbia as a professional burglar looking to make a big score with a necklace robbed from a fake spiritualist.Duryea's team consists of Peter Capell jewelry expert, Mickey Shaughnessy muscle and hormones, and Jayne Mansfield who gives his hormones their exercise. Jayne's kind of a legacy for Duryea, if you can believe he thinks of her as kind of a kid sister. Duryea was raised by Jayne's father who was also a burglar and taught him the trade.The robbery goes, but Duryea is spotted by cop Stewart Bradley who's on the take. So he has real police as well as this crooked one looking to get in on the score.You'll note the similarities between The Burglar and The Asphalt Jungle. Both Duryea here and Sterling Hayden in the John Huston classic seem to be drawn inexorably to disaster. The difference is that Huston had that MGM shine to his film and this is a routine B film that's a cut above average.Usually when a film is held up for a couple of years for release that spells problems. But The Burglar shot in 1955 and released in 1957 is moody and atmospheric and a nifty noir feature. Jayne Mansfield gets some competition in the sex pot department from Martha Vickers best remembered as Lauren Bacall's psychotic sister in The Big Sleep. She's working with Bradley who's working on Mansfield. All I can say is nice work if you can get it.Around this time there was an attempt to make a lead of Dan Duryea, but he never really transitioned into that category. But The Burglar represents a fine bit of work from him and the rest of the cast.

Robert J. Maxwell As others have observed, Paul Wendkos' "The Burglar" owes something to "The Asphalt Jungle" (the armature of the plot), "The Lady From Shanghai" (the Fun House sequence), and Alfred Hitchcock (the use of landmark locations in Philadelphia and Atlantic City).It has many extraordinarily arty shots and edits, from between somebody's legs, sometimes a POV of someone getting punched in the face, close ups galore, strange camera angles, stark lighting, and all the rest of it.And none of it hangs together. Three hoodlums and a dame burgle the mansion of a phony swami in Philadelphia and steal an emerald necklace. Before pulling off the heist they sit around in this shabby flat, sweating and arguing. After they have the fortune in their hands, they sit around the same flat, sweating and arguing. There's not a smile in a cartload, and little enthusiasm. Peter Capell, as Baylock, is the jewelry expert. He's been hijacked by his adrenal medullas. He sweats a bath tub. And he overacts to the point at which, had he gestured, shouted, and rolled his eyes more often, I'd have joined him in his irretrievable insanity.The young Jayne Mansfield is attractive enough in a flashy way and is as generously proportioned as ever. Wendkos has shot her silhouette in profile once or twice and she's unmistakable. Her bosom precedes her by a quarter of a mile. But she can't act, and when she's being pursued by a murderer in a shadowy House of Horrors she minces hurriedly and her high heels clack a tattoo along the floor that sounds like some kind of monstrous Japanese getas gone berserk.I appreciate the effort that went into the production, and some of the location shooting was agreeable, but overall it was dull and depressing.

hilljayne This is a suspenseful and actually a pretty popular movie with Dan Duryea, femme fa-tale Martha Vickers, and a young, baby faced little starlet named Jayne Mansfield (a month before her Broadway triumph). Pure 1950s film noir here. The only copies available are poor VHS copies that sell for $25.00 or $30.00 on Ebay. It's ashame because it is a good film with all around impressive performances. Definitely needs an official DVD release. Filmed in 1955 but released in 1957 to cash in on Jayne's fame. Filmed in Philadelphia about 1 hour from where Jayne lived until she was 6, and is buried at, Pen Argyl. The plot line: Petty thief Duryea and his gang of 'thugs' go on a big heist at a local wealthy woman's mansion. In comes little 'sister' to Duryea Jayne, to help size the place up and get a feel for where the jewels are. Chaos ensues and Duryea ends up sending Jayne to Atlantic City (after the heist has been pulled off) only to find out she is having an affair with (MAJOR SPOILER) the policeman investigating the robbery! Good plot line and a great nostalgic look at Baby Jayne before she went Hollywood.

wmhwilson-1 My Dad, William G. Wilson (not sure if you list him as Bob) filmed many of the shots in the Burglar. I remember seeing it with my folks. Dad also had the bit part as the TV director who says "You're On..." to newscaster John Facenda. Facenda, a Philadelphia legend, is best known as the voice of NFL Films which was born in Philadelphia. Strangely, Lou Kellman created TeleSports Digest which covered college and pro football (as well as other sports) before NFL Films. It's sad when when one searches for this film you get Whoopie's title. This film is fun to watch and my VHS is almost dead. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows where to get a legit copy. Thanks Bill Wilson