Monday Night at the Movies A to Z

A classic, dog view (what my girlies call a black and white film) melodrama, the 1950 Panic in the Streets. A public health officer (Richard Widmark) and a police detective (Paul Douglas) in a 48 hour race to track down an invisible killer, bubonic plague, before the plague spreads through the city and causes wide spread panic. It's an exciting melodrama with a chilling theme that is still relevant today.

In an interview about his work, Widmark revealed an interesting fact about the film and working with Walter Jack Palance. Palance was a method actor, one who gets into the skin of his character, becomes his character. When you watch the clip, if you think the scene where Palance's character knocks out Widmark looks very realistic, it is.  Widmark said Palance replaced the rubber prop with a real gun because he wanted realism in the scene. Palance achieved his goal as he nearly brained Widmark. Widmark ended up with a couple of stitches in his head and a concussion.

You know the drill. Expand my horizons.