Vice Squad (1953 film)

Vice Squad is a 1953 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Edward G. Robinson and Paulette Goddard.^[2] The film is also known as The Girl in Room 17.^[3]

In Los Angeles, criminals Al Barkis and Pete Monte attempt to hotwire a car. In a nearby apartment building, Vickie Webb bids farewell to Jack Hartrampf, a married undertaker. Patrolman Kellogg attempts to arrest Monte inside the car, but is shot by Barkis. Hartrampf witnesses the shooting, and after the criminals flee rushes to Kellogg's aid. A patrol car arrives, and Hartrampf is brought to police headquarters for questioning. Seeking to keep his affair concealed he is reluctant to cooperate.

Captain Barnaby arrives at his office, and his secretary Ginny informs him that Kellogg remains in critical condition. Barnaby meets with Miss Easton, who believes her mother is being led on by an Italian count. Barnaby advises he needs more evidence to establish marriage fraud, and assigns Sgt. Atkinson to investigate. In the hallway, he meets Frankie Pierce, an ex-convict on parole, who claims Barkis is planning a bank robbery.

Inside the interrogation room, Barnaby pleads with Hartrampf to identify the shooter, but Hartrampf declines. During a police lineup, Barnaby assigns Lt. Chisolm to investigate Frankie's claims; meanwhile, Kellogg dies. Elsewhere, Barkis and his accomplices meet at a warehouse and wait for Dutch, who, unknown to them, has been detained for the lineup. Dutch is released and arrives at the warehouse, where he tells the criminals that Kellogg is dead.

Back at the police station, Barnaby notifies bank president Schaefer of the robbery, and plans to set a trap to catch the robbers. When Hartrampf's cagey attorney Dwight Foreman arrives, a persuaded Hartrampf states it was too dark to see either criminal. He is released, and immediately re-arrested on a false charge to sweat him. Barnaby is also told that glamorous Mona Ross, who runs an escort service, is unwilling to collaborate unless two of her girls are released. Barnaby complies. Elsewhere, at the station, Alfredo Di Nova, the self-described count, is detained.

Barkis and his accomplices stage their robbery - without backup man Marty Kusalich, who abandons the gang. Chisolm and his undercover officers exchange gunfire, leaving Dutch and another robber shot dead. Barkis wounds Chisolm and takes bank teller Carol Lawson hostage, then escapes. Hartrampf is released, but once again re-arrested under another false pretense. Barnaby phones Mona and has his officers apprehend her for interrogation.

Mona reveals that one of her girls, Dolores, has been seeing Marty, who is soon arrested at her apartment. During interrogation, Marty claims he had no knowledge of the robbery. When ballistic evidence confirms that Barkis had shot Kellogg, Barnaby schemes to implicate Marty to get him to crack. Fearful of identifying the real killer, Hartrampf falsely identifies Marty. Threatened with the death penalty, Marty testifies Barkis and Monte were the real culprits and reveals the location of the warehouse.

Di Nova is found to be an imposter and is told to leave town or face criminal charges.

Per their plan, Monte pilots a power boat towards the waterfront warehouse, where Barkis is holding Carol hostage. She attempts to escape. Barnaby appears and rescues her, then Detective Lacey shoots Barkis dead. Monte arrives shortly after and is arrested. Carol calls her mother to tell her she is safe.

• Edward G. Robinson as Capt. Barnaby
• Paulette Goddard as Mona Ross
• K.T. Stevens as Ginny
• Porter Hall as Jack Hartrampf
• Adam Williams as Marty Kusalich
• Edward Binns as Al Barkis
• Barry Kelley as Dwight Foreman
• Jay Adler as Frankie Pierce
• Mary Ellen Kay as Carol Lawson
• Joan Vohs as Vickie Webb
• Lee Van Cleef as Pete Monte
• Harlan Warde as Det. Lacey
• Dan Riss as Lt. Bob Inlay
• Lewis Martin as Police Lt. Ed Chisolm
• Byron Kane as Prof. Bruno Varney
• Christine White as Miss Easton

• Vice Squad at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Vice Squad at IMDb
• Vice Squad at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
• Vice Squad film scene on YouTube