NEW ORLEANS UNCENSORED

Beverly Garland and Arthur Franz

NEW ORLEANS UNCENSORED (1955). Director: William Castle. 

New Orleans, the second busiest port after New York City, has become a hotbed of crime and violence. Dan Corbett (Arthur Franz) only wants to fix up an old rust bucket of a ship and start his own business, but for now he works on the docks. Dan gets involved with two women: Alma Mae (Helene Stanton), who is the sexy girlfriend of mob boss "Zero" Saxon (Michael Ansara); and Marie Reilly (Beverly Garland of Soldiers of Fortune), whose husband, Joe (William Henry of Uranium Boom) works for Saxon and later winds up dead. Dan agrees to help the authorities expose Saxon's corruption by going to work for him undercover, even though he knows he's putting himself in harm's way. 

Arthur Franz and Helene Stanton

Frankly, there's enough material in this picture to have made an exciting thriller, but New Orleans Uncensored just ambles along without ever once igniting. The performances are all credible, although the cops and other authorities are played by real-life policemen. The suspenseful climax the film has supposedly been building to never quite materializes. Other cast members include Mike Mazurki as Saxon's dumb enforcer, and Ed Nelson as a dock worker. This same year Helene Stanton played a blonde goddess in the Jungle Jim film Jungle Moon Men. 

Verdict: Surprisingly, a rather dull William Castle movie. **.