RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 (1954)

I'm a sucker for prison movies of the Forties and Fifties, when writers and directors were sympathetic to prisoners. In this film, inmate Dunne (Neville Brand, Eternal One-Note Thug) leads a riot against the usual list of inhumane conditions. Thanks to an intelligent script, he gets to show leadership qualities and motivation, plus support for the prisoners' demands from the warden (Emile Meyer, Eternal Bohunk). Of course the bad guys are the corrections commissioner and the state legislators, who double-cross Dunne, the warden and the prisoners. It's preachy in parts, but packs a strong punch and message. Ace B-director Don Siegel uses a knowing hand with this material, and the supporting cast includes lots of familiar faces, like Whit Bissell (as a hated guard), Robert Osterloh (a former Army colonel looked up to by prisoners), Frank Faylen (the treacherous commissioner),and Leo Gordon (a violent psychopath who's dressed in an undershirt for the entire movie so he can show off his physique). Pretty good movie.