The Burglar (1957)

Directed by Paul Wendkos; produced by  Louis W Kellman

Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) is a life-long burglar. His latest crime has been the theft of a jeweled necklace from a wealthy evangelical preacher (Phoebe Mackay). Once stolen, however, the necklace becomes the object of strife among his associates, and a mysterious rival (Stewart Bradley). It turns out that stealing the prize was a lot easier than keeping it.

I wanted to like The Burglar very much, principally because I am a fan of Duryea, and he did not have many chances to be the lead, especially the sympathetic lead, in films. Unfortunately, there isn’t much favourable to say about this attempt.

Partly to blame is the script, and how it shows that despite the alleged professionalism of the criminals, they are rather inept. I was surprised when it became clear, immediately following the heist, that their plan did not include anything subsequent to the actual theft. Harbin had been in the robbery business for about twenty years, yet there was no thought as to having a ‘fence’ chosen and ready to accept the hot merchandise.

There was likewise no scheme of physical escape from Philadelphia, the scene of the crime. There was not even any agreement on what to do in general, Harbin favouring staying stationary and out of sight, the others wanting to leave right away. Harbin’s reasoning is to wait until the furor over the theft dies down, but his immobility merely allows the police to put their offensive into operation; he should have known the usual pattern of activity from his experiences. Despite being extensively questioned at the scene by patrolmen, who identified his car thoroughly, the only precaution against being discovered is to change licence plates; no consideration is given to finding or, better yet, already having, another vehicle ready.

As well, female accomplice Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), posing as a poor donor to the victim’s cause, supposedly ‘cased’ the targeted house, and found out where the necklace was kept, because the victim proudly showed her about. But would that really have included showing where jewels were kept in a safe in a private bedroom?

Another problem, related to the story, is Nat’s age. It is given in a police report as 35 years; a character suggests that Nat is that age. Yet Duryea was fifty at the time the film was made, and looks it. He has a used visage, full of personality, convenient for many roles – but not that of a 35 year old. I suspect that Nat had to be 35 (the age he probably was in the sourced novel) so that he would be no more than ten years or so older than Gladden, the orphan he must protect.

Gladden is the daughter of Nat’s old mentor, a very kind burglar who taught him his trade. But after his entire adult life is spent in crime, it seems that little professionalism has been learned, as described in the paragraphs above.

The acting is adequate, though the direction calls for a great deal of angst and anger. There is plenty of shouting, and close-ups of agonised faces. Attempts to generate pathos are misplaced, and come across as simply wastes of time, since we never really care about the  characters, except perhaps for Nat. Mansfield is probably the weakest in the cast, though she is not used here simply for her looks, and tries hard enough. The dialogue she is given doesn’t help.

The finale is not suspenseful, and there really is no question of what will happen at the end. It comes as a fitting climax to the ineptitude shown by the criminals (which was surely not the intent of the writers), especially compared with the dead-on response of the police hunting them.

The Burglar therefore is a wasted opportunity for Duryea, and a wasted time for the viewer.