Phil Karlson Overview

Biography

Former gag-man (for Buster Keaton), propman, studio manager and assistant director who turned out his first feature-length film in 1944. Karlson hit his stride in the 1950s with a brace of gritty crime melodramas noted for their realistic detail and graphic violence. Foremost among these were "Scandal Sheet" (1952), "99 River Street" (1953) and three 1955 films: "Tight Spot"; "Five...