He Walked by Night
He Walked by Night is a 1948 American police procedural film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited Anthony Mann. The film, shot in a semidocumentary tone, is loosely based on the real-life actions of Erwin "Machine-Gun" Walker, a former Glendale, California police department employee and World War II veteran who unleashed a crime spree of burglaries, robberies and shootouts in the Los Angeles area between 1945 and 1946.
| He Walked by Night | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alfred L. Werker Anthony Mann (uncredited) |
| Screenplay by | John C. Higgins Crane Wilbur |
| Story by | Crane Wilbur |
| Produced by | Bryan Foy Robert Kane |
| Starring | Richard Basehart Scott Brady Roy Roberts Jack Webb Whit Bissell |
| Cinematography | John Alton |
| Edited by | Alfred DeGaetano |
| Music by | Leonid Raab |
Production company | Bryan Foy Productions |
| Distributed by | Eagle-Lion Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
During production, actor Jack Webb met the film's police technical advisor Marty Wynn and was inspired by a conversation with Wynn to create the radio program Dragnet, which later became the first modern police television drama.
He Walked by Night was released by Eagle-Lion Films. The film is notable for its camerawork by renowned film noir cinematographer John Alton.
Today the film is in the public domain.