James Benson Nablo’s story “The Wheel Man” was adapted into the screenplay by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine for the classic noir Drive a Crooked Road (1954), directed by Quine. The title tersely reflects the essence of the troubled protagonist’s character and journey.
Eddie Shannon (Mickey Rooney) is a “lonely little guy,” as the movie trailer introduces him, but otherwise an auto mechanic and car racer with little money and even less excitement in his life – until he meets Barbara Mathews (Dianne Foster), a knockout who doesn’t ignore him for some reason. She introduces him to her friend Steve Norris (Kevin McCarthy), who is planning a robbery and sees in Eddie the skill he needs to bring it off. Bewitched by Barbara, Eddie resists driving the robbery gang – including himself – down the crooked road. But it seems too late already!
Drive a Crooked Road is quality noir with solid characterization and all the key elements employed to the nth degree. Eddie’s character is mockingly called “Shorty” by his fellow mechanics with Rooney (just a little over 5 feet in real life) fitting the description for the role. Dianne Foster as the femme fatale conveys the shades of grey that keeps the viewer charmed beyond her looks. Eddie and Barbara give audiences the character transformation that would make a textbook example. McCarthy makes a different villain, one rather charming and suave instead of the more clichéd version seen in crime thrillers.
Richard Quine enriches Drive a Crooked Road with several meaningful connections between scenes, especially turning to account the beach setting where Barbara first makes Eddie come out of his shell (taking off his shirt) and then toward the end where he saves Barbara while just moments away from being arrested (doors soon closing in on him) while she lies liberated. Speak of coming full circle! The closing shot of the rented room where Eddie never felt happy despite having all the trophies he won for racing nails the theme of homelessness in the character’s mind.
For all noir students, Drive a Crooked Road represents one of the best in the genre.
