Two in a Taxi
Cast & Crew
Robert Florey
Anita Louise
Russell Hayden
Noah Beery Jr.
Dick Purcell
Chick Chandler
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Jimmy Owens, an independent taxi driver, ekes out a precarious living with his own taxi, trying to buck the big cab companies. Jimmy is in love with Bonnie, but their romance is opposed by Bonnie's brother-in-law Sid, a pragmatic button salesman, who would prefer his sister-in- law to date Bill Gratton, Sid's best customer. One day, Jimmy tells one of his passengers about the tough time the independent hackers have, especially with Captain Melton, the head of the city taxi bureau, who favors the chain taxi companies over the owner-drivers. Unknown to Jimmy, his passenger is a newspaper reporter who prints Jimmy's story, thus earning Melton's enmity. On the return trip, Jimmy stops at a gas station to fill up and, discovering that the proprietor wants to sell the station for $300, decides to buy the property with Sandy Connors, his garage mechanic sidekick. The two men enter into a partnership, putting twenty-five dollars down and promising to deliver the balance of the money in six weeks. Although Jimmy drives night and day, he has earned only $100 as the deadline nears. Jimmy's troubles are compounded when Bonnie loses her job at a bowling alley and Gratton gets her a job modeling at a dress store. After Jimmy fails to raise the money by refinancing his cab, he is approached by Christy Reardon, a crooked ex-cabbie, who offers him a job driving the get-away car for a planned store robbery. Desperate, Jimmy is about to accept Reardon's offer when Sandy knocks him unconscious, thus preventing him from keeping his date with Reardon. After Reardon robs the store, the police commandeer Jimmy's taxi to pursue the robbers, and Jimmy is awarded $100 when the car is apprehended. Jimmy's good fortune quickly changes, however, when he sees Bonnie with Gratton and the two lovers argue. Distracted, Jimmy drives the wrong way on a one-way street and receives a twenty-five dollar fine and fifteen-day suspension from the vindictive Melton. Meanwhile, Bonnie quits her job and is about to return home to Cleveland when Gratton begins to make unwelcome advances toward her. Learning of Bonnie's decision, Jimmy pursues her bus and, after an exciting race, convinces her to marry him. All ends happily when the aged proprietor of the service station then decides that Jimmy has the "right stuff" and agrees to sell him the business for the money that he has.
Director
Robert Florey
Cast
Anita Louise
Russell Hayden
Noah Beery Jr.
Dick Purcell
Chick Chandler
Fay Helm
George Cleveland
Frank Yaconelli
Ben Taggart
Paul Porcasi
Henry Brandon
John Harmon
Ralph Peters
James Seay
John Dilson
Billy Wayne
Terrance Ray
George Mckay
Charles Wilson
George Andre Beranger
Dutch Hendrian
Edmund Cobb
George Magrill
Peggy Leon
Tom London
Ed Chandler
Marshall Ruth
Jack Lowe
Eddie Coke
Crew
Lionel Banks
Irving Briskin
George Cooper
Howard J. Green
Viola Lawrence
George Meehan
George Rhein
M. W. Stoloff
Morton Thompson
Malvin Wald
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was One Way Street. According to an interview with writer Malvin Wald, which was reproduced in a modern source, Wald conceived the idea for the story after watching a performance of Clifford Odets' play Waiting for Lefty. The play motivated Wald to write a story of the hardships and struggles of New York cabbies. While researching the topic, he met newspaper reporter Morton Thompson, who became his collaborator on the story "One Way Street." The completed story contained a theme of social consciousness which Irving Briskin, the head of the B unit at Columbia, decided was too ponderous. According to Wald, Briskin then hired Howard J. Green to rewrite his and Thompson's story into a comedy. The final script, however, was a drama. Although a Hollywood Reporter production chart places Richard Fiske and Charles Arnt in the cast and credits Arthur Royce with art direction, their participation in the released film has not been confirmed. A Hollywood Reporter news item adds that this was Russell Hayden's first picture under his Columbia contract. Hayden had previously appeared as "Lucky" in Harry Sherman's "Hopalong Cassidy" series.
