William Conrad in Film Noir

For many, William Conrad will always be the narrator on Rocky and Bullwinkle or detective Frank Cannon on the TV series Cannon. For others he will always be Marshal Matt Dillon on the radio show Gunsmoke or prosecuting attorney J. L. "Fatman" McCabe on Jake and the Fatman. For film noir fans, he may be best remembered as a heavy in several films noirs.

As an actor in the late Forties and the Fifties, William Conrad found himself in the same situation as another large actor, Raymond Burr. Both often found themselves cast as heavies in films noirs, Westerns, period dramas and even horror movies. In a interview with James Bowden in the September 14 1993 issue of The Toronto Star, Raymond Burr said of his early career, "I was just a fat heavy. I split the heavy parts with Bill Conrad. We were both in our twenties playing much older men."  In various films noirs it not difficult to picture Raymond Burr in a William Conrad part or William Conrad in a Raymond Burr part.

Indeed, William Conrad began playing heavies early in his film career. In fact, his first credited role was the hitman Max in the classic film noir The Killers in 1946. As hitmen Max and his partner Al (Charles McGraw) are deadly serious. Early in the film they calmly and coolly take over a small town diner, making it clear that this is something they regularly do. As Max, William Conrad makes a lasting impression. It is made all the more remarkable by the fact that The Killers was only his second film.

William Conrad's next major heavy in a film noir, Quinn in Body and Soul (1947), is as sleazy as Max in The Killers (1946) is calm, cool, and collected. Quinn is the manager of boxer Charley Davis (John Garfield), and for Quinn making a quick buck is more important than Charley winning matches. Indeed, he is more loyal to making money than any boxer he has ever managed.

In Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) William Conrad plays a rather different sort of heavy. Morano is amiable and even a bit charming, but he has no objections against instructing someone else to commit murder. While Morano is an affable sort, the same cannot be said for Ollie in One Way Street (1950). Part of the crew of a heist of $500,000, Ollie not only has no objections to murder, he has no objections to committing it himself. What is more, he is not particularly friendly either. In contrast to Ollie, Louie Castro in Cry Danger (1951) is a bookie and in some ways not particularly brave.

While William Conrad played criminals in film noirs, he also played police officers. In East Side, West Side (1949), he played homicide detective Lt. Jacobi. In Tension (1950) he played another homicide detective, Lt. Blackie Gonsales, who assists fellow homicide detective Lt. Collier Bonnabel. In the 1951 version of The Racket, William Conrad played Detective Sergeant Turk. In Cry of the Hunted (1953) he played Goodwin, an assistant to lawman Lt. Turner, who is searching for a dangerous fugitive.

In two other film noirs, William Conrad played roles that were far removed from either criminals or cops. In Dial 1119 (1950) he played Chuckles, the ill-fated bartender at the Oasis Bar. In 5 Against the House (1955), he played another unlucky character. He played casino employee Eric Berg, who is threatened with death if he does not assist the crew robbing the casino.

In many ways William Conrad had more luck with roles in radio and on television than he had in movies. Often playing heavies in the movies, in radio and on television he actually played heroes. While he would play many bad guys in television guest appearances, he also played Matt Dillon on the radio show Gunsmoke and Frank Cannon on Cannon. Still, while he might have tired of playing one heavy after another in the movies, there can be no doubt that William Conrad was very good at being a bad guy. Max in The Killers, Quinn in Body and Soul, and Morano in Sorry, Wrong Number, remain memorable for reason.