Vince Edwards

I spent this afternoon at the local Noir theater talking in a little "B" quickie, 'Murder by Contract" starring Vince Edwards in a very generous amount of shirtless scenes....

Murder By Contract (1958) dir Irving Lerner w/ Vince Edwards, Phillip Pine, Herschel Bernardi [81 min] This quickie B movie, shot in just 8 days(!), drags film noir into the sunlight and finds it just as tense and thrilling when brightly lit. At the film's center is Claude (Edwards) a contract killer who is more salaryman (he's saving for a house on a river) than sinister assassin. Yet his workman-like killings are all the more chilling for their efficiency. When Claude takes a big payday job that brings him to Los Angeles, however, he meets his match in the growing modernity of that sun-drenched locale.

Born Vincent Edward Zoino in Brooklyn, New York, in July 1928, actor Vince Edwards was initially pegged as an athlete rather than a thespian. A terrific swimmer, Edwards won a scholarship to Ohio State in the 1940s, but a serious illness sidetracked his ambition. He then returned to New York to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Edwards' natural acting ability and impressive physique got him noticed quickly by Broadway producers, and soon Hollywood talent scouts signed him for films. His first was the low-budget 1951 United Artists comedy Mr. Universe, with Edwards portraying Tommy Tomkins, an honest wrestler who runs afoul of gangsters. His next starring role came in Monogram's 1952 release Hiawatha as the title character. By the mid 1950s, Edwards swapped his 'pretty boy' image for that of a shady character in such film noir thrillers as The Night Holds Terror (1955), The Killing (1956), and Hit and Run (1957). In 1961, Edwards again shed his image, leaving behind the bad-boy roles in favor of heroes, by taking the title role in ABC's Ben Casey. He also proved himself to be a good singer, releasing several albums and making nightclub appearances.