Narcotics Squad (1957) / One Way Ticket To Hell (1955)

Narcotics Squad (1957, B&W): A mysterious drug pusher has infested the high school and a rash of students are getting hooked on heroin, among them Ray, star of the basketball team. The boy is found dead, having injected a lethal cocktail into his own veins. This is the dealer's way of making sure that kids, like Ray, who have fallen too far behind in their drug debt, don't turn into squealers. Police Lieutenant Lacey strikes back, bringing the full weight of the Narcotics Unit into his investigation, determined to find the pusher and put him out of business for good.

Paul Kelly's real life contained more drama than many of his stage and movie roles. An affair with Zeigfield Follies star Dorothy Mackaye became public and he was attacked by her abusive alcoholic husband, who would die from injuries sustained in the ensuing fist fight. After serving time in prison for manslaughter, he would be released in 1929 and manage to revitalize his career as a busy supporting actor on Broadway and in Hollywood for the next three decades. Some of his most notable films include The Roaring Twenties (1939), Flying Tigers (1942), Crossfire (1947) and The Painted Hills (1951). Cathy Downs starred in the titular role of the John Ford classic My Darling Clementine. She is best remembered for her appearances in the 1950s sci-fi features The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues (1955), The She Creature (1956), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) and Missile To The Moon (1958).

Stars Paul Kelly, Regis Toomey, Cathy Downs, Alex Wells, Sheila Urban; Directed by Alexander J. Wells.

One-Way Ticket To Hell (1955, B&W): To escape the deadly boredom of her marriage, a young newlywed begins hanging out with a motorcycle gang and smoking pot. Before long she is lured into heroin addiction, and her life begins a gruesome downward spiral into oblivion, that only a miracle could reverse. Director Bamlet Lawrence Price, Jr. is best known as the first husband of actress Anne Francis. Produced as a UCLA film school project, this was his only film to be released theatrically. Stars Barbara Marks, Robert A. Sherry.

• drama