XhcnoirX Gene Barry works in the Texas oil fields but he's got other plans... He's come up with a plan to steal oil from the fields and sell it on the grey market. To get the plan financed, he identifies a jane doe suicide as the former name of torch singer Barbara Hale, who knows the local underground. Not wanting trouble, she gives in, and Barry meets up with local boss Edward Arnold and his #1 man, Paul Richards. They agree to the plan, and soon Barry is rolling in money. But Barry wants to climb higher in the organisation, while Arnold and Richards want to get rid of him.Lee J. Cobb was originally planned to play the lead role, but I really can't imagine him in this role. Barry ('Naked Alibi') does a great job and also has nice chemistry with Hale ('The Clay Pigeon'), who is an almost unrecognizable platinum blonde femme fatale here. The rest of the cast are good, but it's Barry and Hale who excel here. Hale even pulls off a convincing 'Put The Blame On Mame', altho she's no Rita Hayworth.A bit of a derivative story (and title), but who cares when it's executed this well. This was director William Castle's last noir ('Johnny Stool Pigeon', 'New Orleans Uncensored') and he keeps things interesting, aided by some nice cinematography by Henry Freulich ('Chicago Syndicate', 'The Miami Story'). I was more than pleasantly surprised by this late noir. Recommended! 8/10

wes-connors Oil slick Gene Barry (as Frank Duncan) endeavors to siphon millions of dollars in Texas crude, but needs financing from organized crime. After platinum blonde "Put the Blame on Mame" singer Barbara Hale (as Zoe Crane) leads Mr. Barry to powerful mob boss Edward Arnold (as Paul Atlas), success is assured. So, will these characters learn that crime does not pay? This predictable, production-line crime story has more spark than the story suggests. As ably directed by William Castle, Barry injects his characterization with all the life he can manage; watching his amoral "Frank Duncan" steadfastly steer his own descent into depravity is somewhat fun. With nice girl Jeanne Cooper (as Madge) and others in the mix, "The Houston Story" adds up.***** The Houston Story (2/56) William Castle ~ Gene Barry, Barbara Hale, Edward Arnold

sol (Some Spoilers) Sizzling but very complicated crime thriller involving former Galveston oil driller Frank Duncan, Gene Barry, cooking up this plan to siphon off oil from the Huston oil fields. Duncan plans to accomplish all this by using a dummy oil company as his cover. Needing 5 million dollars to get his plan into motion Duncan strikes oil in tracking down his former oil drilling foreman Joe Hempner's two-timing wife Carrie. Carrie who dropped out of sight has now resurfaced in using the name of nightclub singer Zoe Crane, Barbara Hale, in Huston Texas.As it turned out Zoe faked her own death and started a new life as a nightclub singer and mistress of top Huston hoodlum Paul Atlas, Edward Arnold. By becoming a member of Atlas' gang Duncan can not only get the cash he needs to start his oil stealing operation but take over Atlas' organization from within. This all takes a lot of planning but Duncan has all his bases covered except his own greed and that in the end does him in. By him double-crossing not only Atlas but even the one person who would lay her life down for the selfish and ungrateful Duncan the girl he left behind, in Galveston Texas, the Derrick Diner waitress Made, Jenne Cooper.Duncan slowly worms his way up the Atlas mob ranks by not only getting his head honcho Gordon Shay, Paul Richards, to get caught in a purposely setup oil rig bombing adventure. That was in revenge for Shay earlier having an oil trucker murdered that he stupidly tried to frame Duncan with. This has the head men of the national crime syndicate Emile Constant, John Zaremba, who greatly dislikes violence, he feel it's bad for business, have Shay unceremoniously dumped as Atlas' head man.Caught red-handed in his grenade attacks on a number of oil rigs Shay fingers his boss Atlas not knowing that it was Duncan, not Atlas, who had him set up in the blotched bombings! Atlas himself ends up being gunned down by the police with Shay, feeling that Atlas doubled-crossed him, turning the tables on him by turning evidence in order to save his hide and stick it to his now on he run, from he law, boss. Constant, the non-violent one, now realizing that Duncan is threatening his very existence as a national crime boss gives into his fears of ending up behind bars and orders a hit on Duncan in order to save himself and his now collapsing crime syndicate.***SPOILERS***The hit on Duncan by out of state-from St. Louis- hit men Kalo & Stokes, Pete Kellett & Charles H. Gray, backfires with them killing the wrong person-Zoe Crane-who tried to leave town with Duncans $25,000.00. This alerted Duncon of not only their intentions, of whacking him, but their identities as well. Duncan who by now had gotten way over his head could only throw in the towel, or throw away his handgun, knowing that his plan to live the good life, on stolen and pilfered oil money, was just a pipe dream. In the end Duncan finally listened to his girlfriend Madge whom he tried to use without her knowledge as a human shield, in protecting his own sorry a**, in her telling him to call it quites and face the music. That's before the pursuing Galveston police force who had him trapped in the Derrick Dner blows him to pieces.

BoogieNightz The Houston Story is a slightly formulaic yet very entertaining film from William Castle of The House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler fame. The movie is about a young, ambitious oil-driller who involves himself with organized crime and double crosses his way to the top of his respective racket. Gene Barry turns out a solid performance as well as Perry Mason veteran Barbara Hale, who plays the femme fatale to a tee, always following the money and the man in charge. Hale is introduced in a very enjoyable song act that did the job of conveying her character as well as,if not better than, the writing did.Despite a few predictable scenes and some forced writing, The Houston Story is a thoroughly enjoyable film worth viewing.Also, watch for a few entertaining performances from Edward Arnold and Paul Richards.(remember Beneath the Planet of the Apes??)