Meeker Inherits The Dearth

Seminal film noir, endlessly copied, blah blah blah. It may be influential and frankly baffling, but one man singlehandedly made this movie, and when he got offed by some iffy kwikfitticide this film went downhill quicker than a gross of lead Maltesers. Nick the Greek (aka Nick Dennis), we hardly knew ye. Looking through his CV, it appears he might have been a tad typecast, variously playing 6 different Nicks, which kinda makes him the Charlie Sheen of his day. And when he's not playing Nick, he's playing people who sound mighty Greek indeed. Greco, Kanavaras, Kostas, Alexandros, Zuppas, Vitas, and finally Uncle Constantine in uber-Greek under-haired, Jennifer Aniston godfatherin' Telly Savalas' lollipop-botherin' Kojak. Phew. The twist? Nick Dennis actually was Greek, not that you'd know from his shouted haikus concerning both his and his father's facial hair.