US Release date: 22 April 1949
First Melbourne Saturday Suburban: 25 February 1949
Genre: Crime
Country: USA
Running time: 90 minutes.
Director: Robert Florey
Cast: John Payne, Sonny Tufts & Ellen Drew
Australian Distributor: United Artists
Melbourne Premiere Venue: Hoyts’ Lyceum Theatre for two weeks from 10 February 1950 with Silent Conflict as support.
Suburban Release Type: Hoyts Victory EX-2
Rankings
| Rank | ||
| EF Points | 179 | 131 |
| EF PPE | 3.65 | 149 |
| Metres Travelled | 478,827 | 159 |
| Average MT | 9,772 | 280 |
| Engagements | 49 | 105 |
| Slots | 52 | 173 |
| Weeks | 3 | 214 |
| Weeks as % of engagements | 6.12% | 251 |
| Saturdays | 22 | 106 |
| Sats as % of engagements | 44.90% | 135 |
| Tuesdays | 24 | 62 |
| Tues as % of engagements | 48.98% | 107 |
| First billed | 34 | 123 |
| Second billed | 15 | 170 |
| Feature only | 0 | 34* |
Hoyts Ratios
| Engagements weeks 1-10 | 47 |
| Ratio | 95.92% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 3.56% |
| Eng weeks 11-26 | 2 |
| Ratio | 4.08% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -1.31% |
| Eng weeks 27-52 | 0 |
| Ratio | 0.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -2.24% |
| Hoyts eng | 38 |
| Ratio | 77.55% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 11.77% |
| Independent eng | 1 |
| Ratio | 2.04% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -9.46% |
| Suburban eng | 10 |
| Ratio | 20.41% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -2.31% |
NOTES: UA mid-ranger that fared quite well as a usual top-biller (and occasional support to) Britannia Mews (and, occasionally, Sand). Its spread was almost even across both Saturdays and Tuesdays accounting for 177 EF points and a rank of 132. Which seems appropriate.
The Crooked Way engagements
| SUBURB | VENUE | CHAIN | DATE | W | D | B | CO-FEATURE |
| St.Kilda | Victory | Hoyts | 25/2/50 | 1 | W | 2 | Sand |
| Collingwood | Austral | Suburban | 4/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Bride of Vengeance |
| Albert Park | Park | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| North Fitzroy | Merri | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Caulfield | Crystal Palace | Suburban | 4/3/50 | 2 | T | 2 | Britannia Mews |
| Fitzroy | Regent | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Malvern | New | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Port Melbourne | Eclipse | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Richmond | Cinema | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| South Yarra | Regent | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | T | 2 | Britannia Mews |
| Windsor | New | Hoyts | 4/3/50 | 2 | W | 2 | Sand |
| Ascot Vale | Ascot | Suburban | 11/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Richmond | Globe | Suburban | 11/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Brunswick | Padua | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | S | 2 | Sand |
| Essendon | Plaza | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Glenhuntly | Glenhuntly | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Ascot Vale | Waratah | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Brighton | Centre | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | T | 2 | Britannia Mews |
| Coburg | Grand | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Elsternwick | Renown | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Essendon | Circle | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Thornbury | Regent | Hoyts | 11/3/50 | 3 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Balwyn | Time | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Camberwell | Broadway | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Carnegie | Carnegie | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Gardiner | Regent | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Hampton | Southern | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Kew | Rialto | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | S | 2 | Britannia Mews |
| Bentleigh | Bentleigh | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Gardiner | Regent | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | T | 2 | Sand |
| Glenferrie | Palace | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Hampton | Southern | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | T | 2 | Sand |
| Kew | Rialto | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | T | 2 | Sand |
| Preston | Circle | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Footscray | Trocadero | Hoyts | 18/3/50 | 4 | W | 2 | Sand |
| Fairfield | Fairfield | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Bride of Vengeance |
| Hartwell | Regal | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 5 | S | 2 | The Glass Mountain |
| North Fitzroy | Palace | Suburban | 25/3/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Brunswick | Lygon | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Ivanhoe | Ivanhoe | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Canterbury | Maling | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 5 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Footscray | Barkly | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 5 | T | 2 | Sand |
| Malvern | Victory | Hoyts | 25/3/50 | 5 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| North Melbourne | Loco | Independent | 1/4/50 | 6 | S | 2 | Sand |
| Williamstown | Shore | Hoyts | 1/4/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Yarraville | St. George | Suburban | 1/4/50 | 6 | T | 1 | Britannia Mews |
| Box Hill | Rialto | Suburban | 8/4/50 | 7 | T | 1 | Silent Conflict |
| Clifton Hill | Clifton | Suburban | 6/5/50 | 11 | S | 2 | Outpost in Morocco |
| Prahran | Empress | Hoyts | 20/5/50 | 13 | T | 1 | It Happens Every Spring |
The 1950 Project 