Two films noir with identical plots were released close together in 1950:--- on September 15, Twentieth Century Fox released ‘Panic in the Streets’, a medical thriller /film noir about a hoodlum (Jack Palance) who unknowingly contracts pneumonic plague and is hunted by both the police and medical authorities.--- on December 1, Columbia released ‘The Killer That Stalked New York’,a medical thriller /film noir about a diamond smuggler (Evelyn Keyes) who unknowingly contracts smallpox and is hunted by both the police and medical authorities.‘Panic in the Streets’ was a box-office hit.‘The Killer that Stalked New York’ was a flop.Audiences were reluctant to spend money when they knew how the film was going to end.‘Panic in the Streets’ is the better film, with a much larger budget and two actors on the verge of stardom:In addition to Jack Palance as the contagious hoodlum,Richard Widmark is the overworked Public Health Officer who is trying to track Palance down (and save his life, though Palance doesn’t believe him).Directed by a-list director Elia Kazan.‘The Killer That Stalked New York’ is a Columbia B-movie (they were usually pretty good).Evelyn Keyes as the contagious diamond smuggler, was nearing the end of her career (she was best known for playing Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister in ‘Gone With the Wind’ in 1939).William Bishop is the overworked doctor at a Public Health Clinic who is trying to track Evelyn Keyes down (and save her life, though Keyes doesn’t believe him).William Bishop’s film career never really took off, and he spent the 1950s acting on television.Directed by b-list director Earl McEvoy.Another thing that both films have in common is that they were filmed (mostly) on location, not on a soundstage.‘Panic in the Streets’ in New Orleans.‘The Killer That Stalked New York’ in New York (duh).New Orleans in 1950 is the more interesting location, simply because, unlike New York, it was rarely visited by Hollywood film makers.Other than English SDH subtitles, ‘The Killer That Stalked New York’ Blu-ray has no bonus features.‘Panic in the Streets’ has--- audio commentary by film historians James Ursini and Alain Silver--- “Biography: Jack Palance From Grit to Grace” (44 minutes)--- “Biography: Richard Widmark: Strength of Characters” (44 minutes)--- Original Movie Trailer (2 minutes)--- English SDH subtitles for the feature film‘The Killer That Stalked New York’ is included in an extremely economical nine film, three Blu-ray box: Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954 (9 Movie Collection) [Blu-ray].All nine films have excellent picture and sound (mastered by Sony) and English SDH subtitles.The cost per film works out to under $4 each.