@genplant29 said:

Meanwhile, I've read that some feel the Scalise character is "coded", as depicted, as being gay. I personally don't see it, so wonder what do they conclude that from?

Below are only excerpts. It is recommended to read the articles for a better understanding of this 'queer/gay coding'.

... Excerpt from Chapter 2 – Queers and Dykes in the Dark: Classic, Noir & Horror Cinema’s Coded Gay Characters: THE LAND OF MORAL AMBIGUITY: HOLLYWOOD & THE HAYS CODE:

Coded characters in film were on the screen relaying messages and signaling to those of us who understand and who are “in the life: that movies can reflect the existence of a queer reality. These representations were not necessarily a positive, but films showed evidence that we exist. You would see it in a revealing gesture, or an air of difference about them, though it would be inconspicuous to audiences that were unaware of the cues.

... Excerpt from 21 Best (and Worst) Queer Movie Villains:

Throughout the '30s, '40s and '50s, the public perception of gays and lesbians was that they were sick and disturbed -- and therefore dangerous. While overt references to homosexuality were long prohibited in film, skilled filmmakers created characters that displayed subtle yet clearly queer qualities.

What are those subtle subtextual signs in this movie?

... Excerpt from Review: Otto Preminger’s Where the Sidewalk Ends on Twilight Time Blu-ray:

Like many villains of many crime films of the 1940s and ’50s, Scalise is subtly coded as homosexual, as he’s surrounded by a cadre of fit young henchman and given to melodramatically using nasal spray while issuing threats—an act involving a somewhat phallic object that also marks him as less than a man.

Good info, wonder. When watching this movie, the character coding, regarding him being gay, goes clear over my head regarding Scalise. (I do, at times, definitely see orientation coding in certain characters of other '20s thru '50s films.)

@genplant29 said:

Good info, wonder. When watching this movie, the character coding, regarding him being gay, goes clear over my head regarding Scalise. (I do, at times, definitely see orientation coding in certain characters of other '20s thru '50s films.)

It's interesting that the Motion Picture Production Code (MPPC), aka Hays Code (1934 - 1968) forced studios to look for ways to depict a character's sexual preference - which deviated from what is accepted as the social norm - without it being censored.

... Excerpt from The Hays Code & Queer Coding Villains in Hollywood:

Another example from the time of the Hays Code is "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) and the character of Joel Cairo, played by Peter Lorre. Cairo is a shady figure looking for a valuable statue and is described as "effeminate" and "mincing" in his movements, his mannerisms and behaviour are used to imply that he is gay, or at the very least not heterosexual, even though the film never confirms it. It is interesting to note though that the novel the film is based on did in fact refer to Cairo as "queer", and "the fairy" whilst the film could only hint at homosexuality.

One subtle cue here would be Cairo’s use of a cane - something that basic analysis identifies as a phallic object - which he takes with him everywhere, caressing it, suggestively with his expressive hands with long fingernails.

In the Pre-Code, 1931, version of The Maltese Falcon, also Casper Gutman (Dudley Diggs) seems even more obvious regarding his apparently "kept" (but feeling repulsed by Gutman) young cohort Wilmer (Dwight Frye). Of course in '31 it was possible, in Hollywood movies, to be less subtle about things than ten years later.

The following, in italics, is from a TCM.com article about WtSE:

Gary Merrill, as underworld kingpin Scalise,...felt miscast as a gangster, and struggled to understand what was expected of him. Finally working up the courage to ask the famously rude director [Otto Preminger], "I've never played a gangster. I'm having trouble getting into the part." "Don't tell me," barked Otto, "Tell your psychiatrist."

Possibly some of Merrill's uncertainty stemmed from the ambiguity built into his role as it was written. Hecht had intended the character to be a drug addict, but the Breen Office censored any direct reference to drugs. However, they permitted the external characterization to remain the same, so Merrill was instructed to speak in a lilting, dreamy voice. Many commentators also see Scalise as being coded "gay" using the stereotypes of the day-a suggestion that would have been as taboo as drug use.

Merrill not being comfortable with or entirely understanding his role as Scalise likely is why I never picked up on that the Scalise character may be gay: Merrill sounds to not really have known how to pull off the role.

This subtext can be very confusing. Usually I don't watch a movie looking for these subtle signs of coding, so unless the male or female characters are overtly displaying signs - e.g. behaviour, speech, clothes - of the opposite sex or it is important for the plot, I'll not notice it or ignore it altogether.

I remember another villain - Dill (Lee Marvin) - who is using a benzedrine nasal spray during the whole movie. Is he 'gay coded', does he just suffer from a chronic cold, or is he a drug addict? He has been married before and only talks about chasing women. So, unless he is lying, this nasal spray is just a nasal spray and not some kind of symbol.

• "Violent Saturday (1955)" - Dill using nasal spray - 1

• "Violent Saturday (1955)" - Dill using nasal spray - 2

Yeah, this movie is the first time I can remember seeing a character's repeated, ongoing use of a vapor inhaler, which had it not been all throughout the movie, to the extent it seemed like it must be a "thing", I'd never have guessed or suspected it might be supposed to imply something. I was suspecting possible drug use, if anything, though - yet Scalise didn't actually seem to ever be under the influence of anything (unless perhaps something to make him quite chill).