Alley may be paved, or unpaved, and a blind alley is a cul-de-sac. Modern urban developments may also provide a service road to allow for waste collection, or rear access for fire engines and parking. Because of geography, steps (stairs) are the predominant form of alley in hilly cities and towns. This includes Quebec City in Canada and in the United States Pittsburgh (see Steps of Pittsburgh), Cincinnati (see Steps of Cincinnati), Minneapolis, Seattle, and San Francisco as well as Hong Kong, Genoa and Rome. Some alleys are roofed because they are within buildings, such as the traboules of Lyon, or
Blind Alley (film) Blind Alley (film) Blind Alley is a 1939 crime drama film directed by Charles Vidor. Chester Morris plays a prison escapee who hides out with his gang in the home of a noted psychologist, played by Ralph Bellamy. Though a prisoner, the doctor begins delving into his captor's psyche. The film was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name by James Warwick. It was remade as "The Dark Past", with William Holden in the Morris role and Lee J. Cobb in Bellamy's. David Sterritt of TCM praised "Blind Alley"s cinematography, and noted its influence on the home invasion