This acceptable B programmer is just one of probably 100 crime dramas made in 1939 alone, and one of eight films that Charles Bickford starred in that year. You would think by the way this film starts that it is a comedy, and indeed, it does seem silly. Bickford shows up to arrest John Litel simply to prevent him from marrying his ex-girlfriend, Doris Nolan. But Nolan has her own ideas, and that is to get proof that Litel is one of the higher-ups in organized crime, guilty of murder, with the goal of exposing the whole racket.
Bickford, playing both gangsters and cops in 1939, seemed the same in both types of roles, and obviously realize this by the time he made "Song of Bernadette" four years after this which is when he started playing parts with more layers. But audiences obviously loved these type of tough guys that had no glamor (where else would you see Barton MacLane in a lead role?), so he ended up typecast for years.
This film is no better or worse than the many B crime films of the era, with black actor Jack Carr quite good in a dual role as two brothers who work for Litel. Nolan's character is suspect number one when a murder is committed, and it's made obvious that she has no interest in cooperating with her ex, increasing the likelihood that she's guilty. It's these elements of the movie that gives it a uniqueness I hadn't seen in other similar films. These types of films thankfully only ran about an hour so there's no regret in watching them I'm thinking you've seen it all before when you haven't.
Bickford, playing both gangsters and cops in 1939, seemed the same in both types of roles, and obviously realize this by the time he made "Song of Bernadette" four years after this which is when he started playing parts with more layers. But audiences obviously loved these type of tough guys that had no glamor (where else would you see Barton MacLane in a lead role?), so he ended up typecast for years.
This film is no better or worse than the many B crime films of the era, with black actor Jack Carr quite good in a dual role as two brothers who work for Litel. Nolan's character is suspect number one when a murder is committed, and it's made obvious that she has no interest in cooperating with her ex, increasing the likelihood that she's guilty. It's these elements of the movie that gives it a uniqueness I hadn't seen in other similar films. These types of films thankfully only ran about an hour so there's no regret in watching them I'm thinking you've seen it all before when you haven't.