The Boss of Big Town

It's a 62 minute shortie distributed by Pathe Pictures, in this case, made by Producers Releasing Corp. Production quality.. the picture and the sound are just TERRIBLE, but I guess we're lucky to have this one still around in any condition. John Litel is Mike Lynn, a local bigshot who is kidnapped and brought to the home of a thug, played by John Miljan. The thugs want a cut of all the local commerce going on. Florence Rice is Linda Gregory, the nosy newspaper reporting who wants to bust the story wide open, but they convince her to hold off, so the workers' families won't be harmed. (Rice would only make one more film after this one... wasn't working out, I guess.) The story trudges along, exactly as expected. Jean Brooks is in here as "Iris", a supporting player. Brooks was a familiar face from the "Falcon" detective films, but the actress died quite young. According to wikipedia she was once married to erich von stroheim ! It's okay... nothing to write home about. Even HB Warner, who was so GREAT in Lost Horizon (and everything else he did) is pretty cardboard in this one. Part of a three-film set from DSSP.

Racketeers are moving into Big Town. They've organized a protection racket against the dairies, forcing them to raise the price of milk by three cents a quart. Only Assistant District Attorney John Litel, operating under the orders of H.B. Warner opposes them. Even their victims go into court to lie about why the prices are up.

Wait a minute. Wasn't this a 20-minute CRIME DOES NOT PAY short? Yes it was, THE PUBLIC PAYS(1936). Despite the excellence of the acting, this is a slowly executed feature from PRC. Despite the work of director Arthur Dreifuss, it is a drawn-out affair that goes over its plot points with such deliberation that I wish it would get on with it.... say, in a 20-minute short.

This B film from PRC Studios which did nothing but B films was brought out quickly after Pearl Harbor to emphasize the importance of rationing and price control. The wholesale food and produce markets have always been a target of racketeering. During the Thirties one of Tom Dewey's investigations was against Ciro Terranova the Artichoke king who controlled several wholesale markets. But with the war you have the added dimension of war profiteering and hence the people involved were considered traitors.

John Litel, usually a most competent supporting player, is the lead in The Boss Of The Big Town. He's in charge of the wholesale market which John Miljan the racketeer is threatening. Being stymied in all directions, Litel decides it's better to join them than fight them. Of course he's really going undercover to find out who the boss really is.

It's not just that The Boss Of The Big Town has the usual shoddy production values associated with PRC films, but the script really makes no kind of sense at all. Especially during the final confrontation scene with The Boss Of Big Town where Litel tells him something that brings about a 180 degree change in attitude. A little too late for a man who Litel only seconds earlier was calling a '6th columnist' and the object of that term was lapping it up.

And if you can't figure out who the boss is you have not seen too many of these films.

"In this rousing crime drama, a hard-nosed gang of criminals attempts to move in on local food distribution channels. Vowing to break down their strong-arming operation is heroic city market official Michael Lynn (John Litel), who hopes to disband the racket by removing the operation head from power. Lynn's scheme is to infiltrate the gang as an incompetent stooge on the government's payroll, unmask the leader's identity, and then make his deadly move," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

Mr. Litel gets to play the leading man, but in a low-budget, under-rehearsed quickie. Perky reporter Florence Rice (as Linda Gregory), in her penultimate screen appearance, is Litel's main female interest. Ms. Rice wears very TALL headgear. "The Boss of Big Town" offers some good-looking 1940s female fashion, with a California pool scene, and Jean Brooks (as Iris Moore).

There is also an opportunity to see Howard Hughes protégée David Bacon (as Dr. Gil Page). In real life, Mr. Bacon would soon be found stabbed to death, in an odd, unsolved Hollywood murder. Silent film veterans H.B. Warner (as Jeffrey Moore) and John Miljan (as Kenneth Craige), along with future veteran Frank Ferguson (as Bram Hart), are among those who fail to generate any additional excitement.

*** The Boss of Big Town (12/7/42) Arthur Dreifuss ~ John Litel, Florence Rice, David Bacon, H.B. Warner

Mostly sluggish, and dull despite some ok performances, and a enjoyable romantic angle. I was certainly glad it was a short film.