Thanks for the memories!

So much average

A different way of telling a story

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Convicted of murdering a competitor's son, a gangster is sent away on a prison train. Meanwhile, his sister tries to warn him of a plot aboard the train to kill him.For the gangster obsessed 1930's, the story is suspenseful but basically routine. Nevertheless, this low-budget production does have several notable features. For one, there's the movie's visual flair. Director Wiles was an art director before climbing into the big chair, so his often exotic camera angles and lurid lighting are unusual for a low budget production. At the same time, his artistic ambitions are on more elaborate display in 1947's The Gangster with Barry Sullivan. Too bad that he died so young and that IMDb doesn't have more info on this interesting moviemaker.Also, the movie's notable for Dorothy Comingore's presence. I wouldn't be surprised if Orson Welles caught her in this programmer before casting her in his classic Citizen Kane (1941). Here she projects a unique loveliness and sweet vulnerability that's almost touching and quite a distance from her near shrewish role in Kane. Then too, there's Clarence Muse as a waiter and a long way from the buffoonish roles generally assigned black performers in those days. Plus, he even turns out to be a treacherous bad guy. Note too, that lead actor Fred Keating's name doesn't appear on the movie's poster. Granted, he's pretty obscure among the Hollywood crowd, but he does a good job here as head gangster Frankie Terris.I guess my only complaint is Nestor Paiva who does go way over the top, even for this exotic flick, as the needling Morose. All in all, the story may be unexceptional, but there remain unusual aspects that make the production worth catching up with.

More so than the story itself, I was intrigued by the opening scene which described the rackets as a lottery scheme peddled to folks in poor neighborhoods offering a reasonable 600 to 1 shot at hitting a winner. With bets ranging anywhere from a dime to thirty cents, this operation was netting gangster Frankie Terris (Fred Keating) a million bucks a year! The math doesn't really work for me, but it sounded pretty good.The other thing I didn't get was Frankie handing over the rackets to rival Manny Robbins (Alexander Leftwich) - really? I didn't understand the motivation for that. Sure he was about to be investigated for his involvement in the phony lottery scheme, but what gangster worth his salt hasn't been? It just didn't make any sense. This after Manny had agreed to work with the authorities to bring Frankie down. I think that would have been a more interesting story.Instead, big brother Frankie knocks off Manny's son Joe (James Blakeley) for getting frisky with sister Louise (Dorothy Comingore as Linda Winters). The rest of the film follows Frankie being convicted of murder and riding the prison train of the title cross country to Alcatraz, as Manny seeks revenge following along by car and biding his time until he can kill Frankie himself. The kicker here is that Louise stows away aboard the train intending to warn her brother of the plot. Think about that one for a while.You know, this was kind of curious - because Louise hopped aboard the train without a ticket, she wound up with no money to pay for one when the conductor came around. So undercover federal agent Bill Adams (Peter Potter) states that she can have his for the next leg of the trip. With that, the conductor says he'll arrange for a refund for that portion of Adams' fare. What am I missing here? So with the other convicts taunting Frankie about never making it to Alcatraz, he gets more and more paranoid as Manny and his goons make plans for the rubout at the Kansas City stop. Frankie muscles a gun away from a steward (Clarence Muse), shoots Manny, and then, in as convoluted a finish as I've ever seen, falls off the train to his death! What?!?! I thought that was just a goofy way to end the picture, but apparently Alfred Hitchcock must have liked the idea, because he used the same finish in 1943's "Shadow of a Doubt".

Clarence Muse was the star of the first all singing, all talking, all dancing film featuring an all black cast. It was "Hearts in Dixie" (1929) but even though Muse fought against demeaning stereo- types and also held a law degree, he was powerless to make a difference in those unenlightened times. After a couple of "race" films, it was back to uncredited parts in films like "Swing High" (1930) and "White Zombie" (1932) or even playing a character by the name of "Whitey" in "Broadway Bill" (1934). Although "train steward" doesn't sound important, Muse makes it so and is a very pivotal part of the action in this interesting programmer. Racketeer Frankie Terris is on train bound for Alcatraz. He is fearful for the safety of his sister, Louise (Linda Winters) after he accidentally kills a rival gangster's son, who had tried to get fresh with Louise and wouldn't take no for an answer. Manny Robbins, the boy's grief crazed father, tries to kill Terris after his trial. Unbeknownst to Frankie, Louise, after promising to go on a European vacation, is also aboard the prison train and gets chummy with Adams, who does his best to protect her. Once on board the train, the film picks up - the dim lighting, which made the film look cheap is appropriate here. Clarence Muse has the role of Sam, whom Louise uses as a "go- between" - but he is not as unassuming as he seems. Interestingly, the titled forward portrays Terris as a rat and a weakling but he doesn't seem any worse in the film than some of the others (Manny Robbins and his son). Doroothy Comingore, known as Linda Winters for this film, did quite well as Louise Terris, sister of Frankie. This was one of her very few credited parts until "Citizen Kane", the reason she is remembered today.

Considering its lowly production origins (Equity Pictures), this is a surprisingly tight, absorbing action picture with some good comic asides. Director Wiles, who also helmed several other fine B-pics (like The Gangster) keeps the film moving at a rapid pace without sacrificing character nuances and unexpected camera angles. The ending is a little abrupt, but still nifty. As always, Clarence Muse does an excellent turn with the little material provided in his pivotal part, and the comic relief gets off some good lines. Would make a fine double bill with The Narrow Margin or The Tall Target.