The Racket proved me wrong about a certain assumption I had always maintained that gangster films came really alive once sound came in because the snappy dialog of a Cagney, Bogart, or Robinson film was integral to the success. This film could hold its own with any of the sound films of the genre.
It originated on Broadway as a three act play all taking place in a police station that is captained by Thomas Meighan who is a doggedly honest cop in a city that is systemically corrupt. It's gotten real personal between Meighan and gangland boss Louis Wolheim. Wolheim is a swaggering arrogant sort who's even got his superiors out of joint with him for his quick resort to violence. Wolheim is a misanthropic sort who does not like women, no gangster molls for him. He has a weakness though, his spoiled rotten younger brother George E. Stone who has fallen big time for torch singing Marie Prevost. All that brings Wolheim down eventually.
Seeing Prevost on top of an upright piano she is obviously basing her character on Helen Morgan. The Racket came to the screen a tad too early, some musical numbers would have been good and might have happened if the film had been done even a few months later. Maybe even Morgan herself might have done the part.
As for Meighan his character is clearly based on Lewis J. Valentine who was a model captain who during the Roaring Twenties maintained his honesty in a corrupt era. Eventually Fiorello LaGuardia made him New York City's police commissioner and he was probably the best that ever filled that job. But that was in the future.
Howard Hughes produced this for Paramount and when he took over RKO he remade it with Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, and Lizabeth Scott. It's a film that I like very much so it was a double treat for me to see this version of the same story. I'd recommend seeing both back to back.
And The Racket was up for an Oscar for Best Picture in the year of the first ceremonies. It lost to another Paramount film Wings.
The Racket proves that silent films could make good gangster films.
It originated on Broadway as a three act play all taking place in a police station that is captained by Thomas Meighan who is a doggedly honest cop in a city that is systemically corrupt. It's gotten real personal between Meighan and gangland boss Louis Wolheim. Wolheim is a swaggering arrogant sort who's even got his superiors out of joint with him for his quick resort to violence. Wolheim is a misanthropic sort who does not like women, no gangster molls for him. He has a weakness though, his spoiled rotten younger brother George E. Stone who has fallen big time for torch singing Marie Prevost. All that brings Wolheim down eventually.
Seeing Prevost on top of an upright piano she is obviously basing her character on Helen Morgan. The Racket came to the screen a tad too early, some musical numbers would have been good and might have happened if the film had been done even a few months later. Maybe even Morgan herself might have done the part.
As for Meighan his character is clearly based on Lewis J. Valentine who was a model captain who during the Roaring Twenties maintained his honesty in a corrupt era. Eventually Fiorello LaGuardia made him New York City's police commissioner and he was probably the best that ever filled that job. But that was in the future.
Howard Hughes produced this for Paramount and when he took over RKO he remade it with Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, and Lizabeth Scott. It's a film that I like very much so it was a double treat for me to see this version of the same story. I'd recommend seeing both back to back.
And The Racket was up for an Oscar for Best Picture in the year of the first ceremonies. It lost to another Paramount film Wings.
The Racket proves that silent films could make good gangster films.