I came across this film by accident, in a good print on YouTube. I'd never heard of the film, its director or its leading man, but I'm glad I watched it. YouTube seems to classify any crime film as a film noir, but this isn't a noir. The hero, played by Don Barry, isn't obsessed or doomed: he's always confident, irritatingly so at times, and you know he'll come out on top rather than die in a gutter.
The film starts with the Jarvis Gang stealing $300,000 from a bank. They crash their getaway car, which means we lose John Dehner and Anthony Caruso early on, but there's no sign of the loot. A brash young private eye (Barry) offers to track it down and recover it, for a 10% finder's fee. He's helped by Ann Savage as a classy chanteuse: she (or probably someone for her) sings a very pleasant Gus Kahn song, and appears very different from the toxic tramp she played in "Detour", surely the greatest Poverty Row movie ever. He's hindered by two thugs, played by Sheldon Leonard and Bert Welden, who are members of the Jarvis gang. Adele Mara provides comic relief (I told you it wasn't a real noir) as a pretty girl Barry keeps standing up as he pursues new leads, and there are some good character actors: Nestor Paiva as the carnival showman who's restored the crashed getaway car, Harry Shannon as the leading cop and Tom Powers as the bank's manager. Ford directs at a lively pace, the script has some sharp dialogue and nice twists, and all in all this was a good way to spend 67 minutes. They didn't mess around in those days, and audiences were treated to good Bs like this one as well as the A film. Sometimes the B was the best part.
BTW, Philip Ford was brought up in Portland, Maine, like his father Francis (a prolific director of silents) and his uncle John. Portland has a large statue of John, probably the greatest of all American directors (Orson Welles said the three best American directors were "John Ford, John Ford and John Ford.") No-one's going to put up a statue to Philip, but this film shows he was a very competent craftsman. It's a pity he and Ann Savage never rose above B movies.
The film starts with the Jarvis Gang stealing $300,000 from a bank. They crash their getaway car, which means we lose John Dehner and Anthony Caruso early on, but there's no sign of the loot. A brash young private eye (Barry) offers to track it down and recover it, for a 10% finder's fee. He's helped by Ann Savage as a classy chanteuse: she (or probably someone for her) sings a very pleasant Gus Kahn song, and appears very different from the toxic tramp she played in "Detour", surely the greatest Poverty Row movie ever. He's hindered by two thugs, played by Sheldon Leonard and Bert Welden, who are members of the Jarvis gang. Adele Mara provides comic relief (I told you it wasn't a real noir) as a pretty girl Barry keeps standing up as he pursues new leads, and there are some good character actors: Nestor Paiva as the carnival showman who's restored the crashed getaway car, Harry Shannon as the leading cop and Tom Powers as the bank's manager. Ford directs at a lively pace, the script has some sharp dialogue and nice twists, and all in all this was a good way to spend 67 minutes. They didn't mess around in those days, and audiences were treated to good Bs like this one as well as the A film. Sometimes the B was the best part.
BTW, Philip Ford was brought up in Portland, Maine, like his father Francis (a prolific director of silents) and his uncle John. Portland has a large statue of John, probably the greatest of all American directors (Orson Welles said the three best American directors were "John Ford, John Ford and John Ford.") No-one's going to put up a statue to Philip, but this film shows he was a very competent craftsman. It's a pity he and Ann Savage never rose above B movies.