Hollywood Hoodlum (1934)

A PR man for a low-budget studio comes up with what he believes is the perfect gimmick: to make a gangster picture with a real gangster in the lead role! He convinces a director--a ... See full summary »

Director:

B. Reeves Eason

Writers:

William Bloecher (story), John T. Neville (screenplay)

Stars:

June Clyde, Frank Albertson, José Crespo

Cast

Cast overview:
June Clyde	...	Doris Dawn
Frank Albertson	...	Daniel Patrick Ryan aka Dan - a publicist
José Crespo	...	Tony Capello
Tenen Holtz	...	Benjamin Vogel
John Davidson	...	Siegfried Sonoff
Stanley Price	...	Joe Romano
Cyril Ring	...	Duke, Tony's Assistant
Edith Terry Preuss	...	Marie

Storyline

A PR man for a low-budget studio comes up with what he believes is the perfect gimmick: to make a gangster picture with a real gangster in the lead role! He convinces a director--a foreigner who doesn't know much about the American gangster scene--to come on board, and they find what they believe to be their perfect leading man when they spot a tough-looking customer knock out a man in a nightclub. It turns out that the "gangster" they picked isn't a gangster at all, but the man he knocked out in the nightclub is. Complications ensue.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hollywood Mystery

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fanchon Royer Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

53 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

The production is the real hoodlum here

Supreme Pictures needs a big gimmick for its latest picture, The Racketeer. Call on the studio's PR man Dan Ryan who convinces the studio president and its temperamental director Sigfried Sonoff that since this is a gangster picture, why not use a real life gangster in the lead? Everyone likes and Tony Capello, transplanted mobster from the east becomes the star, however this is a trick by Ryan since Capello is just a struggling actor and this was a ruse to get Sonoff to stay on as director. Things get further complicated after Capello slugs big time crime boss Joe Romano at a nightclub, and Romano goes after Capello and leading lady Doris Dawn in revenge. Everything about the film was done on the cheap including all production and artistic aspects of the film. The script doesn't follow any sort of organization and Eason's direction (which this is the worst of) seems to be aim the camera and shoot approach. The characters are just dull people that usually get two second performances in B pictures, despite the fact that everyone tries playing their roles to the hilt. Rating, 3.