Accidents Will Happen (1938)

Director:

William Clemens

Writers:

George Bricker (story)
George Bricker (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 April 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

An insurance adjustor tangles with a big insurance-fraud gang.

Plot Keywords:

Insurance | Insurance Fraud | Marriage | Fight | Punch In The Face

Cast

Ronald Reagan	...	Eric Gregg
Gloria Blondell	...	Patricia 'Pat' / 'Patty' Carmody
Dick Purcell	...	Jim Faber
Sheila Bromley	...	Nona Gregg
Addison Richards	...	Blair Thurston
Hugh O'Connell	...	John J. 'J.J.' Oldham
Janet Shaw	...	Mary Tarlton, Gregg's secretary (as Ellen Clancy)
Elliott Sullivan	...	Burley Thorne
Anderson Lawler	...	F.R. Dawson (as Anderson Lawlor)
Spec O'Donnell	...	'Specs' Carter
Kenneth Harlan	...	Attorney Elmer Ross
Don Barclay	...	Martin Dorsey, phoney drunk driver
Earl Dwire	...	Dr. Faris

Runtime:

62 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3723)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Jeffrey Sayre (Electric company man). Allan Conrad (Book salesman) and Milton Kibbee (Lineman) are in studio records/casting call lists for their roles, but do not appear in the movie.

Fun "B" Movie

Accidents Will Happen (1938)

*** (out of 4)

Ronald Reagan plays a young insurance adjustor who is slowly working his way up the ladder but not fast enough for his high priced wife (Sheila Bromley). The wife joins a insurance fraud racket, which eventually gets her husband fired from his job but instead of lying down he decides to bring the racket down himself. This is yet another "B" film Reagan did at Warner and this one here actually kept me entertained from start to finish due to the rather interesting story and a nice performance by the young star. The movie is pretty much one note as we see the hot shot get torn down and then we see him built back up as he takes down the bad guys. What I enjoyed most was how we got to see the various scams play out. We see the characters brought into play, we see the wrecks and then we see how the claims are paid off. All of this was rather fascinating even though the movie never goes too deep into things. The film runs just 62-minutes so it's fast paced and right to the point. I really enjoyed Reagan here as he manages to be quite good in his cockiness early on and he is able to show the strength of the character in the second half. Gloria Blondell and Duck Purcell add good support as does Bromley who plays a great villain who you can't help but hate. If you're not a fan of "B" movies than this here will probably be a bit too shallow for your taste but those you do enjoy this type of thing will find themselves entertained throughout.