Law of the Underworld (1938)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Lew Landers

Writers:

Bert Granet (screenplay) and
Edmund L. Hartmann (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 May 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A respected citizen with secret ties to the local mob is faced with revealing his criminal connections to save two innocent people from execution.

Plot Keywords:

Times Square New York City | Gangster | Police Raid | Hold Up | False Accusation

Cast

Chester Morris	...	Gene Fillmore
Anne Shirley	...	Annabelle Porter
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Rocky
Walter Abel	...	Warren Rogers
Richard Bond	...	Tommy Brown
Lee Patrick	...	Dorothy Palmer
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Batsy
Frank M. Thomas	...	Police Captain Gargan
Eddie Acuff	...	Bill
Vinton Hayworth	...	Eddie (as Jack Arnold)
Jack Carson	...	Johnny
Paul Stanton	...	Assistant District Attorney Bob Barton

Runtime:

61 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4117) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Several cast members listed in contemporary Hollywood Reporter news items did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were: Tom Kennedy, Bradley Page, Margaret Armstrong, Stanley Blystone, Monte Montague and Lloyd Whitlock. Cecil Kellaway is identified mostly from his voice, since his head is obscure in both of his scenes.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Pay-Off (1930)

Soundtrack:

Yours Alone

Don't get your hopes up!!

Again and again during the course of this film you might think that the movie might in fact turn out to be a reasonably good little film. However, due to really awful writing that occasionally creeps onto the screen, the overall effort is very, very poor, so don't get your hopes up with this little film.

The movie starts by showing a young couple being robbed in Central Park. It isn't surprising this happens--after all, they did a lousy job of concealing their wad of cash meant for their honeymoon. And, oddly, when a cop comes upon the robbery, the couple say nothing and don't ask for help--allowing the two crooks to continue robbing them and get away!! Even dumber is later, when the two burst into a room full of hoodlums and demand their money back at gunpoint!!! Believe it or not, this very, very naive couple only behave more stupidly throughout the course of the film.

While these two dummies seem too idiotic to believe, the rest of the actors in leading roles are pretty good---at least at first. Eduardo Cianelli is excellent as a hot-headed hood and Chester Morris is generally good as the leader of a gang. However, as the film concludes, Morris is so stupid that you wonder if hanging around this couple perhaps wore off on him--such as a stupid virus!! While parts of the film work, the bad parts are what I was left remembering. Even though I am a huge fan of classic Hollywood films, this is one I can't recommend and can never see myself seeing again. Avoid it--you'll be doing yourself a favor.

By the way, if you look carefully, you'll see that a member of the gang is a very young Jack Carson before he was a star.