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King of the Underworld (1939)

 -  Crime | Drama  -  14 January 1939 (USA)
6.3
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Ratings: 6.3/10 from 473 users  
Reviews: 16 user | 4 critic

Niles and Carol Nelson are married doctors who save one of gang lord Gurney's men. Gurney exploits them, then kills Niles leaving Carol to take the fall. He next kidnaps writer Bill ... See full summary »

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Writers:

(screen play), (screen play), 1 more credit »
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Title: King of the Underworld (1939)

King of the Underworld (1939) on IMDb 6.3/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Joe Gurney
...
Carol Nelson
James Stephenson ...
Bill Stevens
John Eldredge ...
Niles Nelson
Jessie Busley ...
Aunt Josephine
Arthur Aylesworth ...
Dr. Sanders
Raymond Brown ...
Sheriff
Harland Tucker ...
Mr. Ames
Ralph Remley ...
Mr. Robert
Charley Foy ...
Slick
Murray Alper ...
Eddie
Joe Devlin ...
Porky
Elliott Sullivan ...
Mugsy
Alan Davis ...
Pete
John Harmon ...
Slats
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Storyline

Niles and Carol Nelson are married doctors who save one of gang lord Gurney's men. Gurney exploits them, then kills Niles leaving Carol to take the fall. He next kidnaps writer Bill Stephens to write his biography. Knowing Bill will be killed when the biography is finished, Carol takes matters into her own hands. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

EXCITEMENT...WITH THE SILENCERS OFF! (re-release print ad - all caps) See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

14 January 1939 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Unlawful  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Victor System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Several actors in studio records for the movie "King of the Underworld (1939)" were not seen in the film; these include, with their character names if any, Peggy Moran (Young Man's Wife), Davison Clark (Foreman), Jerry Fletcher (Young Man), Francis Sayles (Furniture Store Proprietor), Vera Lewis and Frank Orth. See more »

Quotes

Joe Gurney: [after receiving care for a gunshot wound] Well, can I take it or can I take it?
Dr. Carole Nelson: You can take it. Some people aren't sensitive to pain, especially moronic types.
Joe Gurney: Hey, did you hear that, Slick? I'm a moronic type.
Slick: Yeah? Hey, what's that?
Joe Gurney: I don't know. Some type of medical name, ain't it doc?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Diese Drombuschs: Abschied im Zorn (1990) See more »

Soundtracks

"Jezebel"
(1938) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played when Joe receives the telephone call before the operation
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User Reviews

 
This is NOT a classic film
9 December 2009 | by (Gwangju, South Korea) – See all my reviews

This movie is a cinematic collage of gangster clichés. The writing is grade z and the plot and story are constructed without care or logic. It a messy pastiche of stereotypical gangsters (think of Bugs Bunny cartoons) and silly supporting characters (the lady doctor and the writer). There are much better Bogart films out there. In fact, Bogart looks like he slept through this performance. He puts very little effort into this character. I think the directorial advice he received was something like "He's a bad guy. Act bad". This guy is the era's equivalent of Darth Vader; obvious, evil and the anti-hero. Don't waste your time with this one.


5 of 10 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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