Alias Boston Blackie (1942)

Blackie tracks down a wrongly convicted prisoner who escapes during a Christmas magic show.

Director:

Lew Landers

Writers:

Paul Yawitz (original screenplay), Jack Boyle (based on a character created by)

Stars:

Chester Morris, Adele Mara, Richard Lane

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Chester Morris	...	Boston Blackie
Adele Mara	...	Eve Sanders
Richard Lane	...	Inspector Farraday
George E. Stone	...	The Runt
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Arthur Manleder
Walter Sande	...	Detective Mathews
Larry Parks	...	Joe Trilby
George McKay	...	Roggi McKay
Cy Kendall	...	Jumbo Madigan
Paul Fix	...	Steve Caveroni
Ben Taggart	...	Warden

Storyline

Blackie tracks down a wrongly convicted prisoner who escapes during a Christmas magic show.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | prison escape | impersonation | bound and gagged | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

Blackie's got an eye-full of alibi... but cops don't believe in looks!

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vingança Frustrada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Towards the end of the film, the action takes place at the "Jane Drake Theatre," where "Jane Drake" is appearing a play called "Bedtime Story," written by "Lucius Drake". These characters, the play and the theatre are all left over from Bedtime Story, also produced by Columbia Pictures a few months earlier, starring Loretta Young and Fredric March in the Drake roles.

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Connections

Followed by After Midnight with Boston Blackie (1943)

User Reviews

A solid little action film in the Boston Blackie series

Chester Morris really found a home in his role as Boston Blackie, the former jewel thief who has turned over a new leaf but still has Inspector Faraday always believing him to be the perpetrator of every crime Blackie is within ten square miles of.

Usually, the first film in a series is the best and then it is often downhill from there. I didn't care a great deal for the plot of the first Boston Blackie film, but by this third one the series had really hit its stride. This time Boston Blackie is taking a theatrical troupe to entertain the convicts on Christmas Eve. One of the girls in the troupe is the sister of a wrongly convicted man (Larry Parks) who wants nothing more than to escape and wreak revenge on the two thieves that set him up for a fifteen year stretch in the big house. Of course, when the man escapes, Faraday believes Blackie is behind it all.

There's good action, a pretty good mystery, interesting characters, and of course Chester Morris at his dapper witty best as Boston Blackie along with his faithful sidekick The Runt (George E. Stone).

The one mystery that is never solved - and maybe I just missed it - is how Boston Blackie now makes a living. He seems to have plenty of money, dresses well, and lives in a well-furnished spacious apartment, yet no mention is ever made of his current occupation. No wonder Faraday is suspicious. But I digress. Great entertainment for lovers of the fast-paced crime films of the 40's.