OK cheapie from the end of the b-film era made just before TV killed off such films. Warner Baxter is the new warden at the worst prison in the state. His new wife, Anna Lee, is having an affair with one of the inmates, Harlan Warde. She plans on helping him escape so they came hit the road and flee to Mexico. Baxter, who is blindly in love with Lee allows her to pick her own driver. Needless to say who she picks for this job. There is also a side plot were the former warden was taking money from the cons for easy work details. Nothing special in this one though the car chase at the end is well handled. This was the second last film made by one time big star, Warner Baxter. Baxter was at one time the highest paid actor in Hollywood. If you have an hour to kill this low-renter should do the job.
4 Reviews
The Guards May Be Corrupt, But Their Advice Is Good
boblipton25 June 2019
Warner Baxter takes over a state prison and attempts to reform cruel and outdated practices. He does not know that the guards are corrupt, taking bribes from prisoners for cushy spots. He also doesn't know that his new wife, Anna Lee, is the recent girlfriend of one of the prisoners, Harlan Warde. He's in for five years for stealing $80,000 from his former employer. He says he didn't do it. the audience won't know until the end of the movie whether he did or he didn't, nor where Miss Lee's loyalties lie.
It's an interesting set-up for a movie, but the script is run-of-the-mill, and director Seymour Friedman's direction is mechanical. Few of the actors raise much of a performance, except for Reginald Watkins as "English Charlie", a lag who serves as the butler at the warden's house; he's in for forgery and is the one note of comic relief in this dully moral second feature.
It's an interesting set-up for a movie, but the script is run-of-the-mill, and director Seymour Friedman's direction is mechanical. Few of the actors raise much of a performance, except for Reginald Watkins as "English Charlie", a lag who serves as the butler at the warden's house; he's in for forgery and is the one note of comic relief in this dully moral second feature.
Make that 6.5!
JohnHowardReid23 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A very capably acted programmer with an outstanding performance by Harlan Warde as a man falsely imprisoned (he says) for embezzlement.
The plot is somewhat predictable, partly because of Warde's solid portrayal, but it still offers enough twists to engage our interest.
The characters are enacted by a good "B" cast, including Warner Baxter in the title role.
Friedman's solid direction is a model of efficiency.
The climactic car chase is excitingly staged and the photography is generally a cut above Columbia's usual "B" average.
The plot is somewhat predictable, partly because of Warde's solid portrayal, but it still offers enough twists to engage our interest.
The characters are enacted by a good "B" cast, including Warner Baxter in the title role.
Friedman's solid direction is a model of efficiency.
The climactic car chase is excitingly staged and the photography is generally a cut above Columbia's usual "B" average.
"You can't run a prison like a Sunday school."
mark.waltz8 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
If a guard ever said that and I was hired as Warden, that guard would be immediately looking for another position. Warner Baxter, a former health commissioner, takes on the job of prison qarden at the state penitentiary, unaware that young wife Anna Lee is secretly in love with one of the inmates (Harlan Warde) whom she asks to be made her chauffeur. While Warde has declared his innocence in the robbery he was sentenced for, veteran prison officials are sure that he is lying. It turns out that Lee only married Baxter so she could convince Baxter to take the warden job and be near Warde. Baxter goes in with the best intentions of fixing the system, but finds that best intentions don't always bring results.
The B budget of this action drama is pretty obvious, reflected in a screenplay that doesn't really reveal much outside the issues of Baxter and Lee's personal life. There had been grittier prison films in the past (most notably "Brute Force"), making this sadly generic in comparison. The build-up to the obvious conclusion isn't really all that exciting, and it is pretty obvious how this will turn out. Baxter and Lee also seem far too difference in age, making their paring unrealistic as well. Warde manages to deliver a performance that builds in dramatic intensity, and for fans of "General Hospital's" Lila Quartermaine, it's a chance to see Anna Lee in a role quite different than what she normally played.
The B budget of this action drama is pretty obvious, reflected in a screenplay that doesn't really reveal much outside the issues of Baxter and Lee's personal life. There had been grittier prison films in the past (most notably "Brute Force"), making this sadly generic in comparison. The build-up to the obvious conclusion isn't really all that exciting, and it is pretty obvious how this will turn out. Baxter and Lee also seem far too difference in age, making their paring unrealistic as well. Warde manages to deliver a performance that builds in dramatic intensity, and for fans of "General Hospital's" Lila Quartermaine, it's a chance to see Anna Lee in a role quite different than what she normally played.
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