Platinum High School

Since this is an Albert Zugsmith quickie, it looks like it might have Schlock written all over it. And admittedly, the story doesn't exactly hold up. But it's told in an earnest, believable way, with a hard-working cast. Mickey Rooney elicits a lot of sympathy as a father who lost his son figuratively and then literally. You wonder why he wears a suit and tie even while rowing a boat, but what the heck, it was probably his suit and the only wardrobe he got on the film. The rest of the actors are solid, including the always reliable Dan Duryea. Director Charles Haas knows how to set up a scene and knows how to let the actors tell the story. It's not bad.