Money to Loan

It's another case in the MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series. Stephen Hanley is a loan shark taking advantage of unsuspecting victims. This is a cross between a check cashing place and a mobster loan shark. I was expecting only the mobster. I was not expecting a bank-like store front. It's an interesting presentation.

Money to Loan (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Another winning entry in the Crime Does Not Pay series from MGM. This, the 21st entry, talks about loan sharks and the evil they do. Many desperate people are needing money so they go to a new loan shark in town but soon he is beating them, stalking them and doing worse in order to get them to pay back their loans. Many people are hard on this series saying that they seem like moral plays with someone on a soap box preaching. I've never agreed with a statement like that because this is one of my favorite series but I must admit that this one here is way too preachy. The movie goes way too far out in order to show how mean loan sharks are and I think the message could have gotten across without so many "look how mean they are" sequences. Alan Dinehart is very good as the main shark and Paul Guilfoyle steals the film has his gun carrying sidekick. There's some nice drama in the film but I still wish they had cut back on some of the preaching. With that said, fans of the series should still find plenty of entertainment here.

In an unnamed large American city Alan Dinehart runs a friendly money-lending operation. Got money problems? Borrow money from Dinehart, and if you don't pay his usurious interest, at least the leg-breaking is at no extra charge. But the police are closing in, because in the end, CRIME DOES NOT PAY!

It's a fairly good entry in MGM's long-running crime series, with plenty of bright young men like Paul Guilfoyle ready to guard the public from middle-aged men like Dinehart.

"Money to Loan" is an unusually powerful episode of the "Crime Does Not Pay" series from MGM--a long series of short films that illustrate criminals in action and police apprehending these jerks. It begins with a long series of egregious behaviors by a seemingly legitimate loan company--behaviors that make them more like strong-arm loan sharks! In one case, a guy had made every payment on his car and only owed one more. He asked for an extension for until the weekend was over--and they agreed. When he went to get his car, they'd sold it! In another, they hired a lady to walk into a man's office and loudly badger him about the money in front of all his co-workers! And, in another, they caused a traffic accident! But it gets worse--and it's up to the police and district attorney to get evidence on these evil jerks.

Overall, the film illustrated its case very well and they constructed a very convincing and emotionally charged film. Well worth seeing and very well done.