Torture Money

Torture Money (1937)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Oscar-winning MGM short from their Crime Does Not Pay series. This episode takes a look at a group who are staging car wrecks so that they can sue the insurance company as well as the city. An undercover cop eventually breaks into the gang to determine how they're pulling the scam. This series is among my favorite and this here is one of the better episodes out there. There's isn't too much drama this time around but what we do get is a very entertaining story and I must admit I was captivated by the story. The way the scam is carried out was rather interesting and the direction really pulls everything together. The cast is pretty amazing as well as we get character actors Edwin Maxwell, George Lynn, Raymond Hutton and Roger Moore (no, not that one). Most of these actors are now forgotten but if you look up there credits you'll notice that they've appeared in several memorable movies. King Baggott, who played Jekyll and Hyde in the 1913 version, also appears as one of the witnesses.