La patrouille du crime

This is one of those cheap Poverty Row second features that holds some interest for fans of old movies mostly because of one or two supporting actors. Ray Walker is a cocky young fighter who has agreed to take a dive, but, being frustrated by the bell and his opponent needling him throughout the fight, knocks him out, earning the ire of the local hoods. When he gets clobbered by a cop in an exhibition fight, he decides that the sort of training he can get at the police gym will put the polish on his boxing and allow him to court pretty nurse, Geneva Mitchell. However, paired with amiable Russ Clark, he gradually becomes a decent cop, even if he's unwilling to shoot at old friends.

Walker's brash act is annoying and the story is bog standard, but there are a couple of actors worth looking at. One is silent comic Snub Pollard in a straight role as a low-level hood, almost unrecognizable without his trademark mustache. Virginia True Boardman plays Evans mother and perennial B western bad guy Hooper Atchley has a non-villainous role. None of these make this movie particularly worthwhile; director Eugene Cummings in his sole movie credit doesn't seem to have much talent as a dialogue director. It's just another of the several thousand cheap movies that played on the bottom of double or triple bills and then vanished.

Ray Walker is cast in the lead as boxer Bob Neal. Neal is an amiable mug, with no direction, other than being the best boxer he can be. His pals are all bums and crooks. He likes a pretty nurse (Geneva Mitchell) but she's not interested because of his lifestyle and associates. Bob's father was a policeman who died while fighting crime. His mother hopes he will follow in his father's footsteps someday and become a policeman.

Eventually Bob joins the police force because of the expert training he'll receive. His selfish attitude begins to soften when he starts to realize his old gang are ruthless criminals. The final showdown comes after the gang steal a shipment of furs. Bob pretends to be on the take in order to save two other policemen. He double crosses the gang and wins the gratitude of the force and the affection of the nurse.

This is no lost gem. The story is rather weak, the fight scenes are not convincing. Yet it plays out fast and is never boring. The two leads, Walker and Mitchell, are particularly good. Although neither would be considered attractive both can really act, which is not always the case in poverty row.

If you don't go into this expecting a Warners B you may actually enjoy this tale. The hero plays a James Cagney character but without Cagney's charisma. But how many actors had that anyway. The boxing is terrible but that's besides the point. The actors seem to be giving it their best shot, Snub Pollard being the only one I recognized. As I watched the movie I did wonder where else I may have seen the other actors. Pretty sure it was filmed in downtown LA, the gasometer looked familiar. The locations would definitely be of interest to a locations sleuth. The film doesn't do as bad job of depicting a slice of 1936. You could do a lot worse if, like me, you find you can't sleep at 2 AM.