They Made Me a Killer

They Made Me a Killer is a 1946 noir starring Robert Lowery, Barbara Britton, and Lola Lane, directed by William C. Thomas.

Tricked into driving bank robbers from the crime scene, Tom Durling (Lowery) escapes the police and goes on the run, desperate to clear his name. He has the help of a woman (Britton) whose brother (Byron Barr) was killed during the shootout.

The two wind up finding the robbers hiding out in the basement of a restaurant owned by the mother (Elisabeth Risdon) of one of them.

The leads are likable. Lowery, who played Batman in 1948, has a natural quality. Lola Lane, in her final film, is good as the moll who pretends she's interested in purchase Tom's car, then has him park by the bank!

The best part takes place in the beginning, when Tom is being chased through the hospital

This was unfortunately a bad print so scenes done in the dark were too dark to figure out what was going on. The denouement was far-fetched, but we know from the start that Tom is an engineering expert.

A typical B noir with some good scenes.

I had never heard of Director William C. Thomas but now that I have, I doubt I will be interested in watching any of his other work. True, this is supposed to be a B film noir, but it looks more like C/home movie financing, shot for the most part in complete darkness, and with a male lead who looks like the harmless fellow next door who can't act to save his life and allows himself to become a punching bag for some thugs who rate in equal measure bestial and dumb.

Add to the mix a police duo who seem to be missing the third stooge, and you can see a failed comedy in the making, all the more so in all the abovementioned darkness which does not allow you to see exactly what Lowery is doing replacing LPs in the jukebox. Ah, I finally got it: the jukebox was also a recording device! And the stooge cops wanted to listen to music so they heard the criminals' telltale chat.

Very ingenious. No wonder THEY MADE ME A KILLER had five people involved in knocking together a screenplay for a 64-minute C pic that borrows shamelessly from Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS.

Poor direction, cliché-riddled script, and substandard, very cheap cinematography blends with low grade acting to come up with a mediocre - putting it mildly - product. One saving grace: beautiful Barbara Britton. Her character obviously loves Lowery's come hell or high water, whether he lies, wears cuffs, gets punched up, or does anything devious enough to make a lesser woman flee. Not she - what a loyal, faithful and loving woman!

Pity reality is so different!

Don't waste your time on this one: you'll end up with sore eyes from straining to try to discern what's happening in the dark. And, trust me, what happens in the dark isn't enough to wake you up, if you predictably fall asleep, as happened to me. It took me three nights to watch to the end this 64' film.

The term 'cut to the chase' is redundant in this fast paced crime thriller. Within seven minutes Robert Lowery has been railroaded into driving the getaway car from a bank robbery, having been suckered into believing that gang member Lola Lane wanted to buy the vehicle. A few shootings and some erratic motoring later, Lowery finds himself unconscious behind the wheel of the crashed automobile, gun in hand. The gang?....Nowhere to be seen.

Grim, granite faced, gruff voiced D. A., Paul Harvey has little time for Lowery,s plea of innocence and when witness Byron Barr (himself under suspicion) dies in hospital, Lowery's determination to resolve the matter alone reveals a ruthless streak. It's one thing to overturn a bed to foil pursuers, but one occupied by a man who passed away moments earlier? Can't a man die with SOME dignity? Seconds later, his boundless desperation results in an uncooperative nurse having a close encounter of the fist kind, before Lowery escapes.

Befriending Barr's sister (Barbara Britton), they have a common goal in tracking down the gang. Along the way, Will Wright adds to his encyclopedia of bit parts, as a blacksmith, whose lame brained attempt at apprehending Lowery, results in a headache he aint never gonna forget.

Ultimately, the movie flattens out, but remains engaging and lives up to its noir billing, with some scenes shot in such impenetrable darkness, it's almost impossible to discern what's taking place.

Crude and unpolished, to the point where even 1940's audiences must have found it a bit clunky, 'Killer' is hardly a hidden gem, but there is nonetheless something curiously appealing struggling to shine through the murk of this low budget quickie. It possesses an intangible period charm which entices you into returning for a further helping. File under 'Intriguing Obscurity.'

Lola Lane's final film appearance.

Traveling from Chicago to California, Tom Durling (Robert Lowery) finds himself framed for robbery and murder when he is duped into driving the getaway car for a bank heist. After an auto crash leaves Durling holding the bag with the legal authorities, he quickly escapes after being arrested and sets out to prove his innocence with the help of the slain bank teller's sister (Barbara Britton).

They Made Me a Killer was another of the low budget film fare from Pine-Thomas Productions which at the time was the B movie arm of Paramount Pictures. Pine-Thomas was known for making movies fast, cheap and profitable. At a compact 64 minute run-time, there isn't much in the way of character development. It's more a quick-fire series of events. Given it's slapdash nature you have to suspend some degree of belief and just enjoy the ride. Even though succinct, the script is really pretty clever and lively. 'Killer' doesn't quite have the same level of mood and ambiance as a movie like 'Detour', a movie of similar style and budget. This is largely due to the rapid pace. There really aren't any wasted or meandering scenes as Durling with single purpose tracks down those who set him up.

The cast plays it all pretty well and Lowery does a nice job as the framed-up scapegoat. While not likely to find it's way to many must see lists, 'They Made Me a Killer' is one of the better of the old cheapie crime flicks.

6 out of 10*

The plot's pretty conventional, but with an unusual wrinkle . An innocent guy is trapped into helping bank robbers execute a robbery, and now the cops are chasing him. As the pursuit goes on, he joins the robbers in their hiding spot. Now the question is which way will he go. Will he join the crooks or work with a girl friend to clear himself.

Hard to believe veteran leading man Lowery could work up such energy for a programmer considering he'd done about a hundred of them. But he does. In fact it's his energy and the glowing freshness of Barbara Britton that carry the film. Then too, Lowery's character, Durling, is none too moral, meaning he's really tempted to join the bad guys once he's on the lam. And that amounts to a good, human touch from outstanding scripter Dan Mainwaring. It also helps that director Thomas keeps things moving, though the corner shoot-out and the hospital escape appear awkwardly done. Add to the mix a fine supporting cast, especially spider woman Lane and housemother Risdon. But please tell me, where did wardrobe get that fur-collared overcoat that's about to swallow Lane's head and then maybe the world!

Looks like this is one of those 40's B's that was reaching for noir while remaining within the crime story genre. Anyway, the minor touches manage to lift results to the slightly-better- than-average category.

(In passing—I'd long thought the name Byron Barr in cast lists referred to an early Gig Young, the former being his real name, the latter his stage name. However, in researching this film, I discover there was in fact a second actor named Byron Barr who kept his original name, and he's the one in this movie. Of course, Gig Young remains the much better known of the two.)