Convict's Code

Former college football star Dave Tyler (Robert Kent) maintains his innocence even after three years in prison. He gets released on parole and sets about finding the real culprits. His new bosses are actually the criminals who had set him up and he falls for the bosses' sister.

This is a B-movie crime drama. The filmmaking is simple without much style. The acting isn't any better. The writing is the most problematic. One would think that the perpetrators would keep their distance from Tyler especially since he seems clueless to their scheme. It is solidly stuck in B-movie territory and can't rise above it.

Convict's Code is a surprisingly engaging little film noir about Dave Tyler, a man on parole who tries to clear his name while trying not to get thrown back in the slammer. While the reasoning why Dave is hired by a man who wants him thrown back into prison is highly ridiculous, as is the totally melodramatic conclusion, the in-betweens are great, with Robert Kent doing a fine job as the tormented parolee, and Anne Nagel equally fine as his (of course!) blonde haired girlfriend, who mustn't know that he's a parolee, because of course, they have to get permission from his parole officer! (Oh, and she's also the heavy's sister). Actually, this film carefully describes parole life back in 1939, and seems to be more of a burden on a person then it is now. Quite interesting and entertaining!

Convict's Code casts Robert Kent as a recently paroled convict who has Victor Kilian as his parole officer. Kent was in on a frame and now that he's out wants to find the real criminals.

Little does he know that he's being employed by them, Sidney Blackmer and Norman Willis. It's Blackmer's way of keeping tabs on a man whom he knows is seeking the real crooks.

Everywhere Kent goes people keep getting dead or are already dead. It's frustrating.

What's wrong with this film is that Blackmer who is portrayed as really slick makes a sentimental decision that undoes everything for him. It has to do with Kent seeing Anne Nagel who is Blackmer's younger sister. The whole idea was badly plotted. The fault could be Monogram Pictures butchered editing techniques which were legendary.

This is one sub-par noir crime drama.

Robert Kent is Dave Tyler, sent to prison for a bank job he didn't do. Kent played a bunch of B film roles, and died quite young at 46. In the story, Tyler is paroled, and wants to find out who dunnit. He seems to be spending all his time convincing his friends and his employer that he really didn't do it. One of his friends "Gregory" is played by Sydney Blackmer, whose best known role was probably the cult leader in Rosemary's Baby. Tyler gets into a couple of fist fights, but has to be careful not to break parole, or he'll be back in the big house! it's all quite droll. The gang that framed Tyler is following him around town as he tries to track down those who did him dirty. He walks the line of crossing the line of breaking parole, which could land him back in prison. It all moves pretty slowly.... this IS just a short 62 minutes from Monogram Pictures. Showing on Moonlight Movies... one of the free channels on roku. Directed by Lambert Hillyer, who had started directing in the early days of the silent films. In the 1950s, Hillyer moved to television, and directed TV series until 1956. Hillyer had filmed the early serial version of Batman in 1943! He seems to have retired about then, having reached the age of 66. The film is pretty average... it DOES have some OLD scenery of Los Angeles. sadly, no filming locations listed on imdb as of Sept 2018.

A former football star named Dave "Whizz" Tyler (Robert Kent) is released from prison on parole and gets a good job, partly due to the head of the sports department at the newspaper having written that Tyler will need a job on release. Tyler swears he was framed and spends his time trying to find out who sent him up the river, even risking parole violations to do it. Along the way, he falls for the sister of his new employer, and that's its own trouble on multiple fronts.

This was a fairly standard story, but enjoyable, with an interesting ending involving Tyler's boss. Kent was likeable and played it cool, never going over the top, where others might have. I liked how the sports writer, played by Ben Alexander, played into things. Victor Kilian as the parole officer and Maude Eburne as the whiny landlady were good too.

I wouldn't say rush out and see this one, but it is a decent way to spend an hour.

P.S. The poster here is for the wrong movie. Perhaps for the 1930 movie of the same name? No idea who that kid is.