User Reviews

The Crooked Road,produced by Republic not PRC, is one of those little B movies that anticipate the later noirs. The staff at the American Film Institute couldn't find a print to view when they published their 1931-1940 catalog in 1993 but a 52 minute version, edited from the original 67-8 minutes, is now making the rounds on video.It probably came from a TV package when Republic features of an hour or more were cut for a 60 minute time slot and for commercials.The story setup: A wealthy Southern California man(Edmund Lowe) about to be married is recognized by a hitchhiker(Arthur Loft) as being a former cellmate of his, and threatened with extortion. Meanwhile the blackmailer's woman (Claire Carleton)is attracted to a low life chemist (Paul Fix) Lowe puts on glasses and an accent and with a fake name moves into the chemist's apartment building, sneaks into his room, types two phony letters and steals a gun. He uses the gun to kill the blackmailer and incriminate the chemist, but doesn't realize the chemist has already been there and given the guy poison pills.The chemist's defense lawyer, and Lowe's friend (Henry Wilcoxon) argues the man couldn't have written the typed notes since he can't spell properly. New evidence turns up leading to Lowe: blood that was not previously visible at the crime scene, fingerprints, and a prison tattoo that Lowe carelessly sports when he is going swimming, in front of a detective! Meanwhile Wilcoxon and Lowe's fiancée (Irene Hervey) grow closer as they work together on the case. In a last minute twist, the Carleton character suddenly dies from taking some of those poison pills, and the trail leads back to the chemist. Far fetched, to be sure, and the direction by Phil Rosen is pretty basic, but it's a fun, fast moving hour.

For a good 95% of this Republic crime drama, everything is direct and to the point. But the writers have to rescue the hero because after all, Edmund Lowe once played Philo Vance, one of the great detectives of the earlier part of the 1930's. But here, he's a murderer, and even if the audience is rooting for him, the ridiculous twist the writers take makes them the major villain, not Lowe or Paul Fix as Nick Romero, an old prison mate of Lowe's who intends to spill the beans that Lowe is really an escaped convict. This would certainly ruin his status in town, and Lowe comes up with an elaborate murder scheme, ultimately framing someone else.

Irene Hervey, Henry Wilcoxin and Charles Lane co-star in this B picture which utilizes Lane for bizarre comedy relief as an attorney who seems to have taken his method from Groucho Marx. This does have some good points about it, but there is a bizarre twist in the conclusion that had me wanting to turn into Kathy Bates as she ranted about a car going off in a cliff in a serial that she recalled in "Misery". The writers expected that the audience would be dim enough to accept it, but 80 years later, it just doesn't gel with this audience of one.

What a good surprise to watch this little film, directed by the prolific Phil Rosen, who did not have the habit to give us so good pieces of work. I guess it's a Pictures Releasing Corporation - also known as Poverty Row Corporation...Rosen made many movies for this company.

I first thought of a Edgard Wallace Mystery series topic. I almost saw all of them. See for yourself. Two men meet gain after many years. The two know each other because they were in jail, in UK, and one of them escaped before beginning a new life in the USA, and as a wealthy man. The other one, his former cellmate, of course, as you can guess, decides to blackmail him, to reveal his actual identity, what he did years ago...

You can here also guess the following.

The blackmailer has a girl friend, who has herself another lover, a younger one.

When the blackmailer is "killed" by the ex con - and escapist - the police suspects the young woman's younger lover. Follow me?

And that's just the beginning of the story. Expect some more twists in this exciting little feature.

You rebound from a corner to the other...

Yes, Phil Rosen did not use to give us such good material.