The Boss of Big Town (1942)
1942 · Feature film · 63 min · dir. Arthur Dreifuss
BLACK MARKET RACKET! He placed his life on the line...to uncover the sinister power that was racketeering in a big city's daily bread
- Action
- Thriller
Synopsis
Quality was seldom a consideration in the low-budget films of PRC Studios; still, the company was a welcome harbor for character actors who aspired to occasional leading roles. In Boss of Big Town, veteran supporting player John Litel is top-billed as crusading city market official Michael Lynn. When a criminal gang muscles in on the local food distribution markets, Lynn vows to throw the rascals out. First, however, he pretends to join the villains as a paid government stooge, the better to…
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Arthur Dreifuss
- Writer
- Arthur Hoerl
- Studio
- PRC
- Released
- 1942-12-07
- Running time
- 63 minutes
Cast & crew
Arthur Dreifuss Director
John Litel
H.B. Warner
John Miljan
Jean Brooks
Florence Rice
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · A Touching Crime Yarn · rlneva1941 · 2011-10-27
I love these film noir masterpieces! This one had lots of heart and compassion and worked out for the best in spite of the evil that pervades the produce business in this period piece. The young girl who is left without her father who was killed goes on to be loved in the end and in so doing puts up a strong will to survive. A very enjoyable "crime" story with heart!
★★★ · Topical In It's Day · bobsluckycat · 2011-06-21
This film was released on Dec. 7, 1942, one year to the day after Pearl Harbor and the country was already into a war mode. Prices controls, victory gardens and rationing were already in place. Racketeers and hoarders were a fact of life. This little film with John Litel as the rough, tough wholesale marketer, Florence Rice as his newspaper reporter girl friend play off each other well. Jean Brooks and (ill-fated) David Bacon are also good second leads. The supporting cast of H.B. Warner, John Miljan, Mary Gordon, and others are fine. It moves along very well. This is the complete film. Video…
