A man who has been railroaded into prison is framed for the murder of a fellow inmate and must prove his innocence.A man who has been railroaded into prison is framed for the murder of a fellow inmate and must prove his innocence.A man who has been railroaded into prison is framed for the murder of a fellow inmate and must prove his innocence.
Janet Shaw
- Sally Carruthers
- (as Ellen Clancy)
Anderson Lawler
- 'Whitey' Edwards
- (as Anderson Lawlor)
Sam Bennett
- Convict
- (uncredited)
Phil Bloom
- Convict
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the first film set in the prison on Alcatraz Island, which had opened in 1934.
- GoofsGat's racketeering trial concludes with a summation by the prosecution-- implying that the defense had already summed up their case to the jury. That's backwards. The defense goes last because they are legally entitled to rebut what the prosecution says. A defense attorney can choose not to make a summation, but in the context of this film where there have been public accusations of jury tampering, not making a persuasive-sounding speech at the close of trial could be as evidence of tampering and lead to a retrial.
- Quotes
Tough Tony Burke: Wait till you get in your bunk tonight. The fog settles in over the bay and the siren in the lighthouse begins to moan. It's just the same in here as being in your grave - only you miss the fun of being dead.
- ConnectionsReferenced in American Experience: The Battle Over Citizen Kane (1996)
Featured review
"Just the same in here as being in your grave, only you miss the fun of being dead."
'B' crime drama from Warner Bros. that stars John Litel, Gordon Oliver, Mary Maguire, and Ann Sheridan, to say nothing of a great supporting cast. The plot has awesomely-named racketeer Gat Brady (Litel) sent to Alcatraz where he feuds with a former criminal associate, while trying to keep his daughter (Maguire) out of danger. Oliver plays the lawyer who puts Gat away but winds up trying to help him. Sheridan is Gat's moll with a heart of gold.
Litel's not a perfect fit for a rough gangster type but he manages to make it work. Sheridan does well in one of many forgettable pictures she made before becoming a big star. Oliver and Maguire are fine, if unimpressive. The rest of the cast includes a bunch of recognizable faces like George E. Stone, Dick Purcell, Ben Welden, Addison Richards, Vladimir Sokoloff, Janet Shaw, Charles Towbridge, Peggy Bates, and Veda Ann Borg. It's a good pic for what it is - a relatively short, fast-paced programmer with a good cast playing out a familiar story as best they can. The scene depicting convicts going through an early version of a metal detector was pretty fascinating to me. This movie's not going to change your life or anything but there are worse ways to kill an hour.
Litel's not a perfect fit for a rough gangster type but he manages to make it work. Sheridan does well in one of many forgettable pictures she made before becoming a big star. Oliver and Maguire are fine, if unimpressive. The rest of the cast includes a bunch of recognizable faces like George E. Stone, Dick Purcell, Ben Welden, Addison Richards, Vladimir Sokoloff, Janet Shaw, Charles Towbridge, Peggy Bates, and Veda Ann Borg. It's a good pic for what it is - a relatively short, fast-paced programmer with a good cast playing out a familiar story as best they can. The scene depicting convicts going through an early version of a metal detector was pretty fascinating to me. This movie's not going to change your life or anything but there are worse ways to kill an hour.
helpful•21
- utgard14
- Dec 18, 2016
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Alcatraz
- Filming locations
- San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, USA(Alcatraz Prison re-creation)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 3 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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