You Can't Get Away with Murder

Don't come to this film expecting that much Bogart or that much action, and you'll probably enjoy this 80 minute-long late 30's crime drama.

Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids is the real star of this film, made two years before Bogart became a true star at Warner Brothers, but this time Halop is minus the other Dead Enders. Here he plays John Stone, a kid from Hell's Kitchen who idolizes small-time gangster Frank Wilson (Humphrey Bogart). John is troubled because it has always been himself and his sister alone against the world, and now big sister is seriously dating cop Fred Burke (Harvey Stephens). John feels replaced by Burke and also resents the guy trying to be a substitute big brother to him.

Frank and Johnny pull off one gas station robbery without a hitch, giving Johnny a taste for more, but the second robbery does not go so well, with Frank killing a pawn shop owner. The problem is that the gun left at the scene was stolen from Burke, is easily traced back to him, and soon Burke is sitting in the death house for a crime committed by Frank and Johnny. In the meantime, Frank and Johnny are picked up and sent to prison for a short stretch (3 years) for their first robbery. In spite of his rough exterior Johnny really has a conscience, and it's working on overdrive with Burke sitting in the same prison as Johnny, except Burke is awaiting execution, not parole. Time is counting down to both Burke's execution and the end of Johnny's sanity. Frank has no problem having someone else fry for his crime, but he can see Johnny is cracking up and he has to come up with some way to keep the kid quiet.

Henry Travers has a supporting yet significant part as the prison librarian - Pop - in a role that seems to be a warm-up for playing Clarence in "It's a Wonderful Life". He plays probably the only true father figure Johnny has ever had. Eddie Rochester Anderson of Jack Benny Show fame lightens the film just a bit as an inmate who comes to the library each day just to read cookbooks aloud.

As for Bogart, he's at his nastiest here without a shred of humanity. As Pop says, "He's the kind of guy who's so crooked if he tried to go straight he'd crack".

To say that Humphry Bogart paid his dues is an understatement. From the time he joined Warner Bros. until his breakthrough role in "High Sierra," he was the studio's most reliable scowling, snarling double-crossing hood. Here's he's a penny-ante crook who enlists Billy Halop to join him in a quick stick-up. The pair are quickly caught and packed off to prison where Halop has continual bouts of conscience and Bogart masterminds an escape. If that sounds familiar, the plot -- and variations on same -- were standard Warner Bros. fare, especially in the 1930s. Bogart manages to pack a lot of charisma into a stereotype and Halop's ex-Dead End performance is pretty good, as well. But the movie itself doesn't veer too far from an all-too-familiar formula.

You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Nice crime flick from Warner has the young Johnny (Billy Halop) looking up to tough guy Frank (Humphrey Bogart) and soon the two are pulling jobs together. Johnny steals a gun from his sister's fiancé, which Frank uses to kill a guy but the police pin it on the fiancé. Soon Johnny and Frank are behind bars for another crime while the kid soon starts to feel guilt over an innocent man about to die. This 78-minute movie features a lot of plot and some might say there's too much plot but there's no denying that this is 100% pure Warner action as not only do we get the best of their crime films but also a pretty good prison drama as well. There's a lot going on in this film and I think most fans of the genre are really going to eat this thing up. Of course, it all starts with Bogart playing another one of his tough guy roles and naturally he handles the material very well. Everything people love about Bogart from that wicked voice to that personality is on full display here as his character chews up each scene he's in. Halop doesn't do too bad either, although I must admit that his character was so annoying in certain scenes that I was wanting to punch him myself. Gale Page and Harvey Stephens are good as the sister and fiancé and then we have Henry Travers in a good part of the elder con trying to steer the young kid in the right direction. Character actors George E. Stone and Joe Sawyer also appear in minor roles. The screenplay pretty much tries to throw everything at you at once and while the film does lose focus in a few spots, that doesn't mean the thing ever gets boring or slow. The director keeps everything moving at a pretty good pace and I must admit that the film ended a lot differently than I expected. The prison escape was pretty intense as was a few earlier scenes were Bogart wants to seek his revenge. All in all this movie certainly deserve to be more wildly seen as it contain the some great "tough guy" stuff that film buffs will eat up.

You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939)

From the peak of classic pre-war Hollywood and "Gone with the Wind," anticipating the equally classic and more slick "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca" in the next three years. And just before star Humphrey Bogart has his breakout in "The Maltese Falcon" in 1941. Things hang a little undecided here, a classic crime drama a removed from the early 30s Warner Bros. masterpieces, but unpolished for its time, too. Blame a modest budget.

But then again, this is rather good on its own terms, a standard gangster story with a message. And Bogart is strong, a bit more developed than his earlier gangster roles where he's a bit of stereotype. Bits of dry humor and disdain creep in, welcome Bogart touches. The main twist here is a sweet young man, really just a kid, gets involved. And how. Note the title.

The writing isn't always great, sometimes falling into cheap dramatic comments without surprise, or even avoiding basic believability. The action parts are good and well filmed (and they avoid unnecessary dialog). Some of the side characters are just filling roles without depth, or are clichés (the African-American reading the cookbook— charming and fun, or the good-hearted librarian in prison). Even the kid isn't quite right, as if he's playing what he thinks he should instead of inhabiting the role.

Bogart, however, is a whole different class of actor in all of this, and he's the reason to watch. The last twenty minutes click along really nicely. Not an awful film in all, but be prepared for some routine stuff between the highlights.

I've always loved this movie a lot. I'm a Bogie fan and a Billy Halop fan, too, so this movie really interests me.

Halop should have gone on to stardom, as he had the looks and charisma to make it. I don't know what went wrong, but this film is a good indication of his growing acting ability.

It's also a step in the right direction towards breaking Halop away from his silly juvenile roles. He could easily play more sinister, dark roles, and this movie proves it.

The ending could have glossed over the Halop-Bogie clash, but didn't, and I like that.

It's a well-made little gangster film that deserves much better accolades.