Tough to Handle

Frankie Darro's grandfather has won the lottery, or so he thinks. He has the winning number, but a mob boss has been using the lottery to make money off of fake numbers. They have to get that ticket away from Grandpa at all costs. Enter Frankie Darro, who they didn't plan on and who is too "tough to handle." Being a b-movie that's been all but forgotten, you wouldn't expect much. (In the 30s and 40s, movie studios made B-movies, short films made on a low budget with little attention to big production values and were made at a break-neck pace, to make a profit from little investment and to keep their roster of employees (including actors) working hard for probably little pay; therefore they were called 'B'-movies, in comparison to those pictures getting the grade A treatment.) But this "sleeper" comes off very well, considering some very good unknown actors adept at what they're doing and a script that not only moves swiftly, but is actually very well written. The characters' interactions and how the film develops into each complication makes this film one of the best of the unknown b-movies. Granted, the fights are done in double speed, almost as if they're doing athletics, rather than real fighting. But, if you get a chance to see this and discover who Frankie Darro was, you'll be pleasantly entertained for an hour.

Burr Caruth has a $16,000 ticket in the sweepstakes..... but it's a forgery. His grandchildren, Frankie Darro and Phyllis Fraser, try to investigate, along with newspaperman Kane Richmond, but the tral leads to amiable nightclub owner Harry Worth, who even buys the ticket from them at a discount.

It's a cheaply but competently made little crime drama, the first non-western directed by Earl Luby, whose expertise as an editor keeps things moving along at a good clip. It's based on a story by Peter Kyne, with typically good camerawork by Jack Greenhalgh. Despite some nice twists at the end, the script reveals who's what erly on, which dampens the fun. Even given that and a clearly short treasury, it's a decent way to spend an hour.

Miss Fraser didn't have much of a movie career, despite some nice singing here, good looks, a decent performance and the connection of Ginger Rogers as a cousin. She quit the movies after ten years to marry Bennett Cerf, and lived to be 90, dying in 2006.

Grandpa wins in the lotteries. He wasn't suppose to win though, for his ticket is a fake. Police officers and journalists try to find out who the man behind the scheme is. And so does grandpa's grandchild... This is a typical 30's movie. It is a crime, mystery and comedy in one. And there are even attractive songs in this movie. As the whole thing lasts about one hour, the pace is high, even by today's standards. Drawbacks are the incredibility of Darro being a news paperboy and the fights, which are so obviously fake, that even a blind horse would see that. Still, this is a fine mystery from the 30's, which can still be enjoyed today.

New York City paperboy Frankie Darro (as Michael "Mike" Sanford) is pleased when he learns grandpa Burr Caruth has purchased a winning sweepstakes ticket. But, don't expect the old gentleman to collect any winnings. The tickets are part of a scam run by slimy nightclub owner Harry Worth (as Tony Franco), for a shadowy crime boss. Handsome reporter Kane Richmond (as Joe MacIntyre) steps up his investigation after a tragic death; he suspects Mr. Worth, but Mr. Darro wants to believe Worth is innocent. Things get very dangerous for Darro and blonde singing sister Phyllis Cerf (as Gloria), who dates Mr. Richmond. Fighting and jumping across the screen, Darro is more agile than the production.

**** Tough to Handle (5/24/37) Roy Luby ~ Frankie Darro, Kane Richmond, Harry Worth, Phyllis Fraser

Yes, it has the budgetary restrictions of the typical B-movie, and its ambitions are unapologetically limited, but this also has the strengths of a good B-movie. It's efficient, compact, and clearly designed to please. What's more, it's acted with surprising skill and conviction, especially by Harry Worth as the nightclub-owner whose sinister plottings are well hidden behind a suave and rather appealing exterior. Supporting-actor Oscar nominations have been won by performances not quite equal to this one. Frankie Darro makes a likable and energetic lead, (though a better haircut would help), and Kane Richmond -- destined to become a memorable "Spy Smasher" in the Saturday-matinée serials -- is appropriately stalwart and handsome, though perhaps a bit stiff. In fact, one problem with this movie is its division of its hero-role between these two quite different but equally appealing actors. True, the fights seem hokey and are utterly unconvincing but the song numbers are just good enough to keep you from running to the kitchen for a quick snack.