Too Many Winners

This film made by PRC looks more like it was made by the People's Republic of China, rather than a cheap film company. It was shot in one day on a Sunday, and the script, which was unbelievably corny and bad, was written in the back seat of a bus going to the studio.

Poor Hugh Beaumont; it would take years before he would find success on TV, and he had to suffer these indignities as a really bad detective named Michael Shayne. I will not bore you with the C actors and writing or plot; suffice it to say you should never waste your time watching junk like this, where every character in the film is a cartoon character with cartoon dialogue.

.. in a detective story, full of murders, chases, fights, comic scenes, all theses scenes being shot very quickly by William Beaudine. All actors are dynamic so it's very entertaining. Definitely not for Fleisher or Mann's fans, no strong dark scenes in these popular detective series. Real rare print. Bravo to the 2012 reviewer who is a real fan of these series.

It was not uncommon for B-movie detective and crime films to have sequels...and often the sequels starred different actors in the leading roles. A good example is "Too Many Winners"...a Michael Shayne detective mystery. For years, Lloyd Nolan played Shayne but here Hugh Beaumont is in the lead. This isn't too surprising, as Beaumont played in a lot of crime films in the 1940s-50s before gaining greater fame as Ward Clever in "Leave it to Beaver". In all, Nolan made seven (for Twentieth Century-Fox) and Beaumont made five Shayne films (for the tiny studio, PRC).

Shayne and his secretary are supposed to go on vacation. However, Shayne is kidnapped and is pulled into a new case involving counterfeit race track tickets. Along the way, folks are killed and Shayne is, as usual, glib and one step ahead of the police.

This is a pretty good film and much of it is due to Beaumont's easygoing characterization. However, the film also has a few strikes against it...mostly because it was made by PRC, one of the cheapest and worst studios at the time. The worst is one of the cops, who openly talks about needing to beat up Shayne to get information out of him! Talk about one-dimensional. Overall, however, the good outweighs the bad and it's a quick and enjoyable movie.

In this episode of the Mike Shayne mysteries from "The new PRC", Hugh Beaumont and secretary Trudy Marshall are getting ready to go duck hunting when Ben Welden walks in and offers his $2000 to not take a case. This soon develops into racetrack manager John Hamilton hiring Beaumont to investigate who's been forging winning parimutuel tickets.

It's a clunkily composed mystery, with Beaumont dealing with people who refuse to answer questions, and then someone advances the plot lot a ratchet, along with fist fights, pointed guns, and Ralph Dunn as a permanently disgruntled police lieutenant. Director William Beaudine clearly is trying to make Beaumont a breezy version of Brett Halliday's shamus, but while there is some fun with George Meader as a hotel desk clerk who doesn't like Beaumont, mostly there's a sense of frustration as Scott Darling Fred Myton's script keeps everyone waiting. With Byron Foulger and Stanley Blystone.

Just what the 1947 regular movie-goer would have expected as a first half. Director William Beaudine's experienced hand and a simulation of production value (a few extras to walk from one shot to the next in set decorated studio interiors and a location excursion into the bungalow suburbs) make this a presentable example but don't disguise the poverty row quality). It's the last of PRC's Michael Shaynes with Hugh Beaumont, who is too jaunty to be a pulp fiction P. I. A couple of low rent hoods keep on beating him up and throw him into the Public Dump and, when he finally gets around to toughing it out with them, comic cop Ralph Dunn has to take down the last man standing. Trudy Marshall manages forties glamorous but shows no flare for the excessive comic relief with duck calls and arguments about his assignments getting in the way of their holiday. Meanwhile, intrepid reporter Charles Mitchell hovers ineffectually.

It's really all too cheerful, lacking menace and noir lighting. Clare Carleton's blonde floozy has potential as a femme fatale but doesn't last long enough to fulfill promise. The plot is pretty much an afterthought to accomodate all the crime B movie stuff. John Hamilton, owner of the Race Track (one stock shot and a sign on the door of the office with Meet activity on the BP screen behind Venetian blinds) wants to hire Beaumont's Mike Shayne to find out about a racket where he's being swindled with fake winning tickets. A bit more detail on this would have helped. Carlton offers information for a four-figure price and trusted associate Grandon Rhodes knew her when. Throw in shifty Ben Welden and nervous family-man inventor Byron Foulger (best performances) to make up the roster of suspects. A weak subplot with punk kid Gary Grey gets passing attention and George Meader's fussy hotel clerk is actually quite funny.

Now that the film has acquired a veneer of nostalgia, the casual way all the formula ingredients are thrown together becomes quite endearing.