Missing Witnesses

Missing Witnesses (1937)

** (out of 4)

Rather boring "B" film from Warner about a D.A. (John Litel) and a tough cop (Dick Purcell) who grow tired of various witnesses backing down from testifying against some racketeers. The two set out to try and locate people who will talk and the cop knows that one woman (Jean Dale) saw a major crime so he sets out to find her. MISSING WITNESSES is one of many Warner films that was ripped from the headlines but sadly there's just very little going on here. At just over a hour there's no question that the movie remains watchable thanks in large part to it being so short and featuring a couple known stars but there's no doubt that the film's appeal is going to be very low and mainly for those, such as myself, who enjoy watching these rare films when they pop up on Turner Classic Movies. The biggest problem is the story itself, which just isn't anything we haven't already seen countless times before. The entire plot dealing with witnesses being scared to talk has been done in other films (including MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series) and nothing new is done with it here. It also doesn't help that director William Clemens doesn't bring any energy to the material and by the thirty-minute mark the film is pretty much already out of gas. As usual, Litel and Purcell offer up fine performances but neither character is written good enough to where they could save the entire picture.

What struck me very quickly was the fact that this was obviously made from current events at that time in New York where Thomas Dewey had just been newly elected the District Attorney of New York County as "gangbuster" to counteract the racketeering Tammany bosses and corrupt judges.

The story plays out the events of witnesses being too scared to give over evidence in court against protection rackets which wreck businesses that don't co-operate with money demands. Even those beat up, scarred, and so forth are too afraid, once they reach court time, to give evidence. John Litel is hired to break up the racketeering. He's a fine actor, and he gives a good account of himself. However, he's far outshined by Dick Purcell who plays a strong-arm cop who ends up an assistant to Litel. Purcell would rather use brawn than brains. Yes, it's an old, old story and you've seen it a thousand times. Still, Purcell pulls it off very well, and he's fun to watch. One of the criticisms that was given - and is valid - is his rather Chauvinistic attitude towards Virginia Dale who is a couple of things for the film: she is a secretary to the corrupt boss of bosses (although she doesn't know her boss is corrupt until too late), and she becomes the girlfriend of Purcell, and she also is the person who can convict her boss. Her boss, by the way, is found floating dead in a bay... Or is it her boss?

It's well worth the watch if you like 30's crime dramas. For the record, the secondary cast in this show is loaded to the gills with great character actors and actresses and some who would become much better known later. Some of the secondary performers are John Hamilton (Superman's boss on the 50's TV show), Lane Chandler, Carole Landis, Hooper Atchley, Veda Ann Borg, and John Harron.

This "Ripped from the headlines" Warner Brother B movie is written and directed telegraphically and seems to be as much a tract on police procedures as a story. John Litel is the crusading attorney, appointed by the governor to take on the big racketeers; Dick Purcell is the police detective who's more brawn than brains.

The actual course of the story advances more by means of newspaper headlines flashed on the screen. Yet, given the constraints of telling the story in an hour, director William Clemens does a very competent job with the talented cast he's been handed. The reality of the rackets at the time lends an immediacy to the proceedings that lifts this one out of the ordinary.

Gang crimes and a corrupt system plague New York City. The Governor creates a new investigative squad led by straight arrow Inspector Robert L. Lane. Hot-head copper Bull Regan is one of his investigators who is taken with secretary Mary Norton. She comes to them with information about her boss Ward Sturgis who she suspects to be a secret mob boss.

The investigation is not quite as compelling when Mary dumps all the information on their laps. It's a literal info dump. That's not good. The turn does get a little interesting. I do wonder if this would be more interesting if Mary's the protagonist. She does most of the investigative work anyways. Bull should be the side kick. At least, that would be an interesting entry into the WB crime dramas. This is only a functional B-movie.

When the mob goons bust up shop owners that won't pay them off, the guvna appoints Inspector Robert Lane (John Litel) to head up the special task force. Officer Regan (Dick Purcell) gets assigned to the team, but he keeps screwing up the investigation with his stubbornness and lack of attention. and witnesses keep backing out of testifying, fearing for their families. and how is Mary (Virginia Dale) mixed up in this? this one is pretty good. only 61 minutes, but they stuff a lot into those few, precious minutes. it's pretty low budget, but not so bad. Directed by Bill Clemens. he directed a bunch of Torchy, Falcons, and Nancy Drew films.