Alias Mary Smith

It's not too bad, but also not too much, because when a film's less than an hour there can't be much in the way of either plot or character development.

That's too bad, because the premise is good: a young woman (Blanch Mehaffey) wanting to prove her late brother's innocence of a crime he was executed for, who just may end up in the same situation when the prosecutor who condemned him ends up dead.

It also starts out exciting, with the leading man (John Darrow) rescuing the book that was stolen from her, that she herself had stolen from the now dead prosecutor!

There's also the heroine's wise cracking friend (Gwen Lee) to keep things lively, like when she calls the rather annoying police detective a "flat foot", among other things.

It was also interesting to see the cops in action detecting hidden fingerprints using ultraviolet light.

But too much fell flat, and the gangsters' acting was pretty overdone.

Still, it's worth checking out, since it's so short.

Blanche Mehaffey is accused of killing the prosecutor who put her brother in the gas chamber. She says that she turned over the real murderer's "book" to him, and now he's dead. Fortunately, John Darrow, pulled in on drunk & disorderly, comes to her rescue in this poorly made Pre-code.

The line readings by Miss Mehaffey are pretty poor, with lots of dead air, and no one really shines; the best is probably Henry Walthall as the District Attorney interrogating her. Neither are the two more than bystanders in the cracking of the case. In sum, this is a short (52 minutes in the print I saw) Pre-code with little to recommend it. The limits of its tawdriness (besides people getting involved in murder) are some drinking, and some cops and photo-snapping reporters barging in wherever they like, whenever they like.

the director is E.Mason Hopper. He started behind the megaphone in Snakeville comedies in 1911. By the mid-twenties, he was directing Marion Davies features and UP IN MABEL'S ROOM. Sound hit him hard, like a lot of directors, and he soon fell into Poverty Row. After 1938, he couldn't get a job as an assistant director. He appeared uncredited in a few movies in the 1940s. He died in 1967, aged 81.

The story begins with a woman, 'Mary Smith', having her purse stolen. A do-gooder captures the thief and the trio are taken to the police station to file a report. Immediately after, there's an investigation into the murder of the District Attorney. What do the two event have to do with each other? And, how does the reporter 'Scoop' (Raymond Hatton) have to do with all this?

"Alias Mary Smith" is clearly a B-movie. Its run-time is only about an hour and was produced by tiny Ralph M. Like Productions. So, this means that top talent and writers are NOT what you'd expect...nor should you.

So is it any good? Not really. The film end up being very talky....with very little energy or action. Additionally, while the acting wasn't bad, it wasn't very good either. All in all, a dull cheap little film that is, at best, a time-passer. About the only thing I liked seeing was Raymond Hatton, who usually played supporting roles in westerns.

Poor, pretty Blanche Mehaffey (as Joan "Mary Smith" Wentworth) loses her purse to a street snatcher; but, a tipsy passing playboy, John Darrow (as Robert "Buddy" Hayes), manages to retrieve the handbag. After Mr. Darrow walks Ms. Mehaffey home, he tries to collect a kiss, and more, as a reward. But, the standoffish Mehaffey smacks him. She is seeing snarling gangster Matthew Betz (as "Snowy" Hoagland). Mehaffey's associations with the criminal set make her a prime suspect in the murder of the man whose testimony sent her brother to the electric chair - but, Darrow thinks Mehaffey is innocent...

Newspaper headlines seem to proclaim the victim's death before the body of "Marco Hahn" even stiffens. Having the cat "Midnight" draw attention to the body was a purrfect touch. Mr. Betz' gangster rap, and Raymond Hatton (as Scoop)'s reporter are mildly amusing. Co-stars Mehaffey and Darrow are a boring romantic couple. Veterans like Henry B. Walthall (as Atwell) always manage to look good and professional, albeit in a lackluster and low-budget production.

*** Alias Mary Smith (1932) E. Mason Hopper ~ Blanche Mehaffey, John Darrow, Henry B. Walthall