Baby Face Morgan

Flaky PRC production. Looks like the producers were aiming for a gangster comedy, with veteran goof-balls like Hymer and Barnett, along with serious types like Armstrong and Harolde, plus a gamely compliant Cromwell. What they get instead is a silly concoction, despite a cast that tries hard. Sweet-natured innocent (Cromwell) is set up by conniving gangster (Armstrong) as fall-guy for his insurance scheme. Trouble is the kid has no business sense and undercuts the scheme with wasteful spending. Meanwhile Armstrong has to contend with rival toughie Harolde who doesn't trust him. So there's trouble all around. Too bad the script is so clumsy (many gaps), along with slack direction from pedestrian director Dreifuss (check his credits). The result is 60-minutes of awkward entertainment, best left to aficionados of the 1940's.

This was almost what they call a "curiosity piece," something really odd. It's part of a "Mobsters Movies" 4-movie DVD disc of short, old crime films...but it was more of a slapstick, corny comedy than a "mobster" movie, although it did involve gangsters.

Richard Cromwell plays "Baby Face," a supposedly-notorious gangster who really is a fake and doesn't know it himself until the end. He's really just a puppet figure invented by gangster Robert Armstrong who uses him as a never-seen mob boss as a scheme to skim money from the gang. Hijinks ensue late in the film when all parties discover what exactly is going on. The craziness also involves a romance between Cromwell and Mary Carlise ("Virginia"). I didn't take much time figuring a better way to explain this screwball story, and I apologize for that. Hey, the movie didn't take long, either: one hour.

It's a silly "B' film but charming with some likable leads and cornball humor. It's not boring but it's not something you'd watch over and over, either. The picture quality is not good but that's what you often get with a DVD that gives you four films for a cheap price.

This was the next to last film of cute Mary Carlisle. She was disappointed that she was never able to break out of the "cute" mould and show what she could do as an actress.

Edward Morgan (Richard Cromwell) works in a drug store. His father, who he never knew, was a crime boss but headed an insurance company as a front for his shady dealings. Two henchmen call on Edward, to tell him of his father's death and to see if he wants to take over the "business". When a phone conversation is misinterpreted (in gangland talk - pineapples mean bombs not fruit!!!) Edward is given the nickname "Baby Face". "Doc" Morgan (Robert Armstrong) the real brains behind the group, instantly realises that Edward is just a country bumpkin but uses the nickname to instill fear into the frightened people that have to pay for protection.

All except Virginia (Mary Carlisle, looking like a very young Lana Turner) - she declares war on the protection gangsters. Morgan, who doesn't know he is the notorious "Baby Face" begins selling insurance for real and when trucks and shops are blown up pays the proprietors for real. Suddenly "Baby Face" isn't so frightening anymore!!!

I found it pretty funny, especially as Edward didn't realise that "Baby Face" was himself. Richard Cromwell looked such an innocent, you could really believe his disbelief!!!!!

The film was a who's who of former stars. Aside from Mary Carlisle, who was Bing Crosby's leading lady in a few of his early films, there was Robert Armstrong, who had starred in "King Kong" and "Son of Kong". Ralf Harolde, who played a variety of interesting parts in some early 30s films, including "Night Nurse" (1931) with Barbara Stanwyck, plays the disgruntled Joe Torelli. Warren Hymer spent the 30s playing dumb, comic gangsters and this film was no exception - he played Wise Willie. Chick Chandler, who introduced "How Do I Know it's Sunday" in "Harold Teen" (1934) played Edward's cousin Ollie.

I can recommend this film.

A son of a deceased mobster is unwillingly ceremoniously placed as the new leader of a racket the mob has put together, even though he is a bit naive and light headed. Through a clumsy series of events, he opens an insurance company that covers insurance claims on mob hits, even though he has no idea that this is all a front for the Mob. Soon, he gets way over his head, and eventually has to pretend to be someone that he is not to clear his name! If this whole premise sounds familiar, you may be right. This film, of all things, is a pre-successor to Corky Romano, which is about a dim-watt son of a Mobster infiltrating the FBI, unknowingly to benefit the mob. Another similarity? They're both pretty awful.

James Cromwell, who plays the title character, looks strikingly like Jude Law. Too bad he can't act like him. The film, which is typical for these type of pictures, jumps all over the place from comedy to action to drama to thriller, leaving plot holes galore. But this is never boring, just stupid in its approach.

When a mob boss gets knocked off, they put his son "babyface" in charge of the "protection" outfit. But the son is a store clerk, and clearly not the tough guy they thought he would be. Can they show him how to be a rough, tough guy that they need to run the show? It's a 63 minute shorty from prc.. producers releasing corp. Pretty low budget. The little side bits about the rabbits was just a waste of time. They should have spent that effort jazzing up the script. There's a pretty good framework of a mob and rackets story in here, they just needed to fix it up. And because the war had been raging, they do manage to work it into the story. The picture quality is pretty bad in some spots. I don't see a restoration coming any time soon. Directed by arthur dreifuss. I've seen two other films that he has directed, and they were about as forgettable as this one.