Échec au crime

Hanging judge Thomas Mitchell is tapped to be the warden of the state penitentiary. He takes along his soft-spoken daughter, Mary Anderson, and his rebellious son, Edward Ryan. He soon finds that even in a place with simple, brutal rules, life makes things complicated.

It's a B movie directed by Lucky Humberstone, and the shoot is carried with his usual professionalism, and that of the players, including Mark Stevens, the inimitable B. S. Pulley, and an unrecognizable Norman Lloyd -- I'm so used to seeing him as an old man with no hair - Unfortunately, elements of the script strain credibility past the breaking point for me, and credited DP Clyde De Vinna is well out of his comfort zone for creating striking images. It's hard to call a movie with Mitchell in it uninteresting, but he isn't on the screen enough to hold the viewer's attention.

This was the kind of film that was the bottom bill and I saw it when I was a teen. I don't recall precise plot points, but I remember the actors, and especially one, Mark Stevens. When he came on, I sat up straighter in my seat. Here was someone who I felt was going to be a star. He had that magnetism, that thing with the camera. Thomas Mitchell was a decent character actor who did good work in this and while I was not a fan, Edward Ryan was good as the rebellious son. And Mary Anderson, who did so many Bs, was okay, too. But Mark really stood out.

When I got home, I immediately wrote a fan letter to Mark Stevens, telling him I was sure I'd be seeing him starring in movies soon, that he was destined for stardom. I received a very friendly, appreciative letter from him and included was a gorgeous 8x10 photo of him, personally signed. (the studios seldom sent photos of that size.) And I was right--Mark was co-starring with Joan Fontaine a year later. And with her sister a year after.

That had to have been at least 68 years ago and I still have that photo. One evening I was watching a 50-some rerun of Murder She Wrote, not paying close attention, and I heard a voice. I knew that voice and I stared at the actor. He looked so familiar, an older, white haired man--and it dawned on me. Mark Stevens! I waited for the credits and yes, it was Mark.

So this film has been embedded in my brain all these years