Amateur Crook

This comedy-drama from the mind of Sam Katzman -- besides producing this quickie, he also directed -- is a fairly amusing story about how starving artist Bruce Bennett (still credited as Herman Brix) helps ditzy Joan Barclay whose father has pawned a fabulous diamond -- well, it's too long to explain here and for a Sam Katzman production it's a darned fine one. But neither Bennett nor Barclay are capable of reading their lines very well. Some good photography manages to survive the current muddy prints, but most of the fun is provided, as so often in the case, by supporting actors, including Vivienne Oakland as Bennett's landlady and Jimmy Aubrey as a junk dealer.

Bennett became a better actor as time went on, but never got the real break he needed -- or perhaps he was never really good enough. Miss Barclay disappeared soon enough and Katzman kept on chunking them out.

"Amateur Crook" is a bad movie...cheap, very badly written and not especially memorable. Aside from a chance to see an Olympian (the shotputter Herman Brix), there isn't a lot to recommend this one.

When the story begins, Mary barges in to Jimmy's room (Herman Brix). She tells him she's being chased by the police. So what would he logically do...with a strange woman running from the law? Yep...he hides her and becomes her accomplice in crime! He has no idea if she's innocent or a serial killer...he just helps her no questions asked! Then, as a consequence, they spend the rest of the movie running from the law and two jerks...until a magical ending occurs and everything is right with the world!!

Does ANY of this make sense?! Nope. The only thing I appreciated was seeing Fuzzy Knight in a supporting role where he was pretty good AND didn't use his annoying stuttering schtick. Overall, a nonsensical film with little to recommend it.