Below the Deadline

Warren Douglas is back from the war and prepared to take over his dead brother's night club. The mobbed-up guys who have been running it are not keen on the idea, but he settles them with his fists. He thinks he's paid his dues and is ready to get fat, but when it turns out that he's been using underage girls in the racy shows, and falls in love with Ramsay Ames, his conscience revives. THen it turns out his brother isn't dead.

It's a Monogram movie directed by William Beaudine, so you probably wouldn't expect it to be very good. It's not great, but it is a solid little noir, thanks to a decent script (co-written by Ivan Tors), and a cast good enough to get it on the first take, even on Monogram's uninspiring budgets.

Why not... since it's in black-and-white, made in the 40's and has a crime theme. At that, it fits better than most now residing under that genre.

This'un has gangster Oney Kessel (Philip Van Zandt) sending two of his henchies (Charles Sullivan and Meyer Grace)to threaten Jeff Hilton (George Meeker), through Jeff's attorney, Arthur Brennan (Paul Maxey,) in an effort to stop Jeff's muscling in on Kessel's rackets. Jeff disregards the threat, and he is killed when his girl friend Vivian (Jan Wiley)talks him into going out without his mobsters, Nichols (Clancy Cooper) and "Pinky" (John Harmon.) Brennan calls in Jeff's brother Joe (Warren Douglas), a returned veteran, who takes over the 26-game racket (six dice in a bucket)as revenge against civilians who made money in the black market while he was fighting for his country. Joe beats up night-club owner Kane (George Lloyd), one of his 26-game operators, to stop him from holding out game-table receipts under pressure from the Kessel syndicate. Joe also takes up with Lynn Turner (Ramsay Ames), one of his 26-game operators (but really a nice girl when all's said and done...and stacked like nobody's business), but warns her not to try and reform him.

Reform candidate-for-mayor Vail (George Eldredge) is refused a campaign donation by Joe, who is backing the crooked incumbent Turner (Alan Bridge.) But Joe's war buddy Sam Austin (Bruce Edwards)talks Joe into backing Vail, and this serves to break the truce between Joe's gang and Kessel's hirelings and henchies...and a gang war breaks out.

The loser dies and the winner reforms. Ramsay Ames and Jan Wiley make it worth while, and George Meeker and his slickest-in-the-business moustache cash in early and that is also a plus.

Little known or discussed Gangster Film Noir where our main man "Jumpin' Joe" Hilton is just that... And in the role, Warren Douglas is perfect. He seems ready for anything and yet is cool as that proverbial cucumber... in an ice box: Just returned from World War II, having inherited his slain, more proper and distinguished (and pretentious) older brother's gambling outfit, he's got just about everything, literally...

Including a beautiful young dame in Ramsay Ames's Lynn, going from a roulette wheel worker to the girl who chips at his icy heart... Which is what makes Joe a worthy Noir persona, initially moving forward like a shark: But as cold-blooded as he may be, his recent-past... which had lasted five grueling years... provides a light at the end of the tunnel...

Joe keeps repeating the fact that, when he was in the Pacific, knee deep in a trench, other men were getting "fat" back here, back home - and now it's his chance. Which is what 99% of BELOW THE DEADLINE is... Joe's turn at bat with a game pretty much rigged in his favor, with a few important exceptions...

With a title that sounds cool enough, it hardly fits the storyline here. There's no real DEADLINE or urgency weighing Joe down. Plus the whole "crime doesn't pay" Noir Commandment is out the door from the start since the money's inherited ten minutes in... It's more a "Crime's Already Paid, So Now What?" kind of thing (and he's not a "disillusioned" returning soldier... he wants the dream i.e. Tons of moneyt but not legally!)...

But before he arrives, the prologue feels like a short film that has a nifty beginning, middle and end as Joe's classy, thin-mustached brother throws caution to the wind, entering the villain's territory while taking over particular locations from his cozy office (like, decades later, James Caan running things badly while his more patient and logical war hero younger brother waits unknowing in the wings)...

It's during these ten minutes we meet the company's faithful fat cat lawyer/advisor and an even more faithful accountant, and our second woman on board - the bad of the token Noir angel and devil dame twosome. Later on, Jan Wiley's gold digging Vivian becomes Joe's port once the nice girl can't handle the inevitable storm, and the fact her man keeps dismissing advice from a former war buddy, who, wanting Joe in on a straight business venture involving airplanes, has his heart in the right place but is actually quite lofty and downright annoying...

A double triangle - Joe and the two girls, and Joe and the good girl and his buddy doesn't amount to much, but it fills the time nicely enough, teetering in-between... Meanwhile, the boss keeps moving ahead, busting heads, proving he's in charge; and then in a more professional, non-violent manner, he tries to square things with his former rival since an antagonistic (to the mob, making him, technically, an overall protagonist) mayor could be elected...

His number one campaign promise is to delete Joe's particular trade as DEADLINE is a lean, mean yet still mellow and slowburn vehicle without red-herring distractions, convenient detours, perpetual twists and turns, too many complications or annoying self-doubts: And while Warren Douglas's character is far from being a movie-household name, in any genre, perhaps he should be. Then again that'd run what he's all about: too quick for anyone to hang a sign on, and too comfortable to give a damn about it.

Looks like that title has been used numerous times over the years, in both silents and talkies. With various writers and plots. This one is pretty cheesy. It's from monogram pictures, the low budget experts. Serviceman joe (warren douglas) comes home from war, and steps into his brother's business; the shady gambling operations. But when his girl (ramsay ames) and his army buddy try to get him to go straight, he doesn't want any part of it. And keeps getting into fist fights. I guess they left their guns at home. It's clearly a low dollar deal. Aint no thang. Directed by bill beaudine.

To be honest, I am not sure where the title comes from...but I do know this is kind of unusual in that a war hero comes home to take over his deceased brothers gambling business. The two were not close and airforce pilot "jumpin Joe" had a lot to learn to take over the reigns from his brother Jeff. Thankfully he had one employee, Pinky, who is happy to see him step in. And initially he had to do it with his fists...but he has an attitude that while he was away fighting that there were men who stayed home and got rich, and now it's his turn. He meets a sweet young girl named Lynn, who is underaged and working in one of his clubs. When a fellow friend and soldier returns and tries to convince him to partner with him in an airline...will the two of them be able to convince Joe to get out of his racket.

Definitely a b film and not the best of noirs, but interesting nonetheless. I think Noir fanatics will enjoy giving it a watch. My favorite character by far is Pinky, played by John Harmon. The last shot of him at the airport is priceless.