Boston Blackie and the Law

The first twenty minutes or so of this are quite entertaining. Who knew that "Blackie" (Chester Morris) was a dab hand at magic tricks? Well he takes his cabinet to a women's prison where he asks inmate "Dinah" (Constance Dowling) to have a go. Next thing, sirens are going off and there's no trace. "Insp. Farraday" (Richard Lane) and sidekick "Matthews" (Frank Sully) drag him in for questioning and we have some playful mischief around this magical device before, well it's soon not much use for anything but bonfire fodder. Meantime, there's a standard who robbed who and wants their share revenge drama bubbling away that sees the scheming "Irene" (Trudy Marshall) playing a shrewd game to secure the loot. It's quite quickly paced and there's some fun to be had - usually at the expense of the police and some singeing of $1,000 bills - before the ending that isn't quite what you might have been expecting. This is quite an amiable outing for "Blackie" with some comedy, spatting and sleight of hand to keep in interesting.

While Boston Blackie is performing a magic show at a women's prison, one of the convicts escapes. Naturally, Blackie is accused of helping with her escape. The Boston Blackie series was often repetitive but this one might take the cake as this is a reworking of Alias Boston Blackie, changing the gender of the escaped prisoner and the season to Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. More repetition as we get one of Blackie's trademark disguises, unconvincing as always. It really is amazing that the Boston Blackie series was as enjoyable as it was, given how many flaws it had. Just a testament to the charm and screen presence of Chester Morris, as well as his likable co-stars Richard Lane and George E. Stone. Lane in particular had his work cut out for him as the series did his Inspector Farraday no favors. If you take Farraday out of the often comical light the films cast him in, it's a rather unsettling character. A police detective who continually abuses his authority and powers to persecute a man who, according to the films, has paid his debt to society. One film even had Farraday chasing Blackie across the country where he clearly had no jurisdiction. In reality (even in the 1940s), he would have lost his badge long ago and Blackie would be able to sue the police for harassment.

Since Boston Blackie is also a genuine magician, he performs at a Thanksgiving celebration show in a female prison; and as his last act, he (maybe unwisely) chooses the 'vanishing lady' trick: he gets a pretty young blonde inmate (with a very much Veronica Lake-like hairstyle) to 'vanish' from his 'magical cabinet' - and she DOES: before the wardens are aware of it, she's escaped... The only mysterious clue she leaves behind is a note that someone is getting married on Sunday - so we're right in for another great crime puzzle with our smart friend Blackie and his not so very smart cop 'friends'!

The 'someone' who's getting married turns out to be - a magician as well; but with a past: he was involved in a robbery and murder case years ago - and it was the mysterious blonde that took the rap for the robbery. So Blackie takes over his colleague's identity to set a trap for the 'femme fatale' who's obviously after the money he's hidden somewhere... And here begins a REALLY crazy chase, and we even see Blackie and the 'Runt' for the first time in the whole series behind bars - and the 'Runt' merely comments dryly: "Here we are again - no place like home..." But, of course, they find another dumb cop soon to help them escape, and the hunt goes on...

For the most part, this movie looks just like a usual funny, entertaining 'Boston Blackie' adventure - but wait until you'll see the surprise ending...!

"Boston Blackie and the Law" is a remake of "Alias Boston Blackie" with a gender switch - a woman female prisoner escapes during a magic show instead of a male. It seems a little silly to have remade it.

Blackie is in good form first doing his own magic show at the female penitentiary and later disguising himself as a magician whose ex-wife is out to get the money they apparently both stole, for which she took the rap, and to kill him. The Grunt and Matthews, the dumbo-o police investigator, as well as Inspector Farraday are all around. Heavy emphasis is on stupid Matthews as Blackie fools him with a disappearing act.

I never understand Blackie's disguises - to me, it always looks like Blackie, and I'm amazed no one figures it out. Nevertheless, Chester Morris makes even these repeat stories palatable as does George E. Stone as The Grunt.

It's just a little disappointing - the theme is always the same - Blackie in trouble with the law for something he didn't do so now he has to find the real villain - so why retread an old story is beyond me. And how come no one recognized it?

Boston Blackie And The Law finds Chester Morris doing a magic act to entertain the inmates of a woman's prison. When during a disappearing act, Constance Dowling escapes and breaks out of the joint, Blackie of course is once again held responsible.

A great deal of this episode involves Blackie demonstrating the disappearing act with cabinet with those perennial Keystone Cops Richard Lane and Frank Sully. I will never understand how Sully's character Sergeant Matthews ever passed a civil service test to be a cop in the first place.

As it turns out Dowling was a magician's assistant who knew all the magician's tricks. She was also implicated in a robbery where her former partner and husband Warren Ashe was questioned. Ashe is now doing his magic act with Trudy Marshall and these women have no use for each other.

One of the weaker Blackie films, this one is not too hard to figure the results and the slapstick with cops pads much of this film.