Daredevil Drivers

Top action specialist B. Reeves Eason directed this short but fast-paced Warners quickie about a hotshot dirt-track driver who gets suspended for dirty tricks on the track and gets mixed up with the pretty owner of a bus line who's being driven out of business by the unscrupulous owner of a rival bus line. Star Dick Purcell is one in a long line of motor-mouthed, wisecracking, fast-talking Warners leads--think Pat O'Brien and James Cagney, among others--who, although he never broke out of the "B" category, could be counted on to make films like this interesting (the same can't be said about his sidekick, Charles Foy, who gets more annoying and irritating every time he opens his mouth). The racetrack footage is really exciting, and Gloria Blondell, in her film debut as a cashier who falls for Foy, is sexy and adorable and seems to be having a whale of a good time. This is a fun picture, as long as you take it for what it is, and worth checking out.

This Warner's First National programmer is only worth watching when Dick Purcell is behind the wheel of a speeding vehicle. Produced by Charles Foy and co-starring his comic-foil younger brother, Charles, The Daredevil Drivers is a typical bad guys (in the form of a competing underhanded bus company) vs. good guys (underdog bus company ran by Beverly Roberts) and a wayward dirt track racer (Purcell) that gets in the middle of it all. I watched it mainly to see William ("Paul Drake") Hopper in a 20-second cameo (hey, he got screen credit!) as a disgruntled bus driver and to check out hottie Gloria Blondell's first stab at acting on film. What I came away with is how much better this could have been with a different cast. Neither Purcell (who could double for Dick Foran) or Beverly Roberts (imagine a bland Gloria Stuart) makes an impression and Charles Foy could be replaced by anyone from Shemp Howard to Frank McHugh to Allen Jenkins. Strictly a programmer, it's interesting really only for shots of spectacular dirt track racing that appear early on---the inserted stock footage looks fatal--- and the cars (the supposedly broke Purcell tools around town in a semi-customized Packard roadster). I'm still trying to figure out what Gloria Blondell saw in Charles Foy. There's nothing much here folks!

The Daredevil Drivers casts Dick Purcell as a suspended race car driver and Charley Foy as his mechanic who get involved in a feud between Beverly Roberts and Donald Briggs a pair of competing owners of bus line franchises. Purcell initially lines up with Briggs, but soon Purcell sees Briggs for the Snidely Whiplash type villain he is and comes over to Roberts and what she has to offer.

This was truly one silly plot contrivance, having race car drivers go to work as bus drivers. Two entirely different skills are needed for either job.

Gloria Blondell is also in Daredevil Drivers as Foy's love interest. No doubt she's Joan's sister though I best remember her as Honeybee Gillis from Life Of Riley.

Not one of Warner Brothers better B picture double bill offerings.