"Rescue Squad" is an odd title for this unusual B picture. Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennett and with dialogue by Betty Burbridge, both of whom were frequently involved in making westerns, the title suggests an action-packed thriller - but this is more of a romantic melodrama. A beautiful, wealthy society girl (the modest budget does not provide a glimpse of the luxurious surroundings suggested by the screenplay) is pursued by a philanderer. Wealthy Norma (Verna Hillie) does not quite perceive the knavery of Lester Vaughn (Leon Ames), although her artist friend (Kathryn Stokes) is suspicious, and hopes to interest Norma, instead, in suave art collector DeWitt Porter (Ralph Forbes).
An interesting sub-plot involves Porter's efforts to buy a scarce art treasure from mysterious antique dealer Azoor (Frank Leigh), against the wishes of Azoor's daughter, Jennie (Catherine Cotter). The treacherous antique shop proprietor plans to murder Porter, with Jennie's assistance, at the conclusion of the purchase - but the film reaches its happy fadeout with no further development of this sub-plot.
The rescue to which the title alludes occurs when firefighters extricate two of the principals from being trapped in the elevator of an apartment building. A more subtle interpretation could be the efforts of her friends to keep the lovely Norma from being defrauded by a fortune-hunter. Verna Hillie, Ralph Forbes, Leon Ames, Frank Leigh, and Catherine Cotter give good performances, and devotees of low-budget Depression-era independent productions will probably find the proceedings to be diverting.
