Torture Money

Torture Money (1937)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Oscar-winning MGM short from their Crime Does Not Pay series. This episode takes a look at a group who are staging car wrecks so that they can sue the insurance company as well as the city. An undercover cop eventually breaks into the gang to determine how they're pulling the scam. This series is among my favorite and this here is one of the better episodes out there. There's isn't too much drama this time around but what we do get is a very entertaining story and I must admit I was captivated by the story. The way the scam is carried out was rather interesting and the direction really pulls everything together. The cast is pretty amazing as well as we get character actors Edwin Maxwell, George Lynn, Raymond Hutton and Roger Moore (no, not that one). Most of these actors are now forgotten but if you look up there credits you'll notice that they've appeared in several memorable movies. King Baggott, who played Jekyll and Hyde in the 1913 version, also appears as one of the witnesses.

This is a predictable film in the Crime Does Not Pay series produced by MGM during the gangster era. It deals with insurance scams, and the word "torture" in the title is not very descriptive. The movie won an Oscar for best 2-reel short, and it is one of the better shorts in the MGM series. Still, I only gave it a 7 because it doesn't really stand out in any way.

This is quite a decent little ambulance chaser exposé, brought to us on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department. It's all about people who fake road traffic accidents for the insurance money. There is quite a network behind the operation that sees the victims sign powers of attorney to allow their lawyer to do some horse-trading with insurers keen to avoid protracted legal proceedings. Once the deals are done, "Beacher" (Edwin Maxwell) keeps most of the cash and disburses percentages to the "victims" and the "witnesses". The cops are getting wise to this scam as the total extorted approaches $100,000 and so put in an undercover officer (George Lynn) to infiltrate the gang and help catch them red handed. There's never any doubt they will get their man, but along the way this is actually quite a horrible tale of just what people will do to get money. Scheming and conniving, yes, but also allowing themselves to be roughed up to look convincing when the ambulance arrived. A cheese grater is prominent! The production is all adequate enough and, of course, there is the resounding message at the end...

Edwin Maxwell is a crooked lawyer with a well-organized racket. He sends out members of his large gang to organize an 'accident', with plenty of witnesses, then settles profitably with the insurance company. Little does he know that the insurance companies have detected his fraud and Captain John Hamilton and his mustache have sent in policeman George Lynn to infiltrate the gang. The audience can be certain of one thing: Crime Does Not Pay!

The long-running MGM series was still pretty new at this point, which is probably why this mediocre entry wound up with an Oscar in one of the short subject categories. It's hard to get people upset about insurance fraud. True, it can run into millions of dollars (these days, billions), but people think of the bill being paid by the insurance companies. Ah, but where do the insurance companies get that money? From you and you and you, Mr. And Mrs. Audience Member!

I still am surprised at its win. Perhaps there were several insurance company owners in the Academy in those days.

MGM has another A Crime Does Not Pay Subject. The crime in this one is insurance fraud. An insurance investigator starts to have suspicions. He tells the authorities and they investigate the insurance fraud ring.

I can't believe that this won an Oscar. The plot leaves a few too many questions to be that good. It starts with the questionable title. I question the need for the injuries. I question the manpower of the police. It's not even the best of this series. It's average at best. It needs a better way to tackle this subject matter.