The Night Patrol

Dedicated policeman Richard Talmadge (as Tom Collins) takes dangerous assignments, which worries mother Mary Carr. He is in love with "girl next door" Rose Blossom (as Louise), who worries about her gullible brother Gardner James (as Jim). The lad has been hanging around the local pool hall, and is being drawn into a life of crime. A robbery at wealthy jeweler Josef Swickard's home leaves James holding a smoking gun, and he is quickly sentenced to death by electric chair. Realizing James was framed (probably because his sister is so nice), Mr. Talmadge goes undercover as notorious criminal "John Frisco" to infiltrate the gang...

As usual with re-releases and foreign prints returning to the US, some of the names in this gangster drama have been changed. The surname "Hollister" has been given to the characters played by Talmadge, James and Ms. Carr - which can't be accurate. Star producer Talmadge is called "Dick Bradley" in another synopsis. The character played by James is also called "Roy". Swickard's alternately "John Pendleton" or "Morgan", and so on. Talmadge uses his stuntman background. The story is routine, with the highlight being young James' prison scenes, sweating out his remaining days in shadowy terror as he waits for execution - or salvation.

***** The Night Patrol (3/14/26) Noel Mason Smith ~ Richard Talmadge, Gardner James, Rose Blossom, Mary Carr

This Richard Talmadge picture lacks the sense of humor of his better works, but still holds up well enough because of his usual great stunt work and some good performances, particularly by Mary Carr as his mother. It is a straightforward story of a cop on the beat and in many ways is not much of an advance, in story telling from Porter's LIFE OF AN American POLICEMAN.

Talmadge started out as Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s stuntman, and his comedies -- of which this is not the best -- are peppered with Fairbanks-style physical gags. Later, after his career as a movie lead faded out, he returned to being a stunt man and stunt director, in many ways paralleling the career of Yakima Canutt. But while neither became a huge star, they turned out some good movies and this one is worth watching.