Hollywood Mystery

When artistic director John Davidson decides he needs a real gangster for his new gangster movie, studio publicity man Frank Albertson points out José Crespo in a night club. Little does Davidson know that Crespo is an unknown actor from out east. To sell the image, Crespo slugs a guy in the club, who turns out to be a real gangster.

It's no mystery movie, but it is a mildly interesting satire on Hollywood publicity. Albertson plays his character as a fast-talking fellow, who's trying to make June Clyde. She's not terribly interested, but when he promises her a major role in the picture, that's another matter.

B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason may have been one of the leading second unit directors in the industry, but his pacing on this Poverty Row effort is not sparkling. Even the fight scenes come off as chaotic and unrewarding.

Supreme Pictures movie studio PR man Frank Albertson comes up with a great and inventive new movie angle, cast a real life gangster in a new up and coming gangster film called "The Racketeer." The director is chosen, as is June Clyde, the leading lady, now all they need is a real life gangster. Going to a notorious nightspot where gangsters are known to hangout they spot one, played by Jose Crespo, after a fight breaks out at the club. The studio signs him and alerts the newspapers that a real life gangster has been cast in the role, only won't provide anymore information then the gangsters name, thereby making the press eager for more news. It turns out however that the man Crespo fought at the nightclub is also a gangster and he wants Crespo dead. I can't tell more without giving away the plot.

This is a pure B picture, running under an hour, the film today is in the public domain and can be found on DVD and VHS. Beware however of the version that is available on DVD as the film's picture is very heavily cropped.

Supreme Pictures needs a big gimmick for its latest picture, The Racketeer. Call on the studio's PR man Dan Ryan who convinces the studio president and its temperamental director Sigfried Sonoff that since this is a gangster picture, why not use a real life gangster in the lead? Everyone likes and Tony Capello, transplanted mobster from the east becomes the star, however this is a trick by Ryan since Capello is just a struggling actor and this was a ruse to get Sonoff to stay on as director. Things get further complicated after Capello slugs big time crime boss Joe Romano at a nightclub, and Romano goes after Capello and leading lady Doris Dawn in revenge. Everything about the film was done on the cheap including all production and artistic aspects of the film. The script doesn't follow any sort of organization and Eason's direction (which this is the worst of) seems to be aim the camera and shoot approach. The characters are just dull people that usually get two second performances in B pictures, despite the fact that everyone tries playing their roles to the hilt. Rating, 3.