Mágico Amador

Boston Blackie and the Law (1946)

** (out of 4)

Twelfth film in Columbia's Boston Blackie series is pretty much a remake of the third film Alias Boston Blackie. Blackie (Chester Morris) is putting on a magic show at a prison when a female inmate escapes. Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) thinks Blackie had a hand in the escape but there's a lot more going on. This is the least interesting of the seven or so films I've seen from the series. This same story was done in the third film, although in that movie it was a man who escaped. This film here is really dry on any laughs and the supporting players aren't up to the usual standard. Even Morris and Lane seem a tad bit uninterested here.

Since Boston Blackie is also a genuine magician, he performs at a Thanksgiving celebration show in a female prison; and as his last act, he (maybe unwisely) chooses the 'vanishing lady' trick: he gets a pretty young blonde inmate (with a very much Veronica Lake-like hairstyle) to 'vanish' from his 'magical cabinet' - and she DOES: before the wardens are aware of it, she's escaped... The only mysterious clue she leaves behind is a note that someone is getting married on Sunday - so we're right in for another great crime puzzle with our smart friend Blackie and his not so very smart cop 'friends'!

The 'someone' who's getting married turns out to be - a magician as well; but with a past: he was involved in a robbery and murder case years ago - and it was the mysterious blonde that took the rap for the robbery. So Blackie takes over his colleague's identity to set a trap for the 'femme fatale' who's obviously after the money he's hidden somewhere... And here begins a REALLY crazy chase, and we even see Blackie and the 'Runt' for the first time in the whole series behind bars - and the 'Runt' merely comments dryly: "Here we are again - no place like home..." But, of course, they find another dumb cop soon to help them escape, and the hunt goes on...

For the most part, this movie looks just like a usual funny, entertaining 'Boston Blackie' adventure - but wait until you'll see the surprise ending...!

"Boston Blackie and the Law" is a remake of "Alias Boston Blackie" with a gender switch - a woman female prisoner escapes during a magic show instead of a male. It seems a little silly to have remade it.

Blackie is in good form first doing his own magic show at the female penitentiary and later disguising himself as a magician whose ex-wife is out to get the money they apparently both stole, for which she took the rap, and to kill him. The Grunt and Matthews, the dumbo-o police investigator, as well as Inspector Farraday are all around. Heavy emphasis is on stupid Matthews as Blackie fools him with a disappearing act.

I never understand Blackie's disguises - to me, it always looks like Blackie, and I'm amazed no one figures it out. Nevertheless, Chester Morris makes even these repeat stories palatable as does George E. Stone as The Grunt.

It's just a little disappointing - the theme is always the same - Blackie in trouble with the law for something he didn't do so now he has to find the real villain - so why retread an old story is beyond me. And how come no one recognized it?

Keystone cops... or maybe three stooges. The cops just look silly trying to figure out how Blackie's magician's box works in the Inspector's office. After the disappearing act goes south in a prison, and one of the girls escapes, Blackie Chester Morris) and his box are hauled down to headquarters. As usual, Inspector Farraday and all the other coppers are goons, scratching their heads trying to figure out what's going on. Blackie must clear his name when "Dinah", the prisoner (Constance Dowling) somehow gets away. He and the "runt" run all over town and break a bunch of laws to try to find Dinah. It's pretty good... a much later episode in the Boston Blackie series. Morris would make a couple more after this one. I hope author Jack Boyle got compensated for all the films they made from his work! Directed by Ross Lederman... who, oddly enough, had actually started out as an extra with the keystone cops I mentioned at the beginning of this summary.

If the story has a familiar ring, it's because it's based on a former film called ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE in which Larry Parks is a convict on the lam after a magic show at prison.

This time the convict is a woman who disappears during Blackie's magic act (CONSTANCE DOWLING), but the plot is basically the same.

Unfortunately, the story gets off to a bad start with an attempt at humor that backfires as Blackie shows off his "magic" prowess to Inspector Farraday (RICHARD LANE) and his bumbling assistant. It goes on for fifteen minutes with meager results.

With Blackie impersonating Jani, a magician, the plot takes a turn when the real Jani is murdered. TRUDY MARSHALL plays the magician's wife effectively and is part of the final plot twist.

It's strictly formula stuff, but Blackie fans will probably recall that the story was done in a more clever way originally.