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Robert Webster - Alias Bat Williams (Bruce Cabot) is up for parole. His wife and baby have shown up to plead his case. He gets released. The wife turns out to be his gun moll and the baby is a rental. He rejoins his gang to rob a milk creamery. It ends with killings. Bat goes home to his family who are clueless to his criminal life. Father (Lewis Stone), mother, sister Mildred (Betty Grable), and ex-girlfriend Letty Graves all treat him like a returning hero.

It's a great start. I love the opening section. After he goes home, it's just not that intense. I don't really care enough about Bat to worry. He could get killed or caught. It doesn't matter to me. I would have like for him to stay with his gang. That's a recipe for a fun cops and robbers gangland confrontation. Something occurs to me when John gets his shocking revelation. This should be John's story. His dilemma is much more compelling. It also needs to have an even darker ending.

Robert Armstrong is a vicious criminal who keeps getting paroled by the state board, despite everything that cop James Gleason can do. His father is Lewis Stone, who doesn't know he is a crook; Armstrong has a henchman send post cards from around the world, fooling Stone, wife Nella Walker, and daughter Betty Grable, while he serves his time under a fake name. But Stone is appointed to the parole board, and discovers the truth the hard way.

There was a spate of movies with messages about urging parole reform in the second half of the 1930s. This one offers a bit of argument in that direction with a list of well-known criminals who made parole. Mostly, though, this one cynically blames a corrupt process, hints at bad faith in the boards, and offers criminal thrills with Armstrong, as well as a reaction shot of Stone on seeing Armstrong.

It's directed by Benjamin Stoloff, another of the forgotten, competent directors who flourished in the studio system. His movies show a typical progression, from short comedy in the silent era, to westerns in the sound era, and dramas in the later 1930s. He never got out of the B ranks, and his career stopped right after the war, when the industry turned down. The record vanishes then, with some TV directing in 1960, and a death notice that year. Stoloff was 64 when he died.

Crime story from RKO. when Bat Williams (Bruce Cabot, friend and costar with John Wayne) comes up for parole, his dad, played by hollywood pro Lewis Stone, gives him the thumbs up, that's the start of all the trouble. Cabot was best known for rescuing Fay Wray in King Kong 1933. Co-stars Betty Grable, James Gleason, and Louise Latimer. Latimer quit hollywood the year after making this, but Gleason and Grable went on for MANY more years. so... when Williams returns to his old ways of crime, everything falls apart again. the script, the acting, and the editing are all pretty bad. Grable is Bat Williams' sister Mildred. Grable died quite young.. she was married to musician Harry James for twelve years, and probably best known for "How to Marry a Millionaire". Lewis Stone had been co-star in some REAL big films..Grand Hotel, Queen Christina, Red Headed Woman. James Gleason had made a few silents, but with his dry, sarcastic, sardonic wit, he easily fit into the talkies. it's all very so-so. can't give this one very high marks; it's mildly entertaining, but no surprises or fancy plot in this one. Directed by Ben Stoloff; did some silents, did some talkies, but looks like he didn't win any oscars.

Violent criminal Bat Williams (Bruce Cabot) is released from prison on parole. He wastes no time getting back to robbing and killing. We discover Bat is really Robert Webster and he comes from a nice family. They believe he's an engineer working in South America. He left them years before and turned to a life of crime, dropping in every once in awhile to let them know he's still alive. Soon enough, Bat's back in prison. When he comes up for parole again, he's surprised to see his father (Lewis Stone) on the parole board.

Interesting crime drama from RKO. Cabot is great as the cold-blooded desperado. Stone's character reminds you a lot of Judge Hardy until the ending. No heartwarming father & son talks here! James Gleason nails it as the tough police detective determined to put Cabot away. Grace Bradley, future Mrs. Hopalong Cassidy, is Cabot's sexy moll. Betty Grable plays his sister and she's full of pep. The movie takes a cynical view of the prison parole system. They didn't choose that title for nothing. Can't say that I blame them much.

This could/should have been a break-out role for Bruce Cabot (Robert Webster/Bat Williams, Criminal) just like the PUBLIC ENEMY (1931) was for James Cagney. Cabot though already had his chance in KING KONG (1933) and by 1936 had firmly established himself as a dependable character actor. In this film he does show he had more to offer and was particularly effective as a murderous sociopath.

Webster/Williams has two (2) lives, as Webster respected engineer and Son of John Webster (Lewis Stone) pillar of society. Then as Williams a criminal mastermind who uses the parole system to duck in and out of prison at his convenience. John Webster is finally confronted by the truth just prior to his Daughters Wedding, Mildred Webster (Betty Grable). Webster/Williams once more gets off, black-mailing his Father now on the Parole Board, though trying for one more BIG SCORE meets his undoing.

At 65" the film moves right along at a quick pace and would not disgrace the efforts over at WARNER BROTHERS. RKO being very efficient and turning out these programmers needed in filling out its release schedule and theater chain. Also to cover expenses for such flops as MARY OF Scotland. A film that cemented Katherine Hepburn for being 'Box Office Poison' through the balance of the 1930s.