Alias Boston Blackie

Boston Blackie movies are fun to watch. Even as a kid, I enjoyed them because of the action, coupled with intelligent stories and good acting. Chester Morris IS Boston Blackie, and in this one he has to track down an escaped prisoner... always leading from one situation to the next. Good stuff! An 8.

Alias Boston Blackie (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Third film in Columbia's Boston Blackie series has Blackie (Chester Morris) tracking down a prison escapee who escaped during one of Blackie's shows. Lew Landers (The Raven) returns to direct this entry and like the previous film in the series, this one here moves at a very fast pace but for some reason most of the comedy is left out of this film. The mystery isn't all that compelling either, although the first half of the film works the best with the second half losing some of its fire. Morris is really good here as he seems to really have the role down to ease.

Well, it's Christmas time and Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) celebrates the only way he knows how -- by proving himself innocent of a crime he didn't commit! This time it starts with a magic show Blackie puts on for convicts, only to have one of them escape. Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) is present for the jailbreak and convinced Blackie helped with the escape. So, along with his sidekick Runt (George E. Stone), Blackie sets out to find the escaped prisoner and winds up trying to prove the man's innocence.

The third in Columbia's great Boston Blackie series of B detective flicks is a solidly entertaining entry. In addition to the primary trio of Blackie, Runt, and Farrady, this one has recurring characters Arthur (Lloyd Corrigan), Sgt. Matthews (Walter Sande), and Jumbo Madigan (Cy Kendall). The Boston Blackie series had a great bunch of regulars. This one also has fine support from Larry Parks, Paul Fix, and pretty Adele Mara. Lloyd Bridges has a bit part as a bus driver. Another fun and fast-paced Boston Blackie movie.

Its just entertainment and was meant to be just that. I give it a solid "7" vote because is accomplishes what it sets out to do- it entertains you and will hold your attention. No lofty pretensions, no Oscar awards were expected here.

Sit back and watch, be entertained, its fast and cute in a well-edited, quick sort of way.

The cops are always hard-working, but a step behind Blackie. Richard Lane is good in the Insp. Farraday role, and Walter Sande is great as a thick-headed cop who is easy to outwit.

It should be noted that this film is very well edited, very professionally acted by an ensemble cast, and is a pro piece of work all around. Yet it doesn't take itself seriously at all. Therefore, it couldn't possibly put off anyone, and anyone can enjoy this film for what it is- light entertainment.

Chester Morris was very talented at delivering a strong, energetic lead actor presence while maintaining a sort of good-natured wink in his eye. Fine actor who you could watch all day, yet you would never really tire of his act.

It's Christmas at the Boston Blackie household, which means that Blackie is trimming the tree and the Runt is telling him that Christmas trees are bad luck. Will a Christmas mystery ensue? Well, a mystery there is, but oddly little time is devoted to the season aside from that opening and then a bit at the end.

Blackie rounds up a gang of theatrical friends, including Adele Mara as Eve, and buses them out to the prison for a Christmas show for the inmates. Eve's brother Joe (Larry Parks) is an inmate who is hot for revenge on two hoods who lined him up for this prison stretch; during the show, Joe steals a costume/disguise from one of the entertainers and escapes with the troupe on their way out. It isn't long before one of said hoods turns up murdered, and our old friend Inspector Farraday seems to have Blackie dead to rights for aiding in the escape, the murder, or both.

Less comic relief than expected in this one, though the banter between Blackie and Farraday is, as always, crisp and catchy. Chester Morris and Richard Lane both look very confident in their third film in the roles.