The Last Crooked Mile

A gang steals $300,000 from a bank, but all die in the robbery and pursuit. The money has disappeared. The insurance company offers a 10% reward for the total, and in waltzes cocky PI Don Barry in a grey outfit and hand-painted tie, leaving girl friend Adele Mara dancing by herself while he pursues night club singer Ann Savage and the money.

Republic was interested in expanding Barry beyond his fans from the Red Ryder movies, and he slips easily into this movie, which has some nice film noir touches -- notice the shadows thrown off by a set of Venetian blinds early on. Despite these visuals, and a sequence set in a fun fair at night, it's not in the least noirish. Barry is too cavalier, and there's a hint of 1930s screwball in Miss Mara's role. All in all, an entertaining little film, with a couple of nice twists, and Sheldon Leonard as a hood called 'Wires' McGuire.

Ann Savage will forever be known as the vulturous woman in Ulmer's masterpiece DETOUR. Alas, many other films in her career have not had comparable longevity. This little programmer is one of the many forgotten little baubles that used to dot TV land back in the days before all those rotten Infomercials took over late night viewing. Despite the superb cast of B movie stalwarts, this generic little programmer is nonetheless noteworthy for trying to cram a lot of plot in the confines of an hour, so much so that it appears incoherent. It tries to do everything and ends up not doing much of anything. It's diverting enough because of the haywire plot; you never know where this is going. But see it for Ann Savage.

Donaid Barry (Tom) plays a private detective who sets out to discover where the hidden loot from the recent Jarvis gang robbery is hidden. He's after a percentage of the reward for finding it and gets the OK from police to help in the search. This takes him to a fairground where the original car that was used in the Jarvis robbery is being used as a showpiece. However, it is also attracting interest from other parties.

This film has a good cast and starts well. It hooks you in with the Jarvis gang robbery and we follow the getaway car as it is chased through the country until disaster strikes. The criminal gang are all very convincing. But they don't last long! The rest of the cast are all good - I personally like gangster Sheldon Leonard ('Wires' MacGuire) and I felt sorry for bimbo-babe Adele Mara (Bonnie) who is always left standing alone somewhere while Barry shoots off on another task. She provides the comedy factor along with some of the dialogue. It's snappy and funny throughout. Donald Barry comes across as a James Cagney type character and he is just on the right side of annoying - he's likable and carries the film but its a fine line that he is treading.

There is a lot of action in this short film and the pace and the dialogue make it an entertaining experience. You may guess where the money is hidden but there is a twist in the story that you may not expect.

ABSURDITY: The getaway car used in a robbery, in which all three occupants died, vital evidence in an ongoing police investigation publicly on show at a fairground. Surely not!

MEDIOCRITY: The two motorcycle cops involved in the chase are shown, in spots clearly astride stationary machines, whilst the high speed scenery takes all the risks. The wonky, wobbly, wooden handrail at the roller coaster ride was presumably kept in storage, prior to being sold to the makers of Crossroads in the 1960's. Crooks, 'Wires' MacGuire (Sheldon Leonard) and his lame-brained sidekick hardly generate the 'oooh...I'm scared' factor, when they appear. Ann Savage is by far the movie's greatest asset, yet her character is a pale shadow of the volatile, destructive, savage by name, savage by nature femme fatale, who turned hapless Tom Neal's life upside down, inside out and back to front in the previous year's classic, 'Detour.' And as for her song.....that's one minute and 42 seconds of my life I'll never have back!

LIABILITY: Tom Dwyer (Don Barry's) sub-Cagney, fast talking, wise-cracking, whip-smart private dick comes across as forced and irritating, rather than sharp and amusing. To add insult to injury, most directors found the bloke very difficult to work with.

Occasionally, the rushed, slap-dash approach can produce a masterpiece. (Check out Neil Young's Tonight's the Night). This is not one of those occasions. Had this been a school report, phrases like 'could have done better' and 'too easily satisfied' would spring to mind.

Remarkably, this hotch-potch of half baked ideas and one dimensional characters, despite its legion of shortcomings, turns out to be passingly watchable, mildly entertaining and arcanely memorable. Frequently and against all the odds, 'Crooked Mile' manages to punch above its weight. It remains a pretty rough around the edges production from Poverty Row, Republic Pictures. Indeed, there is nothing polished about this misfiring oddity apart from John Dehner's finger nails.

This Bit of Fluff from "Republic Studios" has a Sharp Noirish Appeal at Times but the Darkness is Overshadowed by a Lighter-Than-Air Tone.

Peppered with Comedy-Relief in the Form of a Running-Joke the Annoying Don Barry "Standing-Up: the Pretty Adele Mara.

The Grim and Scary Ann Savage who Left an Indelible Mark on Film-Noir in "Detour" (1945), Plays a "Songbird" and Another Love Interest for the Cocky, Belligerent Barry.

Although She Doesn't Quite Pull it Off as a Nightclub Singer because of Her Hard Look and Demeanor, Savage Does Make an Impression.

The Overall Tone is too Wishy-Washy for a True Noir.

But its a Good Time-Passer and Republic Studios was Humming Along as One of the Best "B-Studios" in Hollywood.

Those Looking for Film-Noir Need Go Elsewhere, but Still it's...

Worth a Watch.