Highway 13

"Highway 13" is one of a trio of grade-B thrillers available on on a single DVD from Netflix. What's strange is that while they are all American movies, they're preceded by a card confirming their approval by the British Board of Censors. The mystery here is why the rigs of one trucking company, North Express, keep rolling off Highway 13, plunging into the canyons below. A detective hired to masquerade as a truck driver -- and ferret out the culprits -- doesn't last long. Now it's up to square-jawed trucker Robert Lowrey to do the sleuthing, although it may cost him his fiancée. Lowrey isn't bad but it's the character actors who trot off with the honors. Clem Bevans, as an old coot who runs a diner down the road from where the trucks keep crashing, is a grubby, gabby cantankerous stand-out. And Dan Seymour, who spent most of his career playing icy villains, has a rare shot at innocence as an insurance agent. The denouement doesn't make much sense, but if you're in the mood for some motorized mayhem, take a look.

Robert Lowery drives a truck for a living and is sort of engaged to Pamela Blake, a waitress at a truck stop diner run by her uncle Clem Bevan and aunt Mary Gordon. But too many of the company's trucks have been getting into accidents near the stop, destroying cargo and vehicle. Lowery is purportedly fired, and sent in to investigate.

For a Lippert movie directed by William Berke, there are some nice touches here, if you ignore all the toy cars that wind up falling off mountainsides. The acting is decent, and there are some pleasant moments in the script, like when Lowery and another driver are discussing how they came to drive trucks: one on the Burma Road, and the other in the Red Ball Express. Then they admire each other's coolness. Other than that, it's a standard sort of movie, competent handled on a short budget -- the IMDB trivia claims it was shot in 3.5 days. As a result, there aren't many subtleties, but there is professionalism.

Never in cinematic history have so many Dinky Toys crashed and burned in such close proximity, in such rapid succession. A series of 'accidents' involving H. G. V.s owned by Norris Trucking is quickly followed by a similar car wreck causing the death of company heiress Henrietta Denton, witnessed by well meaning trucker, Robert Lowery - though smoking a pipe at the scene of the inferno was hardly the wisest move he could have made!

The affable Lowery frequents Pops' diner, where his delightful fiance, Pamela Blake is employed, but when a further death occurs involving his own vehicle, his Johnny on the spot presence arouses suspicion of murder, amidst ongoing murmurings of sabotage.

This Poverty Row, Robert L. Lippert outing, replete with William Berke's clunking, low-budget direction raises a number of smiles along the way. Never quite descending into so bad it's good territory, the simplistic, ham fisted delivery ensures that 'Highway 13' is consistently entertaining and the snappy running time helps to keep dull moments to a minimum.

Nice film with realistic locales. Filmed on and around California highway 14, although film is called highway 13. CA highway 14 winds from Ventura to Lancaster and Mojave.

The story is about a series of truck accidents here and there. Their solution is found by a trucker, part time detective. Along the ride there is a cute waitress, an older lady and an old pop with a shady past. Not forgetting an office manager and the company owner.

Special effects, 1948 style abound, most of them look miniatures but pretty good for the film's small budget.

There's a Lot Packed-In this 58min...3.5 Day Shoot...

Truck-Driver Robert Lowery is Under Investigation for Sabotaging Rigs Originating from the Fleet He's Working For.

Multiple-Suspects, Multiple Over-the-Cliff-Crashes, a Neat-Little Mystery to be Solved, with a Plenty of Action Along a Side-Dish Diner Romance.

Atypical, Rather Nasty Murders Take Place On and Off the Road, and the Guilty Party is Hard to Spot, but Maybe Not.

Everything Comes Crashing Down in Less than an Hour, and the Bang-for-the-Buck is a Good Bet on this Nifty, Pulpy, Entertainment that Contains some Edgy Characters.

The Old-Geezer who Runs the Diner/Truck-Stop Needles His Wife Once too Often and Gets a Pie-in-the-Face, that is Oddly Not Done for Laughs and is Quite Odd.

That's a Good Description of the "Lippert-Studios" Under-Card...Odd...

as it Rides the Road Right In-Line Behind other Popular "Top-Card" Movies from the Era with the Likes of George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, and Richard Conte.

This One Belies Its Own Low-Low-Budget and Delivers the Goods, and if You're Lucky Enough to Spot it on Your Travels.

Looking for Obscure, Little Movies with Big Rewards, it's...

Worth a Watch.