Robert Baldwin Movies

The Gambling Daughters of the title are Gale Storm and Janet Shaw. Students in an exclusive girl's school, Storm and Shaw fall under the spell of suave, secretive gambler Roger Pryor. It isn't long before the girls have depleted their family's finances, and have enmeshed the other students in their speculative spree. Robert Baldwin is featured as a comic-relief insurance inspector who turns private eye when a murder takes place. Among the scenarists of this PRC programmer is future best-selling novelist Sidney Sheldon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Caught in the Act was filmed under the title You Betcha My Life, in honor of its star, Italian character comedian Henry Armetta. The plot concerns a construction foreman named Mike (Armetta) who inherits a whole passel of headaches when he's promoted to salesman. Among these is a gang of crooks who make their living peddling "protection" to hapless building contractors. Before Mike is able to brings the villains to heel, he himself is tossed behind bars, much to the dismay of his long-suffering spouse Mary (Inez Palange). Though amusing in small doses, Henry Armetta gets a bit wearisome when he's on-screen for nearly a full hour. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this musical romance, a plucky young woman decides to save her town from financial ruin by marrying a wealthy captain of industry who vows to bring badly needed jobs to her ailing community. Her selfless action, for she does not love the industrialist, devastates the unemployed engineer who loves her. Working together with his neighbors, he creates a special radio show. The night before her nuptials, the show is subsidized by a major commercial sponsor. The woman learns of it and jilts her fiancé in favor of her beloved engineer. Songs include: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" "When I Yoo Hoo in the Valley" (Scotty Wiseman, John Lair), "Howdy Neighbor" (Eddie Cherkose), "Hail to Lyndale" (Cherkose, Raoul Kraushaar), and "When the Circus Comes to Town." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

As a direct result with his excellent showing as warm-hearted Dr. Dafoe in the Dionne Quintuplets films, Jean Hersholt was awarded a not dissimilar radio series about a kindly general practioner named Dr. Christian. Two years after the debut of the Dr. Christian radio series, RKO Radio launched a group of films based on the property, again with Hersholt in the lead. First of the series was Meet Dr. Christian, in which the viewer was introduced to the titular doctor, his fussbudget housekeeper Mrs. Hastings (Maude Eburne), his favorite nurse Judy Price (Dorothy Lovett), Judy's pharmacist boyfriend Roy Davis (Robert Baldwin), and grouchy but lovable town grocer George Browning (Edgar Kennedy). Set in the town of River's End, the story concerns the efforts made by the pompous mayor to remove Dr. Christian from his position as the town's health officer and replace him with a more "modern" medico. Ultimately, Christian proves his worth by performing a delicate operation without the benefit of the proper instruments. As a result, he not only keeps his job but is able to convince the town council to erect a new hospital. The overwhelmingly positive response to Meet Dr. Christian encouraged RKO to continue the series, ultimate toting up six profitable entries. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A custody battle provides the basis for this melodramatic domestic drama. The case centers around a young girl who has recently inherited a fortune from her deceased grandfather. She had been living with her mother, but now her avaricious father wants the child back. The mother is a performer; the courts deem her an unfit mother and remand the child to her father's custody. The father turns out to be cruel and uncaring. Fortunately, a compassionate juror is able to prove that the father paid his witnesses and the girl is returned to her loving mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this drama, a Boy Scout leader hosts a local gossip show. Trouble ensues when he predicts a politician's murder just before it occurs. He is arrested by the DA, but before getting to jail, he is abducted by irate gangsters--the real killers. Fortunately, his loyal Scout troop rallies to his rescue. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi