Jack Chertok Movies

Although the Prohibition-era crime drama The Lawless Years hardly set the world afire during its first season, NBC greenlighted an additional eight episodes for the series' second season, mainly so that there would be a total of 27 for syndicated-rerun purposes. Based on the actual exploits of New York City police detective Barney Ruditsky (who served as technical advisor), the series stars James Gregory as Ruditsky and Robert Karnes as Max. The incredible popularity of the like-vintage The Untouchables tended to overshadow The Lawless Years during its second season. Ironically, Untouchables star Robert Stack shows up in one of Lawless Years' best Season Two episodes, "The Billy Boy 'Rockabye' Creel Story". Other prominent names taking part this year are Jack Weston, John Beradino, and Edward C. Platt, the latter best known as "The Chief" on the spy-spoof sitcom Get Smart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Our Gang comedy series moved from Hal Roach Studios to MGM with the one-reel gem The Little Ranger. Snubbed by his girlfriend Darla Hood, Gang member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer accepts the invitation of tomboyish Shirley "Muggsy" Coates to attend the local picture show. While watching the adventures of his favorite cowboy star, Alfalfa dreams that he himself is a Wild West sheriff, with his pals Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas and Eugene "Porky" Lee as deputies. Naturally, Darla also figures prominently in Alfalfa's dream, as does his archrival Tommy "Butch" Bond. What happens next determines Alfie's destiny when he awakens from his slumbers. A very funny entry, The Little Ranger successfully retained all the elements that had made Our Gang so popular during its Hal Roach days -- something that could not be said for most of the subsequent MGM offerings. The film was originally released on August 6, 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having done just fine at the box office with 1942's Apache Trail, MGM turned out another "pocket" western, The Omaha Trail. The story boils down to a battle of wits and sixguns between hero Pat Candel (James Craig) and villain Pipestone Ross (Dean Jagger). The latter is a wagon-train entrepreneur who doesn't want the railroad to encroach upon his territory, and he backs up this resolve with hired hooligans. Comedy relief Chill Wills sings two songs (one of them written by director Eddie Buzzell, a former musical-comedy star), while Pamela Blake is the antiseptic heroine. Unschooled in the making of budget westerns, MGM seemed uncertain whether to take Omaha Trail seriously or to play it tongue-in-cheek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

B-movie auteur Edgar G. Ulmer managed to direct a few A-pictures during his long career; he was personally selected by Hedy Lamarr to helm this big-budget thriller, a project she put together to change her image as a starlet whose sex appeal outweighed her acting abilities. Set in the early 19th century, The Strange Woman takes place in Bangor, Maine, where logging and lumber mills have made the town prosperous. Jenny Hager (Lamarr) has grown up in Bangor, not far from the watchful eye of wealthy Isaiah Poster (Gene Lockhart). The fact that Jenny is twenty years Isaiah's junior does not stem his amorous intentions, and when she's finally out of her teens, Jenny accepts his proposal of marriage. But beneath her sweet exterior, Jenny is a shrewd, conniving women, and while she makes a fine life for herself with Isaiah's money, she obviously doesn't care for him. When Isaiah's son Ephraim (Louis Hayward) visits from college, Jenny is immediately attracted to him, and she tells him that she'll marry him if he murders his father. But, unknown to Ephraim, Jenny is already scheming to win the affections of businessman John Evered (George Sanders), even though he's pledged to marry her best friend Meg (Hillary Brooke). Based on a novel by Ben Ames Williams, The Strange Woman was generally considered one of Hedy Lamarr's best performances, although her best-known performance would continue to be in Ecstasy (1933), largely because of her then-daring nude scenes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The MGM Our Gang series began its slow but steady decline with the sub-standard one-reel entry Tiny Troubles. On this occasion, the gang is held responsible for the crimes perpetrated by a midget named Light-Fingered Lester (played by prolific dwarf actor Jerry Maren). The notion that the kids would mistake the obviously mature Lester for a tiny baby is as hard to swallow as the rest of the story. Tiny Troubles was originally released on February 18, 1939. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series takes on election fraud. It gives a behind-the-scenes account of how gangsters and crooked politicians conspire to fix elections and install their own candidates instead of the ones who were legally elected and warns that public apathy can lead to the erosion of the democratic process. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide