Jack Dougherty Movies

In the first episode of a two-part story, a retired Baltimore police officer named Rodzinski is found murdered near his wife's tombstone. Rodzinski's son Jake (Bruce Campbell), also a cop, begs Lewis (Clark Johnson) to conduct a personal investigation of the killing. When key evidence fails to materialize and suspected murderer Kenny Damon (Wendell Jordan) is acquitted, the embittered Jake decides to take the law into his own hands. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Game That Kills is professional hockey, at least according to this Columbia "B"-picture. Charles Quigley stars as Ferguson, a rough-and-tumble hockey player who discovers that his chosen profession is nothing more than a racket, a plaything for game-fixing racketeers. When his brother is killed in a highly suspicious accident, Ferguson and team trainer Holland (J. Farrell McDonald) join forces to bring the killers to justice. Second-billed Rita Hayworth is decorative as Holland's daughter (and Ferguson's sweetheart, natch). The Game That Kills was the second of three hockey-themed films released in 1937, the others being Warner Bros.' King of Hockey and Universal's Idol of the Crowd. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The prolific Jack Natteford wrote this unusual Gene Autry Western -- or, to be accurate, "Eastern" -- which reportedly suffered cuts after censors found it too violent. Gene, as usual, plays Gene Autry, this time the son of a Georgian cattleman (Charles Middleton) waging a war against the areas "turpentiners," harvesters of pine tree sap. Disowned by his father after siding with the turpentiners, Gene takes up with Colonel Millhouse's (Smiley Burnette) traveling Wild West Show. The show returns to Pine Ridge two years later and Gene discovers that a gang of rustlers is now using the turpentiners as a cover for their crimes. While Gene is occupied with the rustlers, the Wild West Show audience grow restless and Millhouse sends in an imposter (Art Mix), who mimes to a recording of Autry's voice. The leader of the rustlers, Len Parker (LeRoy Mason), takes this opportunity to get rid of his enemy and has the imposter killed. The real Gene, meanwhile, finds his father murdered by what appears to be someone connected by the leader of the turpentiners, Bayliss Baynum (Russell Simpson), and when Autry Sr. is likewise found slain, Gene becomes the natural suspect. The turpentiners demand swift justice, but Gene manages to track down the real culprit with the aid of Baynum's daughter, Milly (Betty Bronson), and the Wild West Show performers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Georgia Hale, who scored a hit as Charlie Chaplin's vis-a-vis in The Gold Rush, heads the cast of Gypsy of the North. As in the Chaplin film, Hale is cast as a brassy Klondike dance-hall girl with a heart of gold. This time, she is pursued by such ardent swains as Steve Farrell (Huntley Gordon) and Chappie Evans (Jack Dougherty). Production values in Gypsy of the North are pretty shoddy, save for the well-photographed exteriors, evidently filmed in the snowier regions of Northern California. The film was put together by Rayart Productions, the precursor to Monogram Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The second and last of Eddie Cantor's silent vehicles, Special Delivery casts the wide-eyed comedian as a hapless mailman. While going through his swiftly appointed rounds, Eddie stumbles upon a gang of crooks who are planning a large-scale confidence scam. He exposes the villains and wins the love of heroine Madge (Jobyna Ralston). Though Cantor was a fine physical comic, he didn't truly score in films until the arrival of talkies allowed his fans to hear as well as see him. Special Delivery was directed by "William Goodrich," who in reality was comedian Fatty Arbuckle, hoping to stage a comeback after the sex scandal that destroyed his career. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Katherine MacDonald vehicle involving the shams of society was about as clichéd as they come. Although Priscilla Hobbs (MacDonald) comes from a family of modest means, she yearns to be accepted in high society and is embarrassed by the awkward behavior of her father (Carl Stockdale), a small merchant. Then the Hobbs suddenly come into a fortune, which thrills Priscilla -- she can now live in the style she wants. But the family's new standing draws the attention of Carter, an unscrupulous banker (Herschel Mayall); he advances Mr. Hobbs a large sum and takes a note in payment, but his motives are obviously not on the level. When Reggie Grey (Jack Dougherty) comes around and falls in love with Priscilla, he sees right away that Carter is swindling Mr. Hobbs and goes to great lengths to save him. Priscilla eventually learns to appreciate her father -- and falls for Reggie. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Whole films had been written around song titles before, but it had been years since the ditty "Second Hand Rose" had been popular, and a revival wasn't likely. But then, Gladys Walton was one of Universal's lesser lights, so the studio probably wasn't trying exceptionally hard. Walton did, however, have a solid supporting cast here. Issac Rosenstein, a kind-hearted Jewish man who owns a second hand store (George B. Williams), adopts an Irish orphan, Rosie O'Grady (Walton). "Popa" Rosenstein's son Nat (Eddie Sutherland) works for a silk manufacturing company, and while delivering lunch to the young man, Rosie meets shipping clerk Terry O'Brien (Jack Dougherty). Nat, who's not a terribly ambitious sort, stops by the pool room while on his way home from his job and his cohorts there steal his shipping instructions. The goods are stolen, and Nat is sent to jail. An old Irishman, Tim McCarthy (Walter Perry), offers to help Nat out if Rosie will marry him. She agrees, only to discover that Nat is robbing his former employers. But then the truth comes out -- he was only pretending to be in league with his pool room pals so that he could trap them. All is well in the Rosenstein family, and McCarthy graciously hands Rosie back to O'Brien. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi