Vince Barnett Movies

Though Humphrey Bogart is the official star of Knock on Any Door, the film is essentially a showcase for Columbia's newest young male discovery John Derek. The first production of Bogart's Santana company, the film casts Bogart as attorney Andrew Morton. A product of the slums, Morton is persuaded to take the case of underprivileged teenager Nick Romano (Derek), who has been arrested on a murder charge. Through flashbacks, Morton demonstrates that Romano is more a victim of society than a natural-born killer. Though this defense strategy does not have the desired result on the jury thanks to the badgering of DA Kernan (George Macready), Morton does manage to arouse sympathy for the plight of those trapped by birth and circumstance in a dead-end existence. As Nick Romano, John Derek would never be better, nor would ever again play a character who struck so responsive a chord with the audience. Nick's oft-repeated credo--"Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse"--became the clarion call for a generation of disenfranchised youth. Director Nicholas Ray would later expand on themes touched upon in Knock on a Any Door in his juvenile delinquent "chef d'oeuvre" Rebel without a Cause. Viewers are advised to watch for future TV personalities Cara Williams and Si Melton in uncredited minor roles. Knock on Any Door spawned a belated sequel in 1960, Let No Man Write My Epitaph. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Future "Superman" George Reeves and former "Dick Tracy" Ralph Byrd co-star in Thunder in the Pines. The stars play a pair of eternally bickering loggers in Tall Timber country. Both vie for the attentions of Gallic charmer Yvette (Denise Darcel), who promises to wed the logger who cuts down the most trees (this is not a pro-eco piece!) All sorts of adventures ensue before the two loggers swear off "dames" forever -- or at least for the next few minutes. Filmed in "Glowing Sepiatone," Thunder in the Pines benefits from the well-focused location photography by Carl Berger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Top-notch police reporter Lorelei Kilbourne (Hillary Brooke) decides to resign her job when her novel is published, and gives Big Town Illustrated Press editor-in-chief Steve Wilson (Philip Reed) her two-weeks' notice. Lorelei is surprised when Steve hires a replacement that day, Susan Peabody (Ann Gillis), a journalism student who is actually the niece of the newspaper's publisher Amos Peabody (Charles Arnt). Steve discovers that Susan has a gambling habit that she developed in college -- he tries to get to know her better by taking her to the Winners' Club, a crooked private gambling club that's the tip of the iceberg of an illegal gambling operation in Big Town, and is pummeled for his trouble, while the girl is seemingly kidnapped. Peabody gives in to the terms of gambling ring leader Chuck LaRue's (Richard Travis), and Susan turns up a few minutes later. But Steve comes up with a plan to undermine LaRue's operation, while Lorelei decides to look into Susan's background and finds lots of unsavory twists. There are more double- and triple-crosses to follow as the planning on both sides unravels amid overlapping and interlocking schemes, as well as a poker game motif that's about as good as you'll ever see in any B-movie of its time. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Though already established as Roy Rogers' favorite leading lady (offscreen and on), Dale Evans was permitted a rare non-western appearance minus Rogers in the 1947 Republic mystery thriller The Trespasser. Evans is cast as nightclub singer Linda Coleman, the sister of newspaper-book reviewer Bruce Coleman (William Bakewell). Bruce is engaged in a clever fraud, peddling rare-book forgeries to collector/publisher Channing Bliss (Francis Pierlot). This bunco scheme is uncovered by aspiring girl reporter Stevie Carson (Janet Martin), with the grudging help of veteran newshound Danny Butler (Warren Douglas). With all this going on, ostensible star Dale Evans has little to do except sing one sultry musical number and look smashing in low-cut gowns -- and, oh yes, indulge in a bit of romance with Stevie's editor Bill Monroe (Douglas Fowley). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Former army pilot Robert Taylor is accused, on the basis of strong circumstantial evidence, of his wife's murder. Suffering from periodic blackouts, Taylor isn't so certain of his innocence himself. When offered a brain operation, Taylor refuses, knowing that if he is proven sane he will be executed for murder. Instead, he opts for confinement in a high-walled veteran's mental institution. A compassionate lady doctor (Audrey Totter) falls in love with Taylor, convincing him to have the operation. Even after emerging from the ether, Taylor cannot remember any of the details concerning his wife's death--but he does recall that the dead woman had recently taken a job with a publisher (Herbert Marshall) of religious books. While the killer's identity is tipped off by this revelation, the audience is never certain that Robert Taylor isn't a murderer--especially since he'd previously appeared as a homicidal maniac in the 1946 film Undercurrent. The best moment in High Wall is the casual disposal of the sole witness to the murder, via a long, dark elevator shaft. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second of three "Bowery Boys" rip-offs produced by bargain-basement Producers Releasing Corporation, Gas House Kids Go West finds the kids in question vacationing at a California ranch. City boys all, the Kids have a lot of difficulty adjusting to western life, none more so than former "Our Gang" members Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Tommy Bond. Unbeknownst to everyone but the audience, the ranch is being used as a hiding place for stolen cars. But Alfalfa and his compadres manage to thwart the bad guys and save the day, after numerous low-budget slapstick situations. Gas House Kids Go West was followed by Gas House Kids in Hollywood, released a scant two months later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical, an orphan is under the false impression that her newly found relatives are filthy rich. Lacking the heart to tell her the truth, the relatives move into an abandoned mansion to entertain her and her fiance. Songs include: "That's Good Enough for Me", "A Man Is a Brother to a Mule", "Judy and Dick", and "Cheer for the Team". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

By 1946, MGM's musical output was in the hands of two men: the incisive, progressive Arthur Freed, and the sentimental, old-fashioned Joe Pasternak. It was Pasternak who held the reins on Two Sisters from Boston, a period piece set in New York. June Allyson and Kathryn Grayson arrive fresh from prim 'n' proper Boston, only to secure work as entertainers in a rowdy Bowery saloon. Since the saloon owner is lovable old Jimmy Durante, the girls have nothing to fear so far as physical outrages are concerned, though they just barely withstand the assault to their eardrums when Schnozzola sings "G'wan Home, Your Mother's Calling." The cultural portion of the program is handled by Metropolitan Opera star Lauritz Melchior, who though in excellent voice isn't as much fun to watch as Durante. The efficacy of Joe Paternak's candy-box approach was proven by the excellent boxoffice response to Two Sisters From Boston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Bowery Bombshell was the third entry in Monogram's "Bowery Boys" series, it was released second in several regions. The trouble begins when Sach (Huntz Hall) is photographed leaving a bank at the same time as a group of bank robbers. The police think that Sach was involved with the crooks, forcing him to stay under wraps while his pal Slip (Leo Gorcey) and the rest of the Bowery Boys try to track down the genuine thieves. Posing as out-of-town gangsters, Slip and his pals win the confidence of slick gang boss Ace Deuce (Sheldon Leonard), but their subterfuge is destined to fail, and fail spectacularly. The story goes off on a new tangent towards the end when Ace's hulking henchman Moose McCall (Wee Willie Davis) accidentally swallows an experimental explosive, thereby turning himself into a human bomb. A moderately funny entry in the series, Bowery Bombshell might have been better with less plot and more logic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of many films of the late 1940s examining the impact of WWII on post-war domestic life in the U.S., The Swell Guy is the story of an unprincipled war correspondent, Jim Duncan (Sonny Tufts). Jim has returned to his hometown following the war and tries to milk his wartime status and pose as a hero. He's actually a corrupt con man who exploits the good graces of his brother Martin (William Gargan) and tries to woo Martin's wife Ann (Ruth Warrick). Jim cheats the townspeople by staging rigged craps games, and he engages in other nefarious schemes that depend on the local citizens' naïve trust in the supposed war hero. Jim finally steals money from the town's charity campaign for war veterans and tries to leave town before his misdeeds catch up to him. But Jim gets a chance for redemption and real heroism when he alone can save his nephew's life. This film was directed by Frank Tuttle and based on the book The Hero by Gilbert Emery. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

River Gang was another of Universal's attempts to tap the dramatic potential of their young singing star Gloria Jean. The actress plays Wendy, the niece of pawnbroker Uncle Bill (John Qualen). Outwardly a loveable teller of tall tales, Uncle Bill is actually the head of a robbery gang. When murder rears its ugly head, the impressionable Wendy discovers her uncle's perfidy for the first time-and faces the possibility of becoming the next murder victim. Young Keefe Brasselle plays Johnny, a neighborhood "tough" who turns out ot be the best friend Wendy could possibly have. River Gang was directed by Charles David, who ironically became the husband of Deanna Durbin, Gloria Jean's principal singing rival on the Universal lot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This aquatic musical is set at a mountain resort in the beautiful Sierra Nevadas where a heroic Army Air Corpsman has come for a vacation. There he falls in love with the lovely swimming instructor, who is unfortunately newly married to a rather stodgy businessman. The mayhem begins when her new husband is called to Washington on urgent business. Songs include: "Please Don't Say No, Say Maybe," "I Should Care," "Lonely Night," "Vive L'Amour," "Schubert's Serenade" and "The Thrill Of A Romance." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Zachary Scott made his screen debut in this clever bit of film noir that has gained a cult reputation in recent years. Dutch mystery novelist Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) is travelling through Istanbul when he meets Col. Haki (Kurt Katch), head of the secret police and a big fan of Leyden's work. He offers to tell Leyden about Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott), a notorious criminal whose body was just found washed up on the beach. It seems that Makropoulos was involved in nearly every sort of lawless act imaginable, from murder and blackmail to espionage and political assassination. Fascinated, Leyden decides that Makropoulos would be a fine subject for his next book, and he begins researching his life, beginning with Haki's dossier on the criminal. Leyden's research takes him through much of Europe; while en route by rail to Sofia, he meets a large man with an ingratiating chuckle, Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), who informs Leyden that "There is not enough kindness in the world," and tells him of a good hotel in town. Grateful for the advice, Leyden checks in, only to later find Peters ransacking his room and holding him at gunpoint; it seems that Peters had business with Makropoulos, and he isn't entirely convinced that the master criminal is dead -- especially since his body was found with shabby clothes and no money, and the police in Istanbul had never actually seen a photo of Makropoulos. Based on a novel by Eric Ambler, The Mask of Dimitrios also features Faye Emerson, who was in the news at the time, as she had just wed the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide