Alias Boston Blackie(1942)

Name: Alias Boston Blackie
Director: Lew Landers
Released: 1942-04-02
Rating: 5.409
Cast: Chester Morris, Adele Mara, Richard Lane, George E. Stone, Lloyd Corrigan

04/02/1942 (US)Mystery1h 7m

5.4

"Blackie's got an eye-full of alibi... but cops don't believe in looks!"

Overview

It is the Christmas Holidays and reformed thief, Boston Blackie goes to Castle Theater to pick up players who will perform for prisoners that are still in prison. He takes a girl with him who has a brother already in prison. She has visited the prison twice in the month, so is not suppose to visit again. However when the group is completed the girl is included as well as Inspector Farrady. One of the clowns in the show is kidnapped and replaced by a con who wants to get even with two ex-partners. Boston Blackie figures out that a con has replaced one of his clowns but is unable to stop him. Blackie's clothes are stolen and a murder is committed. Of course, the Inspector immediately suspects Blackie of being involved. Now it is Blackie's job to find the killer, exonerate himself and help the girl free her brother.

Paul Yawitz

Screenplay

Lew Landers

Director

Jack Boyle

Characters

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Part of the Boston Blackie Collection

Jack Boyle's stories first appeared in the early 20th Century. "The Price of Principle" was a short story in the July 1914 issue of The American Magazine. Boyle's character also turned up in Cosmopolitan. In 1917, Redbook published the novelette "Boston Blackie’s Mary," and the magazine brought the character back with "The Heart of the Lily" (February, 1921). Boyle's stories were collected in the book Boston Blackie (1919), which was reprinted in 1979 by Gregg Press. Boyle died in 1928. [edit]Films The earliest film adaptations were silent, dating from 1918 to 1927. Columbia Pictures revived the property in 1941 with Meet Boston Blackie, a fast, 58-minute "B" feature starring Chester Morris. Although the running time was brief, Columbia gave the picture good production values and an imaginative director (Robert Florey). The film was successful, and a series followed.

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A review by CinemaSerf

6.0

Written on January 11, 2024

"Blackie" (Chester Morris) starts off this crime drama - on a bus driven by Lloyd Bridges - by doing a little bit of compering at a prison where the Christmas entertainment revolves around a magic booth! Of course, one of the prisoners escapes and, of course, "Insp. Faraday" (Richard Lane) and his hapless helper "Sgt. Matthews" (Walter Sande) conclude that it's all part of a cunning wheeze by "Blackie" to get "Joe" (Larry Parks) out of jail. What we quickly discover, though, is that our sleuth is completely innocent and that he has doubts about the voracity of the conviction that sent the young man up in the first place. Now, with the help of his pal "Manleder" (Lloyd Corrigan) and the ever reliable "Runt" (George E. Stone) - who has a bit more of a part in the one - he sets off trying to apprehend the real culprit of an heinous murder before "Faraday" messes it all up. Morris is on good form, it's a fairly evenly and quickly paced drama and there's just the merest hint of mystery as we head to the denouement. Not so much humour here, but still at the better end of these "Boston Blackie" mysteries.