With a title as optimistic as this one it is odd that the film seems so pessimistic in comparison. There is a morality tale in here, of course, but the consequences in the end are too harsh for the crime, at least when it comes to Billy Halop’s character Johnnie. The central conceit would have also been helped by more screen time for Harvey Stephen’s character who spends most of the film absent even though his central drama drives the majority of the narrative. These nitpicks aside, there is a powerful drama depicted here with a through narrative that never loses focus. The film has a message and it makes sure you know it at all times.
Madge (Gale Page) and Fred Burke (Harvey Stephens) are engaged and planning to move to Boston thanks to an upcoming promotion Fred has received. A dark cloud hovers over their happiness though as Madge’s brother Johnnie has become involved with gangster Frank Wilson (Humphrey Bogart). The two rob a gas station, successfully eluding the police, but, later, while planning to rob a pawn shop, Johnnie borrows Fred Burke’s gun. When Frank finds out he confiscates it, relegating Johnnie to lookout while he, Frank, does the robbery. Things don’t go as smoothly this time out and when the man being robbed triggers the alarm Frank shoots him, then leaves Fred’s gun behind to incriminate the wrong man, planting something of the loot at Fred’s place to further incriminate the man.
Shortly afterwards Johnnie and Frank are arrested because of evidence left behind at the gas station robbery and sentenced to a few years jail time. Likewise Fred Burke is arrested for the murder of the pawn broker. With the evidence of the gun coupled with the stolen goods found at his apartment he is given the death penalty. This creates the primary conflict between Frank and Johnnie. Frank has no scruples about sending Fred to the chair in his place. Johnnie, on the other hand, is conflicted, wanting to admit what really happened but afraid of going to the chair himself if he comes clean. Frank exacerbates the situation by continually putting pressure on Johnnie to keep quiet but the guilt and the pressure from his sister and Fred’s attorney, who suspects the truth, is rapidly breaking him down.
The film goes down quickly, if not breezily, totaling less than eighty minutes. It is telling them that, even with this short runtime, it feels like some padding was added to fill out the clock. We have a couple of side stories that mostly amount to nothing. For instance, too much screen time is devoted to a prisoner who repeatedly wants inside information on Fred’s case, betting cigarettes on whether Fred will actually get the chair. Another prisoner, Red (Joe Sawyer) is given a backstory about warrants dropping and getting out of prison soon only to be given some last minute news he will have years more to go before release. Both of these take up more time than is strictly necessary to the central story and only serve to extend it to feature length.
Billy Halop, in a rare early performance away from The Bowery Boys, is convincing as the conscience troubled youth Johnnie Stone. He is serviceable in the earlier scenes but when the script asks him to portray the guilt and distress his desperation and fear comes through clearly, if at times broadly. He lashes out in anger when pushed to tell the truth and trembles with fear when pushed by Frank to keep things to himself. This is the films chief weakness. Bogart is fine here but nothing special. This is the same stereotypical role he had been playing for years now and there is nothing new or interesting on display this time around. He is menacing but one note. It is the type of role Bogart could do in his sleep at this point in his career but not something particularly memorable. Harvey Stephens comes out best though as the man facing death row. We see his desperation and disappointment in his face, something Stephens pulls off with a subtlety none of the actors have here.
The ending of this film is where things take a serious turn towards pessimism and a lack of realism. First off we are expected to believe Fred Burke is sentenced to death on circumstantial evidence as if there was no chance a lawyer would argue for reasonable doubt. Second, and more dour, Johnnie only admits what really happened at the pawn shop after being mortally wounded at the hands of Frank. No amount of pleading from his sister, guilt tripping by Fred, or gentle persuasion by an elderly prison mentor, Pop (Henry Trevers) who suspects what is really bothering Johnnie, persuades Johnnie to confess. Only as he is dying does he finally speak up. This is disappointing and robs the final scene of much of its impact.
There are several things that could have made this film a lot better. We could have seen more sides to Johnnie’s conflict than just anger. We could have seen Johnnie wrestling with how he could save Fred without getting caught by Frank. We do get one scene late in the film where he tries to slip a confession note to Pop but that is quickly discovered and amounts to nothing. We also could have been given a redemptive moment for Johnnie where he finds the courage to confess despite the threats to his person. Instead we have to be content with a deathbed confession when there is nothing more that Frank can do to him. This leaves Johnnie as a weak character who never really finds the courage to do what’s right. Because of all this we are left with a film that is watchable but far from satisfying.
Running Time: 79 minutes
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Billy Halop, Gale Page, Harvey Stephens
Director: Lewis Seiler
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