Genial small town lawyer (John Wayne) comes to the big city to investigate the murder of his friend and begins to suspect a crooked political boss (Edward Ellis) while dating the boss's daughter (Frances Dee). Curious role for Wayne in this oddball B crime picture from Republic. The script does him no favors. I swear every other line of his seems to begin "back home..." followed by a less-than-funny anecdote about some bumpkin. There's country and then there's an urbanite's impersonation of country. This feels like the latter. Ellis is good as the political boss with a soft spot for his daughter. Frances Dee is fine but has no real chemistry with Duke. Harold Huber is amusing as the arrogant candidate Ellis is pushing. Ward Bond has one of his most embarrassing roles as a simple-minded goon with a pickpocketing habit. He goes full Lenny here. He and Duke have a fight scene among that old Hollywood favorite: stacks of empty cardboard boxes. Wallace Ford is wasted in a small part.
It's a strange picture, with an awkward mix of comedy and drama, and a bizarre ending that almost defies the production code as the lawbreaking villain isn't really punished. One final, completely irrelevant (to anyone but me) note: Joseph Crehan plays a newspaper editor with a few scenes. In his final scene, he's gushing over this new farming gadget he's bought. It's a nifty little thing that looks like a child's wagon with some junk added on. I wonder if that was a real device or a prop created for the film?
It's a strange picture, with an awkward mix of comedy and drama, and a bizarre ending that almost defies the production code as the lawbreaking villain isn't really punished. One final, completely irrelevant (to anyone but me) note: Joseph Crehan plays a newspaper editor with a few scenes. In his final scene, he's gushing over this new farming gadget he's bought. It's a nifty little thing that looks like a child's wagon with some junk added on. I wonder if that was a real device or a prop created for the film?