INSIDE JOB

(director: Jean Yarrough; screenwriters: George Bricker/Jerry Warner/story by Tod Browning and Garrett Ford; cinematographer: Maury Gertsman; editor: Otto Ludwig; music: Frank Skinner; cast: Preston Foster (Bart Madden), Ann Rutherford (Claire Gray Norton), Alan Curtis (Eddie Norton aka Eddie Mitchell), Joe Sawyer (Police Capt. Thomas), Joan Fulton (Ruth), Milburn Stone (District Attorney Sutton), Samuel S. Hinds (Judge Kincaid), Marc Lawrence (Donovan), Jimmie Moss (Skipper) Howard Freeman (Mr. Winkle), John Berkes (Freddie); Runtime: 65; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producer: Ben Pivar/Jean Yarrough; Universal; 1946)

“A weak B film crime drama about an ex-convict and the difficulty he has of going straight.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Jean Yarbrough(“Shed No Tears”/”The Mutineers “/”Law of the Jungle”) directs a weak B film crime drama about an ex-convict and the difficulty he has of going straight.

Eddie Norton (Alan Curtis) gets a temp job during Christmas in a department store. The gangster Bart Madden (Preston Foster) blackmails the ex-con Eddie into robbing the store with his former partner, his wife Claire (Ann Rutherford), a model in the store, or get fired when he tells the store about his past record. Eddie goes along with Bart but has other ideas, as he schemes with his wife to make sure the cops gun down Bart during the burglary. Afterwards they turn themselves into the police for their part in the burglary, throwing themselves on the mercy of the justice system.

The story was lame and unbelievable. It’s noteworthy only because the story was written by the great silent director Tod Browning. The screenplay by George Bricker and Jerry Warner could use a rewrite.

REVIEWED ON 9/18/2014 GRADE: C+   https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/