The Big Shot (1942)

Director:

Lewis Seiler

Writers:

Bertram Millhauser (writer) and
Abem Finkel (writer) ...

Release Date:

13 June 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

THE BIG SHOT RETURNS! Up From The Gutter To Make Gangland Shudder!

Plot:

Three time loser Duke Berne risks life in prison with one more armored car robbery. His attorney's wife Lorna...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Prison Break | Show | Beautiful Woman | Courtroom Scene

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Joseph 'Duke' Berne
Irene Manning	...	Lorna Fleming
Richard Travis	...	George Anderson
Susan Peters	...	Ruth Carter
Stanley Ridges	...	Martin T. Fleming, Attorney
Minor Watson	...	Warden George Booth
Chick Chandler	...	Frank 'Dancer' Smith
Joe Downing	...	Frenchy (as Joseph Downing)
Howard Da Silva	...	Sandor
Murray Alper	...	Quinto, a Convict
Roland Drew	...	Faye
John Ridgely	...	Tim
Joe King	...	Prosecutor Toohey (as Joseph King)
John Hamilton	...	Judge
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Booth

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Quotes:

Joseph 'Duke' Berne: When a thing stinks, it stinks.

Soundtrack:

Sweet Georgia Brown

Bogart can't rid himself of a life of crime...

HUMPHREY BOGART once admitted that he had to spend years at Warner Bros. dodging bullets and writhing around on the floor as a bullet-ridden gangster type, before being taken seriously in other roles.

THE BIG SHOT is a prime example. It came at a stage in his career where he was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest stars ever, with CASABALANA giving him the iconic role of Rick and taking him away from gangster roles for awhile. But until then, he was still a full-fledged gangster star.

Basically, it's a grade-B yarn with IRENE MANNING (who starred in "The Desert Song" opposite Dennis Morgan a year later), as his romantic interest in a cast that includes SUSAN PETERS, STANLEY RIDGES, MINOR WATSON and HOWARD DA SILVA.

Bogart is an ex-inmate, a three-time loser trying to go straight and we see his story in flashback as he lies on a hospital bed. Lured back into a life of crime when he can't find a job, he joins Da Silva's gang and has to deal with romantic complications involving ex-girlfriend Manning, married to crime boss Stanley Ridges. He gets accused of being one of the armored car bandits and has to figure a way to get himself clear of a frame-up. Ridges frames him while posing as his lawyer and Bogart gets sent to prison for a life term.

The prison break scene is the highlight of the drama and rescues the film from a slow pace that only steams up toward the conclusion. Bogart has a moral problem. A good guy (RICHARD TRAVIS) who tried to prevent Bogie and friend from making a jail break, gets accused of being mixed up in the escape. When a prison guard dies during the attempt, Travis has to take the blame.

The plot takes a turn when Bogart decides he can't let Travis, an innocent man, take the rap.

Summing up: Worthwhile for Bogie fans, but we've all seen this kind of crime drama before.