Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Neil Doyle Once again Boston Blackie puts one over on the police who wrongly accuse him of a crime he never committed. He uses his wits and ingenuity to outwit them at every turn--each episode more incredible than the one before. But it's entertaining in a formula way, with CHESTER MORRIS obviously enjoying himself as Blackie and Inspector Farraday finally congratulating him on capturing the real criminal.DOUGLAS FOWLEY as Nails gives his usual hard-bitten performance as the villain, enjoyable as always in whatever supporting role he assumes.It's a low-budget entry, designed to fit the second half of a double bill, and moves at a brisk pace in little more than hour. Morris is surrounded by the usual Columbia cast of "Blackie" performers.

MartinHafer I have seen just about all of the Chester Morris "Boston Blackie" films and have to say that this one is about the worst due to very, very bad writing. While the usual "dumb cop" schtick has worn too thin (Faraday and his assistant are sub-moronic clichés as police--too dumb to be anything other than tiresome), my main complaint is the dumb plot itself--it's just so ridiculous and hard to believe that the film soon lost me.Blackie has a plan and he asks the warden at a prison to parole ten men to him (himself, an ex-con) so the guys can work in a defense plant owned by his friend. This is unlikely, but since it was a WWII-era film, I could ignore this. But, when a man has committed a robbery and has only served a short amount of time and EVERYONE tells Blackie this man is too great a risk, Blackie STILL pushes for the man's release. Okay...not exactly believable,...but I guess I can go with this. However, when later this same prisoner's two old accomplices confront him and demand they split the stolen money, there is a struggle and one of the men is killed. So what does Blackie do when he discovers this? Tell the warden or call the police? No. Instead, he insanely convinces the police that HE (Blackie) killed the man and stole the loot!! This just made no sense at all, as it practically puts Blackie into the electric chair AND ruins the chances of his pet project to succeed. What were the writers thinking? About the only good part of the film involved Blackie and Runt dressing as cleaning women (something they did in another film--repetition is an ever-present problem for Blackie films as plot elements are recycled again and again). Unlike Sherlock Holmes, the Falcon or even Charlie Chan, the excessively repetitive nature of the Blackie series make seeing all the films rather unnecessary. I say see a few and then quit, otherwise it's all "like a case of déjà vu all over again" (Yogi Berra).By the way, if you look closely, you'll see Sid Melton is one of the parolees. Sid was "Alf Monroe" from the TV series GREEN ACRES.

Spondonman This Blackie entry is more of a flag waver than the previous five, but it's ingenious for all that. Blackie gets the conditional parole and release of chosen prisoners for them to help the War effort by labouring in one of Arthur's factories. They have to be good, but as usual there is one black sheep - who gets immediately mixed up in a shooting over a stolen USD 60,000 stash. Blackie himself takes the blame for to divert Farraday away from spoiling his pet project. And so begins another chase: Inspector Farraday and Sergeant Matthews after Boston Blackie and the Runt after Nails Blanton (the real baddie, not Blackie's man).Jumbo Madigan plays a pivotal role in this outing so pay attention! The scenes with the two elderly and gentle female Municipal Cleaning Technicians was a farcical intrusion worthy of Monogram, but they had to get in to the police station to get back the stolen money as bait for Nails. The bit where Blackie and the Runt escape from a locked and door-less apartment leaving his 11 men and Arthur behind is delicious. The print quality is pretty awful in places, someone at the TV station in the 50's was scissor-happy.But overall, slightly different and worthwhile.

django-1 Most all of the 1940s Columbia "Boston Blackie" films starring Chester Morris are worth watching. This entry has Blackie vouching for some convicts (remember, Blackie himself is a reformed ex-con), trying to get them early releases so they can work in factories aiding the war effort. A judge agrees, and lets them out to begin work. Obviously, things do not work out as planned...Morris's personal charm and colorful acting style always help the film along, and his sidekick The Runt and his antagonists from the police force return from the earlier entries in the series. It's a fast moving 65 minutes, and like any of the b-movie directorial efforts of William Castle at Columbia in the 1940s, it features a number of clever visuals and plot contrivances. Also, the film is NOT a traditional murder mystery, but I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to see it yourself. Definitely worth finding for fans of b-movie detective films. And it's always great to see Douglas Fowley as a gangster again!