Last night we saw Don Castle again, in "Motor Patrol"(1950), a crime flick about a car theft ring in Los Angeles. The movie is also a promotion for the motorcycle division of the L.A.P.D., who are thanked in the opening credits for their cooperation. In the first scene, a hit-and-run victim is reported dead. Motorcycle Officer "Larry Collins" (William Henry) responds to the location. He checks a nearby cafe to look for witnesses. One woman inside seems a little shifty, so another officer, "Ken Foster" (Castle) is assigned to investigate her. He discovers she's the girlfriend of a used-car dealer who's suspected of selling stolen vehicles. Foster then goes undercover as a hot car honcho from Chi-town (remember the Chi-Town Hustler?)
During the investigation, Officer Collins spots a stolen car. He chases it down on his motorcycle, but the driver pulls a brodie and Collins spins out. He's killed, so that's two hit and runs. With an officer dead, the cops are pee-oed. But then, something bizarre happens. A man named "Omar Shelly" runs the cafe. He's played by an actor named Sid Melton. Melton appears to be a comedian by trade, and maybe he had a stand-up act, I don't know. At any rate, after Officer Collin dies, a detective (Reed Hadley) visits Melton at the cafe. The story, which had been serious up to now, takes a five minute detour to go into an Abbott and Costello routine. It involves Sid Melton, a pay phone, an operator and a handful of nickels. Detective Hadley is the straight man. Is it funny? Err.....if you're being generous. Does it detract from the movie? You bet. Beyond either of those questions, it's profoundly off-the-wall. It would be like watching "Dragnet" and having Jerry Lewis cut in. Watching it unfold, I thought "who would insert this in a crime film"? But then it ended, thank goodness, and the plot kicked up a notch, as Don Castle infiltrates the stolen car ring.
Of course, you know that at some point, they're gonna figure out that he's a cop. When they do, there's a great chase scene where Castle manages to keep his hat on, despite the fact that he's hauling ass on his motorcycle. The best reason of all to watch "Motor Patrol", however, is the location shooting. It's got some fantastic shots of 1950 Los Angeles, in and around what is now Koreatown and up at the police academy. For what it is, it holds your interest. The stolen car plot is tight and written with an attention to detail (filing off VIN numbers, knowing which models are no longer in production, things of that nature). Because of the authenticity, and the charisma of Castle, I give it Two Big Thumbs Up. The running time is 65 minutes, the picture is razor sharp. ////
The previous night, we watched "Western Pacific Agent"(1950) an excellent little Noir about a violent punk who rides the rails. Mickey Knox is "Frank Wickens", a prodigal angry son. As the movie opens, he's back in town to ask his Dad for money. "Pop" (Morris Carnovsky) won't give him any. "Not until you settle down and live honestly". Frank says "alright then, I'll get it myself". He knows about a payroll transfer that's gonna go down at the train station. He goes there and kills the bridge operator. Then he kills the money man. Now he's got a duffel bag full of bills, but they're all marked. He can't spend them without getting caught, so he bides his time by jumping trains. In the process he meets different hobos. He tries pulling a tough guy routine to protect himself - and he's good with a knife - but the tramps have seen it all. They "ain't skeered" of Frank, so he goes back to his dad, to ask for a place to stay. Carnovsky tells him to get out. By now, a railroad detective (Kent Taylor) is on the case. He puts out a flyer telling all the local merchants to be on the lookout for the marked bills. One of them, "Elmer", a cafe owner, discovers one in his cash register.
Wanna guess who plays "Elmer"? Yep - Sid Melton again. This time, his comic routine involves him being a nearsighted amateur detective. For some reason, Kent Taylor takes him on as an assistant. They stake out hobo camps where Frank the killer is hiding. This is Mickey Knox's movie. I don't think we've ever seen him before, but he's chilling as the sociopath vagabond Frank. His performance is A-list, as is that of Morris Carnovsky. As in any father-son crime story, there will be a showdown at some point. Frank has realised by now that his stolen money is worthless, so he's desperate. Pop Wickens has suspected all along that his son is the killer, and the daughter of the dead bridge operator knows this. She's "Martha Stuart" (Sheila Ryan), and she naturally wants Frank caught, but she also feels sympathy for Pop, his Dad, because Pop gave her father money when he didn't have a cent. She's conflicted about telling Taylor what she knows.
It's interesting - and I didn't see this until I checked IMDB - that the same guy directed both of these pictures. His name was Sam Newfield, and he has 277 credits to his name. This likely explains Sid Melton's presence in each movie (one wonders how many more Newfield films he's in, lol), but the thing is, Newfield was very good with actors, as we see not only with Mickey Knox (the prime example), but with Don Castle too, and Ann Savage and Hugh Beaumont in "Apology for Murder", which Newfield also directed. He seems to have worked exclusively in B or Poverty Row productions, but had the talent, perhaps, for greater things. Postscript : It's an hour later, and I just re-checked Newfield's IMDB bio. It says he's considered the most prolific director in the history of American cinema, so there you have it. "Western Pacific Agent" rates Two Big Thumbs Up with a very high recommendation. Like "Motor Patrol", it too has terrific location shots, this time in Long Beach (also 1950). The picture is good but not razor sharp. Still, don't miss it. ////
That's all I know and we're all caught up. I'm listening to Jim Svejda on KUSC, and I just finished reading "Coup in Dallas" by the late H.P. Albarelli. Have you ever heard of Pierre Lafitte, Jean Soutre, Jack Crichton or Otto Skorzeny? How about General Charles A. Willoughby? Give 'em a Google. The book is highly recommended.
I send you Tons of Love, as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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