They Made Me a Killer

Customer Reviews:

Another Poverty Row film noir resurfaces!.......2005-11-19

Tom Durling (Robert Lowery) leaves Chicago after the tragic death of his brother, and heads to California to begin a new life. Hoping to sell his car, he meets with Betty Ford (Lola Lane) right outside a bank to make a deal. Before he knows it, Betty and her boyfriend Jack Conley (Edmund MacDonald) have guns drawn and force Tom to drive them to safety after they rob a bank. Steve Reynolds, an innocent bystander and friend of Tom's, is shot and mortally wounded by the police, who incorrectly believe him to be an accomplice of the bank robbers. Tom crashes the car after finally escaping from the police, and Betty, Jack, and Jack's brother Frank (James Bush) leave Tom unconscious in the car after planting a gun in his hand.

When the police find the getaway car with Tom in it, they arrest him of course and refuse to listen to his story of how he was forced to drive the bank robbers to safety. When he realizes there's no hope for him with the police, Tom makes a daring escape and turns to the only one who's willing to help him, June Reynolds (Barbara Britton), the sister of Steve. Steve died before he could clear himself and Tom, so June does everything she can to clear them before the police find Tom. Tom and June find Jack Conley and his gang and they convince Jack to let them stay at his hideout. Tom finally gets the proof that he needs to clear himself, but escaping Jack's gang will prove to be much harder than finding it was! It's up to June to get help from the police before the gang of bank robbers can kill Tom.

This movie wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Much of the dialogue throughout the movie is badly dated, but you'll have fun laughing at the cheesy lines, as well as the awful fake driving scenes where Lowery constantly swings the steering wheel back and forth while the car continues to go straight (via rear projection screen, of course). Robert Lowery and Barbara Britton were wonderful together, and Edmund MacDonald played the ruthless villian to perfection as usual. MacDonald was a very underated actor who appeared in almost 50 movies before his death in 1951 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Film noir buffs should recognize his face from movies like "Detour," "Shoot to Kill," and "The Lady Confesses." Robert Lowery never really rose above B movies status and quietly faded into obscurity over time. Barbara Britton is best remembered today for her role as Pamela North on the entertaining "Mr. and Mrs. North" tv show during the early 1950's.

1946's "They Made Me a Killer" was directed by William C. Thomas for Paramount's B unit, Pine-Thomas, responsible for other low-budget films noirs like "Fear in the Night," "Manhandled," and "Hell's Island." Running at just 64 minutes long, it's a typical crime story so common in film noir, about an innocent man who's framed and then seeks revenge on the crooks who actually committed the crime. The Alpha dvd has a very dissapointing picture and sound quality. There's constant background "hiss" noise, tons of age related flaws with the image quality, and the picture shakes constantly throughout the film. Of course this is to be expected from most Alpha-released dvds, and we can only hope that a fully restored version will be available someday, perhaps from VCI Entertainment which at least tries to restore the films noirs they release on dvd. Overall, I recommend this dvd only for hardcore film noir fanatics like me who're very forgiving about poor picture/sound quality.

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Revenge On The Wet Streets Of Soho, With A Fine Performance By Trevor Howard
An excellent British crime noir-drama
Brit noir

They Made Me a Fugitive
Starring: Sally Gray , Trevor Howard , Griffith Jones , René Ray , and Mary Merrall
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00009YXE5
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Amazon.com

This is one of the rare British films that really capture the attitude as well as the shadowy style of American film noir. Trevor Howard stars as Clem, an ex-serviceman bored with civilian life who joins a gang of black marketeers for excitement and money. When he stands up to his sadistic boss Narcy (Griffith Jones), he finds himself the patsy for a senseless murder, and the film develops an edge of desperation and doom as the once jovial heist man becomes bitter and vengeful. When Clem breaks out of prison and a countrywide manhunt fails to stop his journey to London, he becomes (in the best noir tradition) the scapegoat for crimes committed along his escape route. A terrified Narcy goes on a rampage, torturing and murdering to cover up his complicity in the cop killing. Director Alberto Cavalcanti (Nicholas Nickleby) creates a suitably seedy atmosphere of shadowy alleys, foggy waterfront dives, and claustrophobic underground clubs, and matches the dark urban underworld setting with taut direction and tight editing. Howard delivers one of his best performances as the hate-driven criminal wrapped up in emotional scar tissue, a shadow of his former self seeping out in quiet moments. This hard-edged and unexpectedly violent thriller is one of the most impressive and understated British crime films. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Revenge On The Wet Streets Of Soho, With A Fine Performance By Trevor Howard.......2005-12-07

This is a fine example of the gritty gangster movies Britain produced in the late Forties and early Fifties. We're talking wet cobblestone streets at night in Soho, brutal black marketeers who don't mind beating a woman with a studded belt, betrayal and revenge. Note that elements of the plot are discussed.

Clem Morgan (Trevor Howard), a bored ex-RAF man, is recruited by a friend, Narcy (Griffith Jones), to join his gang of black marketeers. Narcy deals in everything from whiskey to cigarettes, using his funeral business, The Valhalla of Undertaking, as a front. Narcy runs the show. He doesn't like opposition, he doesn't mind force, he has a mean streak, he enjoys a bit of cruelty. When Narcy moves to drugs, Clem says he wants out. Narcy says, "Sure," and arranges a frame-up that sends Clem to Dartmoor for 15 years on a manslaughter rap for the death of a bobby. When Clem realizes Narcy had framed him, he escapes from a work gang and heads for London and a showdown. As he says, "When a bloke gets put away for 15 years he doesn't curl up with a good book. He gets bitter. He gets a pain in his guts. He wants to lay his hands on the double-crossing swine who put him in."

Clem's only ally is a former girl friend of Narcy's, Sally (Sally Gray), and gradually the two of them become close. Clem's purpose now is not just to get his own back at Narcy, but to get Narcy to confess that he was innocent of any crime. And the police? They're close on Clem's trail. They may think Narcy was behind things, but there is no evidence that would clear Clem.

The end of the movie is bleak. Narcy is dead, but justice hasn't triumphed. With his dying words Narcy continues to implicate Clem. The detective superintendent takes Clem's arm and moves him away from Narcy's body. We'll look at all the evidence again, he tells Clem, and maybe there'll be something. Clem turns to Sally. "You must forget about me, Sally," he says. "It'll be easier than you think."
"I'll wait for you, Clem.".
"That's what I was afraid of," he says, and he's led off.

The movie is well-acted, moves briskly and has two excellent set pieces. In the first, Clem after breaking out of prison meets a woman who takes him into her home, says she'll help him and only asks one favor. The discussion of the favor over the dining room table while Clem eats is almost as odd as the favor itself, but not as deadly. The second is the climax that takes place in the Valhalla funeral parlor. It's rough and violent. Much of the action takes place in and around caskets and on the wet slate roof of the building two stories above the street.

Trevor Howard has always been an actor I've admired. He made some excellent British films in the Forties and early Fifties, went to Hollywood and then gradually settled into a long series of star character parts in mostly A-list but not very good or interesting movies. He brought a lot of skeptical intelligence to his roles, and perhaps this quality limited Hollywood's interest in him as a lead actor. At any rate, if you want to see why Trevor Howard became a star, start with these British films: Brief Encounter, Green for Danger, I See a Dark Stranger, The Clouded Yellow and They Made Me a Fugitive. Then move on to two magnificent performances in The Heart of the Matter and Outcast of the Islands. Unfortunately, Outcast of the Islands is not available, but snap it up if it ever comes out on DVD.

The DVD of They Made Me a Fugitive is not great but is certainly much better than average. There are no extras.

An excellent British crime noir-drama.......2004-04-03

Purchased on a whim, this release has been sitting on my shelf for quite awhile before I got around to watching it. I don't know, maybe the title seemed too sensationalistic for me to have taken it seriously, but don't let that stop you. They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) is an superior British film noir classic that is well worth your time.

Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, or, Cavalcanti, as he is credited on screen and starring Trevor Howard who also starred in other films like The Third Man (1949), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and Von Ryan's Express (1965), to name a few. Also starring is the very attractive Sally Gray, a leading lady in 30's British cinema. The story was adapted by Noel Langley, who also wrote The Wizard of Oz (1939), as is based on a novel by Jackson Budd.

Howard plays Clem Morgan, and ex-RAF flyer back in England after escaping from a German prison camp. Life isn't so good, and Morgan ends up throwing in with a criminal black marketeering gang led by the ruthless, sadistic and psychopathic Narcy, short for Narcissus, played excellently by Griffith Jones. Gray plays Sally, Narcy's girlfriend, for the time being. Narcy brings Morgan into his organization, hoping to add a little class and respectability with Morgan's more refined manner and upbringing, but soon sours on him as Morgan discovers that one of the many things Narcy's gang deal with is dope, and Morgan wants nothing to do with the junk. This causes Narcy to set Morgan up to take the fall, and Morgan ends up in the joint, doing hard time for a murder he didn't commit. Also, Narcy had eyes for Morgan's girlfriend, which causes Narcy's current girlfriend to take exception, that is, until Narcy shows her just how nasty he is beating the tar out of her after she visits Morgan in jail to get a feel for him, and see if she can use him somehow to get Narcy back. Needless to say, after the severe beating she receives, thoughts of wanting Narcy back soon dissipate. Anyway, Morgan, now serving a long prison term, has thoughts of revenge on the brain, and soon manages to escape. Hatred is strong in this one, and he makes his way back to settle old debts. With the police hot on his heels, and Narcy and his gang preparing for Morgan's eventual appearance, does Morgan have a chance? Will he be able to clear his name? Will he get revenge on those who so richly deserve it? Maybe, but I won't tell, as I feel I may have said too much already...

I thought this was a really wonderful film filled with rich, detailed characterizations and an exceptionally strong story that kept rolling along, rarely letting up on the viewer. The dialogue was quite exquisite, reminding me much of some of Humphrey Bogart's films, with its' snappy retorts and sarcastic wit. The tense drama was perfectly offset by bits of humor in the remarks throughout the movie, really breathing life into the characters. There were one or two minor plot points that seemed contrived (see the scene at the end between the male and female character), but this only stood out for me because the rest of the film was so good. The settings are wonderful, providing a perfectly suited backdrop for the elements within the story, and just enhancing the proceedings immeasurably. Near the end, during the climatic scenes where Morgan faces off against Narcy and his gang, the tension was ripe, and I almost felt like I was watching a Hitchcock films, as I was unable to take my eyes off the screen. The cockney accents and talk did get a bit thick at times, but I found myself falling into to it nicely, and following along quite easily.

Kino presents a really good print of the film here, along with excellent audio. There are no special features, but I am completely happy to see such a wonderful film available in such good condition. If you like crime noir films, or, even if you just like good movies, you will not be disappointed here.

Cookieman108

Brit noir.......2003-09-19

Hooray for Kino on Video for continuing to locate and digitize the best available prints of often forgotten but entertaining American and international films.

Customer Reviews:

East Side Kids Outshine Garfield.......2007-05-24

John Garfield stars as Johnnie, a prize figher with a distinctive style of fighting. He unfortunately takes it too far and accidentally kills a reporter, forcing him to take action. However, two of his friends (including the beautiful Ann Sheridan) die in an automobile accident, and the cops mistake one of them for Johnnie. In an attempt to save his skin, Johnnie flees to the countryside where he stumbles upon a home for wayward boys (The East Side Kids). He becomes a role model for the boys and eventually learns not to be so selfish.

Suprisingly, Garfield is not the big attraction for this film. Instead, The East Side Kids take presidence over the star. They have their own brand of talent stemming mainly from truth. Here, none of them stand out above the other, both a good and a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Leo Gorcey shoots his mouth off, but he is hardly the leader he came to be in later films. Huntz Hall is the goofy comic relief. Bobby Jordan is the innocent little brother type. The boys work exceptionally well in a tense swimming scene in a water silo, the most memorable part of the film.

This movie has all the makings of a b-movie, but it's cast makes it highly enjoyable.

They Made Me a Criminal.......2004-11-16

Interesting, corny story of professional boxer John Garfield who takes it on the lam after being wrongly charged with murder. He starts in New York and ends up in Arizona. Hires on with a mother and daughter team who are also in charge of a number of juvenile delinquents, the Dead End Kids, who've been sent west to `reform.'
In the late 30s Warner Brothers was cycling most of its gangster stars (Bogart, Cagney, etc.) through the Dead End Kids mill with a fair amount of success. Garfield wasn't an established star yet, but he had the accent, the attitude, and could dance a convincing boxing scene.
THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL is just all right, although fans of the Dead End Kids (none in this room) should probably enjoy it more than those who find them incredibly annoying. Garfield plays the innocent pug with ease and the story has us rooting for him throughout. The usually reliable Claude Rains is miscast as the tough talking, big city cop who stays hot on his trail. Ably directed by famed choreographer Busby Berkeley.

The boys are working on a farm. Here comes John Garfield........2003-09-04

This is the forth Dead End Kids film. (Dead End [1937], Crime School [1938], Angeles With Dirty Faces [1938]). A boxer (John Garfield) has a little party after his fight. In a apartment, Johnnie trys to swing a punch at a nosy reporter, but he is so drunk he misses and ends-up passed out in a chair. Another man hits the reporter over the head with a whiskey bottle. The reporter McGee ends up dead. Later, they decide to make Johnnie take the fall. Johnnie is innocently drunk-sleep. The bad man and woman try to make there getaway, but with the police catching them, they go off the road and instantly die. They think it is Johnnie who is dead. But one detective is on the hunt. Johnnie runs away and he comes across a farm where the delinquent Dead End Kids (Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Gabriel Dell, Bernard Punsly) have been sent to work. There he meets the boys who he trys to reform. Also a woman at the date farm, Peggy (Gloria Dickson), softens his heart too. Meanwhile a detective (Claude Rains) is close on the trail. This is a good film for Billy Halop, who practically steals the film. Great acting from Halop. Good performances by May Robson who played the Grandma on the farm. Filmed at Palm Desert, California. Great ending. Get a hankercheif. On this DVD version, Alpha Video only offers an "index" which is a chapter selection. Very good print of film.
John Garfield also appeared with Leo Gorcey (and Bernard Gorcey) in "Out of the Fog" (1941).

John Garfield meets the Dead End Kids.......2003-06-15

Future superstar, John Garfield, is cast as a boxer on the lam from a (false) murder rap.
Claude Raines is miscast as the detective who pursues him.
Garfield winds up at a farm where the ever-popular Dead End Kids are too.
There's plenty of action, drama and intrigue as Garfield gets involved with the farm's gorgeous owner and the Dead End Kids, who come to idolize him.

A Very Thirties Film.......2002-04-13

The always intense John Garfield stars as a boxer framed for the murder of a newspaper reporter who was about to expose the real story behind his carefully crafted public image. Conveniently, the real killer and the only witness to what really happened are both killed in a car accident, leaving Garfield without a defense. So he takes off, ends up in California and gets mixed up with the Dead End Kids, a girl, and an old lady who befriend him, not knowing his real identity. There's a lot left to luck in this film as dogged detective Claude Rains chases after the boxer. The Dead End Kids are an acquired taste, although in this film they aren't as grating as they would become in later years. Garfield, as usual, is very watchable and believable. Rains, on the other hand, is miscast as the detective and never for a moment seems convincing. Ann Sheridan is equally miscast as Garfield's drunk girlfriend, although she makes a quick exit in the film, despite her uncalled-for high billing. Gloria Dickson, the girl he falls in love with, has a few good moments, but lacks star quality. The script has a number of holes in it, but it also has some good moments. I particularly enjoyed the dramatic water tower sequence, as the boys must try to escape from a water tower where the water is going down. This is very much an old fashioned movie, especially in the boxing scenes, but that is also part of its appeal, since it is a great example of the kind of film Thirties audiences enjoyed.

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Dead End Kids: They Made Me A Criminal
Starring: John Garfield , The Dead End Kids , and Ann Sheridan
Director: Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Front Row Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006951L8
Release Date: 2001-02-02

AMC'S Hollywood Tough Guys - BEAT THE DEVIL (1953), THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937), OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949), THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)

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AMC'S Hollywood Tough Guys - BEAT THE DEVIL (1953), THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937), OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949), THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)
Starring: Luli Deste , and Claude Rains
Director: John Huston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video
Product Features:

4 movies on 2 DVDs
Over 6 hours running time.
Digitally remastered and sound enhanced.
BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) / THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937)
OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949) / THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)

ASIN: B000MKP418

Product Description

Hollywood Tough Guys Swing Into Action! Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, George Raft and John Garfield Exciting escapades of Hollywood's infamous good guys/bad guys offer devoted fans thrills galore. It's all here: movies jam-packed with adventure, deception, intrigue, drama and occasionally a bit of satirical humor. Disc 1 BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) - This sophisticated and whimsical parody, written by Truman Capote and director John Huston, involves roguish travelers (Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley, and Jennifer Jones) on a steamboat, each hoping to carry off a huge swindle in the uranium fields of Northern Africa. THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937) - A failed American publicist (Edward G. Robinson) retreats to England to learn more about business and becomes embroiled in a crooked scheme while competing with an Englishman (Ralph Richardson) for a woman (Luli Deste). Disc 2 OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949) - A Foreign Legionnaire (George Raft) romances an emir's daughter (Marie Windsor) in order to learn more about the enemies' plans. THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939) - While hiding out on an Arizona farm, a hard-drinking boxer suspected of murder (John Garfield) befriends the juvenile delinquents (the Dead End Kids) working there. Unfortunately, a persistent detective (Claude Rains) closes in on him.

Average customer rating:

they made me a criminal-ROAN DVD

Lady Gangster/They Made Me a Criminal
Starring: John Garfield , The Dead End Kids , Claude Rains , Ann Sheridan , and May Robson
Director: Busby Berkeley , and Robert Florey
Manufacturer: ROAN
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000286RJS
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Customer Reviews:

they made me a criminal-ROAN DVD.......2005-03-04

ROAN boasts these movies are re-mastered from the best possible sources but when i saw the poor quality of the print i was very disappointed. The print of lady gangster is better, both of which are decent movies. I recently saw "Criminal" on Turner Classic Movies and the print was exceptional. why couldn't ROAN use that print? you get what you pay for.

Adventure Classics: Seven Door to Death/Hot Rod Girl/Blonde Savage/They Made Me a Criminal

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Adventure Classics: Seven Door to Death/Hot Rod Girl/Blonde Savage/They Made Me a Criminal
Starring: Adventure Classics
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000A59PS8
Release Date: 2005-08-23

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Gangs Inc. / They Made Me A Criminal
Starring: Alan Ladd; John Garfield
Director: Phil Rosen; Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000E7EQCM
Release Date: 2002-02-02

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East Side Kids Outshine Garfield
They Made Me a Criminal
The boys are working on a farm. Here comes John Garfield.
John Garfield meets the Dead End Kids
A Very Thirties Film

They Made Me A Criminal
Starring: John Garfield , The Dead End Kids , Claude Rains , Ann Sheridan , and May Robson
Director: Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Westlake Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000Z6NA6
Release Date: 2003-11-01

Customer Reviews:

East Side Kids Outshine Garfield.......2007-05-24

They Made Me a Criminal.......2004-11-16

The boys are working on a farm. Here comes John Garfield........2003-09-04

John Garfield meets the Dead End Kids.......2003-06-15

A Very Thirties Film.......2002-04-13

Average customer rating:

They Made Me a Criminal

Manufacturer: Synergy Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000REQTD6
Release Date: 2007-05-29

amazon.com

A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk.

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