''Baby Face Morgan'' is a 1942 American comedy of errors crime film directed by

Arthur Dreifuss Arthur Dreifuss (sometimes credited as Dreyfuss; March 25, 1908 – December 31, 1993)Mary Carlisle Mary Carlisle (born Gwendolyn Witter; February 3, 1914 – August 1, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her roles as a wholesome ingénue in numerous 1930s musical-comedy films. She starred in more than 60 Holly ...

and

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's deat ...

. The film was a notable "B" effort for PRC (

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

Jack Schwarz Jack Irving Schwarz (December 19, 1896January 6, 1987) was an independent producer of low-budget feature films in the 1940s and 1950s. Early life Jack Schwarz was born in Chicago, the son of Adolph Schwarz, a traveling clothing salesman, and Dora ...

was producer, and Leon Fromkess was listed as "in charge of production".

Plot

With America engaged in fighting World War II, the traditional gangsters have fallen on tough times. 'Doc' Rogers ( Robert Armstrong) summons criminals from around the nation for a summit. He proposes that the only way they can regain their former wealth and influence is by uniting under a strong leader. As the now deceased

Mob Mob or MOB may refer to: Behavioral phenomena * Crowd * Smart mob, a temporary self-structuring social organization, coordinated through telecommunication Crime and law enforcement * American Mafia, also known as the Mob * Irish Mob, a US crimin ...

Boss "Big Morgan" was their greatest leader, Rogers, his lieutenant, decides to bring in Morgan's son Edward 'Baby Face' Morgan (

) to lead the gangsters. Rogers sends two of his loyal but dim-witted henchmen to see whether Edward has the capabilities of his father, and if he does, to bring him back. Edward, who never knew his father or the life he led, is a small-town delivery boy. The two henchmen misinterpret his account of taking collections and leaving pineapples as proof he uses hand grenades to support his

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

racket and brings him back to Doc. Doc immediately sees that Edward and his cousin Ollie ( Chick Chandler) are naive youngsters but decides to use Edward's name as a unifying element. However, Doc ensures that the gangsters never meet Edward nor does Edward meet the criminals or know what business they are in. Doc sets Edward and Ollie up as President and Vice President of one of Big Morgan's

shelf corporation A shelf corporation, shelf company, or aged corporation is a company or corporation that has had no activity. It was created and left with no activity – metaphorically put on the "shelf" to "age". The company can then be sold to a person or gr ...

s called the Acme Protection Agency where the profits of the criminals' extortion rackets are deposited. Edward and Ollie believe they are running an insurance company staffed with one of Doc's henchmen, his moll and an office full of rabbits that the henchman wants to use to make a fur coat for his moll. The criminals are told that Big Morgan's brutal son "Baby Face" is running things and they believe Doc's stories of his cruelty. Doc believes the Federal authorities are occupied with Japanese-Americans and the

German American Bund The German American Bund, or the German American Federation (german: Amerikadeutscher Bund; Amerikadeutscher Volksbund, AV), was a German-American Nazi organization which was established in 1936 as a successor to the Friends of New Germany (FoN ...

so they will have a free run. The gangsters begin to extort trucking companies and all pay up, except one led by Virginia (

Mary Carlisle Mary Carlisle (born Gwendolyn Witter; February 3, 1914 – August 1, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her roles as a wholesome ingénue in numerous 1930s musical-comedy films. She starred in more than 60 Holly ...

) who throws the gangster out of her office. They plan revenge by destroying one of her trucks on its run. When Virginia's courage makes the newspapers, Ollie decides that their insurance company can sell policies to the victims of "Baby Face Morgan" though Edward does not realise that he is Baby Face. When Virginia and Edward meet they fall in love. Virginia buys a large policy, the gangsters destroy the truck and Edward pays off the next day. Edward's prompt payment leads all the other trucking companies to purchase policies from Acme Protection and challenge the gangsters to destroy their old vehicles when they refuse to pay the extortion. It does not take long before the Mob comes looking for their profits that have been recycled back to the trucking companies. "Baby Face" takes a crash course in acting as a tough guy.

Reception

According to ''B Movies'' by Don Miller, "Most of the remainder of the 1942 PRC product dealt with gangsters, crime or whodunit puzzles, reliable standbys of the indie companies catering to action and grind theater houses. ''Baby Face Morgan'' played it for laughs, with Cromwell as a rube posing as a tough racketeer. Armstrong, o-starChick Chandler and Carlisle lent strong support, and while it never scaled any heights it was a passable spoof of the genre."Miller, Don (1988). ''B Movies''. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 305. .

Cast

as Virginia Clark *

as Edward 'Baby Face' Morgan * Robert Armstrong as 'Doc' Rogers * Chick Chandler as Oliver Harrison *

Warren Hymer Edgar Warren Hymer (February 25, 1906 – March 25, 1948) was an American theatre and film actor. Early life He was born in New York City. His father, John Bard Hymer (1875/1876 – 1953) was a playwright (with nine Broadway plays to ...

as Wise Willie *

Charles Judels Charles Judels (August 17, 1882 - February 14, 1969) was a Dutch-born American actor. Early years Judels was born on August 17, 1882, in Amsterdam as a third generation in a family of actors. His grandfather owned several theatres throughout t ...

as 'Deacon' Davis *

Vince Barnett Vince Barnett (July 4, 1902 – August 10, 1977) was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975. Early years Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...

as Lefty Lewis *

Ralf Harolde Ralf Harolde (born Ralph Harold Wigger, May 17, 1899 – November 11, 1974) was an American character actor who often played gangsters. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including '' Smart Money'' with Edward G. Robinson and ...

as Joe Torelli * Hal K. Dawson as J.B. Brown *Toddy Peterson as Mabel *Kenneth Chryst as 'Mouse' *

Pierce Lyden Pierce W. Lyden (January 8, 1908 – October 10, 1998) was an American actor best known for his work in television and film Westerns. Early life Lyden was born in a sod house on a ranch near Hildreth, Nebraska on January 8, 1908. The son of a hor ...

as Gap

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baby Face Morgan 1942 films 1940s crime comedy-drama films American crime comedy-drama films 1940s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films American black-and-white films Producers Releasing Corporation films 1942 comedy films 1942 drama films Films directed by Arthur Dreifuss 1940s English-language films 1940s American films