''Marked Men'' is a 1940 American film directed by

Sam Newfield Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, (December 6, 1899 - November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie Film director, director, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with d ...

(using the pseudonym "Sherman Scott") for

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 ...

. The film is also known as ''Desert Escape'' in the USA (TV title).

Plot

Bill Carver (

Warren Hull John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor, singer and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in t ...

) is a man wrongfully imprisoned after being framed by gangster Joe Mallon (

Paul Bryar Paul Bryar (born Gabriel Paul Barrere; February 21, 1910 – August 30, 1985) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly half a century, he appeared in numerous films and television series. Career Bryar appeared in nearly 220 fil ...

). In prison he is involuntarily involved in a jailbreak, also arranged by Mallon, who is serving in the same facility. The attempted break fails, and Mallon and his gang are soon caught by the police and put back behind bars—except for Bill, who escapes to the Arizona desert and picks up a stray dog he names Wolf. In the small town of Tempe, he meets Linda (

Isabel Jewell Isabel Jewell (July 19, 1907 – April 5, 1972) was an American actress who rose to prominence in the 1930s and early 1940s. Some of her more famous films were '' Ceiling Zero'', ''Marked Woman'', ''A Tale of Two Cities'', and ''Gone with t ...

) who offers him work with her father, Dr James Prentiss Harkness (

John Dilson John Dilson (February 18, 1891 – June 1, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1934 and 1944. Selected filmography * ''A Man's Game'' (1934) * '' The Westerner'' (1934) * '' The Girl Who Came Back'' ...

). Bill stays with the doctor, but then there is another jailbreak at the prison, this time a successful one. The escapees hold up a bank and make it look as though Bill was involved in the robbery. He has to clear his name of being part of the bank raid, and the only way he can do this is by catching the real perpetrators, Mallon and his men. He leaves his safe haven at the doctor's house and starts tracking the gang through the desert. Soon he finds Mallon and the others, who are lost and need Bill's help to find the border and cross into Mexico. He agrees to help them, seeing his chance of clearing his name, but the journey becomes a living hell for them all. Because of the lack of water and the dangers in the desert at night, only Bill, his dog and Mallon remain when they come close to the border, as during the trek he has brutally killed his henchmen for arguing with him when trying to quench their thirst from the dwindling supplies they are carrying. At this point Bill forces the weak and starving gangster to sign a written confession, proving his innocence. As Mallon finishes signing the document, Dr Harkness and his daughter arrive to rescue them. The gangster tries to kill Bill, but he is rescued by his dog. A free man, he returns to live in peace with the doctor and Linda, whom he marries.

Cast

as Bill Carver *

as Linda Harkness *

as Dr James Prentiss Harkness *

as Joe Mallon * Charles Williams as Charlie Sloane * Lyle Clement as Marshal Dan Tait *

Budd Buster Budd Leland Buster (June 14, 1891 – December 22, 1965), usually credited as Budd Buster (and sometimes Bud Buster), was an American actor known for B western films. He sometimes was credited as George Selk in his later work. Early life Bus ...

as Mr Marvin - Druggist *

Al St. John Al St. John (also credited as Al Saint John and "Fuzzy" St. John; September 10, 1892 – January 21, 1963) was an early American motion-picture comedian. He was a nephew of silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, with whom he often performed on ...

as Gimpy - a Thug *

Eddie Fetherston Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology * Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

as Marty - a Thug *

Ted Erwin TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

as Mike - a Thug *

Art Miles Art is a diverse range of human behavior, human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imagination, imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no genera ...

as Blimp - a Thug *

Grey Shadow Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed ...

as Wolf - the Dog

References

External links

* * 1940 films 1940 crime films American black-and-white films Films directed by Sam Newfield Producers Releasing Corporation films American crime films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-crime-film-stub