Another PRC quickie from Edgar Ullmer, but he threw everything and the kitchen sink into this one. The story revolves around a character called "The Ghost" played to the hilt by Ricardo Cortez. It takes place at some lonesome outpost in the desert. The Ghost is a mysterious gangster from the east who opens a nightspot out west and begins to corrupt everything he touches. One of his victims is an old geezer played by Emmett Lynn, who once was charged with murder. The Ghost blackmails him into a black market tire scheme. (This was 1942 and tires were worth more than gold). He than sets his sights on the old timer's daughter played by an unremarkable Jean Parker, who is really in love with a soldier.
Then it gets weird. The Ghost is threatened by a rival gangster called "Big Charlie". You have to wonder, how many gangsters can they possibly have out in cactus country? Let's see; we have a big shoot out between The Ghost and his gang and Big Charlie and his gang. The Ghost escapes, comes to believe he is immortal, shoots the old geezer in cold blood, and THEN swears his undying love for the daughter and wants her to run away with him. I would call that bad timing. As this unlikely scene plays out, we come to find that The Ghost is as nutty as a Snickers Bar. Meanwhile, the old geezer rolls over, shoots The Ghost and croaks on cue. The daughter calls the sheriff, declares her love to her soldier boy, and we finish up with a huge military parade of trucks, jeeps, and assorted obsolete military equipment across the desert, right past the front door of the old geezers cafe.
Look, this is Edgar Ullmer. This is PRC. It was an amazing exercise. Can I say, they don't make them like this anymore. The one thing I would mention is the performance turned in by Ricardo Cortez. Most film buffs remember him as the suave gangster, the smooth operator of the 30's. This film was made slightly after his prime and, I think, he elected to, or was forced to, take another tack. In this film we initially see him in his traditional role as a rather elegant gangster. But as the film progresses, he gets loonier and loonier until, toward the end, he looks less like Ricardo Cortez and more like Zeppo Marx. This is one of a kind. Cowboy gangsters and a military parade in the same movie - and don't forget to buy your war bonds.
Then it gets weird. The Ghost is threatened by a rival gangster called "Big Charlie". You have to wonder, how many gangsters can they possibly have out in cactus country? Let's see; we have a big shoot out between The Ghost and his gang and Big Charlie and his gang. The Ghost escapes, comes to believe he is immortal, shoots the old geezer in cold blood, and THEN swears his undying love for the daughter and wants her to run away with him. I would call that bad timing. As this unlikely scene plays out, we come to find that The Ghost is as nutty as a Snickers Bar. Meanwhile, the old geezer rolls over, shoots The Ghost and croaks on cue. The daughter calls the sheriff, declares her love to her soldier boy, and we finish up with a huge military parade of trucks, jeeps, and assorted obsolete military equipment across the desert, right past the front door of the old geezers cafe.
Look, this is Edgar Ullmer. This is PRC. It was an amazing exercise. Can I say, they don't make them like this anymore. The one thing I would mention is the performance turned in by Ricardo Cortez. Most film buffs remember him as the suave gangster, the smooth operator of the 30's. This film was made slightly after his prime and, I think, he elected to, or was forced to, take another tack. In this film we initially see him in his traditional role as a rather elegant gangster. But as the film progresses, he gets loonier and loonier until, toward the end, he looks less like Ricardo Cortez and more like Zeppo Marx. This is one of a kind. Cowboy gangsters and a military parade in the same movie - and don't forget to buy your war bonds.