Joaquin Shannon arrives home from a cruise on his fishing boat. His first mate, Charles Nelson, is to marry Shannon's sister the next day. Nelson gets drunk and Shannon finds him near the un... Read allJoaquin Shannon arrives home from a cruise on his fishing boat. His first mate, Charles Nelson, is to marry Shannon's sister the next day. Nelson gets drunk and Shannon finds him near the unconscious body of a man that he, Shannon, had been fighting with previously. The man dies ... Read allJoaquin Shannon arrives home from a cruise on his fishing boat. His first mate, Charles Nelson, is to marry Shannon's sister the next day. Nelson gets drunk and Shannon finds him near the unconscious body of a man that he, Shannon, had been fighting with previously. The man dies and Shannon takes the blame and goes to prison. There he gets into trouble instigated by "... Read all
- Jackie
- (as John Russell)
- Captain of the Prison Guard
- (uncredited)
- Prisoner
- (uncredited)
- Woman on Dock
- (uncredited)
- Tuna Fisherman at Party
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
I remember something similar happened to a super obscure 1940s movie called Mad About Men or something - it had a rating of more than 4/5 because it assimilated all the ratings people had given Mad Men the show.
Anyway, 1938's Prison Break is just fine. At least it's not long, and it doesn't overextend itself. It does kind of underextend itself (is that even a term?) but I don't know; it's almost kinda watchable. I feel a bit duper about the whole Prison Break show to movie mix-up that made me intrigued about the high rating, but it is what it is.
Maclane plays the big, bluff, decent guy perfectly and his chemistry with Miss Farrell is fine; they had worked together in the "Torchy Blaine" series at Warners. Although this Trem Carr production for Universal shows signs of unfortunate cheapness -- mostly in the score -- the movie tells its story well and makes some good points about the failings of the parole system without going overboard in its stridency.
The lead character is portrayed with credibility & it is easy to understand the complex situations he becomes involved in, encouraging empathy from unbiased viewers observing his plight. In fact, he has a greater integrity surely, than a great many who always steer the favourable side of shady deals. And amongst it all, he finds himself up against other inmates, prison officers & prospective employers, to mention just a few. He is supported & consoled only by his sympathetic romantic interest. The settings & bureaucratic nightmare he finds himself in, in & outside of prison, are sadly all too applicable to the more modern world scenarios about us, as back in the era of this movie made in the aftermath of the tough realities of the Depression years.
But this "Prison Break" succeeds in being entertaining as well as informative & insightful. It is well worth a view!
Did you know
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Player (1992)
Details
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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