Bardlerx Strictly average movie

ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

GazerRise Fantastic!

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Robert J. Maxwell These unprepossessing and inexpensive detective entertainments appeared on the screen in droves during the 30s and 40s. The lead characters ranged from the street wise (Michael Shayne) through the somewhat dandified (Philo Vance) to the exotic (Charlie Chan). They were ground out like franchise hamburgers, with similar plots and many of the same characters, and they must have kept the writers, crew, and actors steadily employed.Boston Blackie is typical. Blackie, played by Chester Morris, is an ex safe cracker who helps out the police while maintaining the properly ambivalent relationship with Inspector Faraday. Blackie has the usual comic sidekick, here called "Runt." There is usually a young woman swept up in the plot, whose identity varied from one film to the next.On the social scale, Blackie registers as High Prole. Chester Morris always has his lips compressed. He has a jutting jaw. He's of modest height and walks in quick strides, swinging his brief arms vigorously, his chest puffed out. He could hardly be a Fancy Dan but the script gives him mock-eloquent locution. Who's trying to kill him? "Oh, just some former acquaintances." The plot isn't really worth describing in any detail. Something to do with an unidentified mob trying to steal "the new Navy bombsight." The mob is probably German but this was shot before Germany declared war on us so naming the heavies was noch verboten.The studio setting include a kind of interesting carnival or amusement park, probably meant to be suggestive of Coney Island, since the story is set in New York. There are some modestly exciting moments but no brutality -- just the occasional clip on the jaw, the screeching car pursuing the screeching car, the dart in the back of the neck. I kind of enjoyed the mechanical man, although at times it was hard to tell him from the other actors.The genre ended around 1950 when similar mystery stories, often based on the same characters and starring the same performers, began to appear on weekly television.

MartinHafer Recently, Turner Classic Movies has shown most of the Boston Blackie films and after having seen just about about all of them, this first appears to be the very best. I think much of this is the freshness and originality of the script. If you see it and remember it was the first of the series starring Chester Morris, the movie seems very fresh and exciting for the genre--with a great script and good doses of humor and excitement. However, many of the the wonderful things about this film were repeated again and again in later films and this is when the series began to wear a bit thin. The stupidity of the inspector and especially his assistant is funny, but not by the fifth or sixth or twelfth film--by then, it just seems....stupid. Plus, it makes sense that these two bumblers think that Blackie committed the murders--after all, Blackie had spent time in prison. However, when film after film after film Boston Blackie proves he is a good guy and solves the crimes, it really makes no sense at all that the original plot outline is STILL being followed--practically to the letter. As a result, I honestly think the average viewer is better off seeing just a few films from the series and not bothering to see them all.Now even if this formula is a bit too strict throughout most of the series, MEET BOSTON BLACKIE is still a very good film because it has an exciting plot. Instead of a movie about a jewel theft (a theme often repeated), it involves several murders and a spy ring--something very timely since the film was made just before the US entered WWII. Snappy dialog, great action and some amazing originality (at least in this point in the series)---all these come together to make an excellent B-detective film that's every bit as good as the best of Charlie Chan or The Saint.

ccthemovieman-1 This was my first look at this old-time crime "series," if you will, of hour-long tales starring Chester Morris as "Boston Blackie." I don't know enough about the character, since this was my first look, to make many comments on him but Morris reminds me a bit, with his smugness, of William Powell playing "Nick Charles" of "The Thin Man" movie fame. In a nutshell, I found this movie surprisingly fast-paced and entertaining. I hope they all are similar to this with interesting characters and a good mix of crime, snappy dialog that includes humor, nice-looking "dames," chase scenes and the like. Yes, it's dated but that's okay for the most part although some scenes you shake your head with the implausibility. At the end, Blackie makes a throw that a Major Leauge baseball pitcher couldn't make, but despite the credibility it was a short, fun story that doesn't drag. Rochelle Hudson filled the bill as the female lead. I remember her from a Shirley Temple film or two. Richard Lane was a bit odd as "Inspecor Faraday." He kept saying - or hinting - that he cared about Blackie but but at the same time he kept trying to put him in the electric chair. Some friend!Overall, enjoyable, and I hope I see many of the 13 others in the series is they are as fast- paced as this one.

Mike-764 Blackie arrives back in the US (via steamer) only to find himself in trouble with the law again when he finds a corpse, Martin Vestrick, in his stateroom. Blackie trails Marilyn Howard, who was seen with Vestrick by Blackie and Runt on the ship, to Coney Island where a group of spies meet at the freak show exhibit. Marilyn is later killed when she goes on the Tunnel of Horrors ride with Blackie, and the same killers go after our hero. Blackie forces a ride with Cecelia Bradley, an innocent bystander, and the two manage to elude the killers. Inspector Faraday, in the meantime, goes after Blackie for the murder of Marilyn, while Blackie, Cecelia, and the Runt try to unravel the spy activities at the amusement park. Nice opening to this 14 film series, with Chester Morris providing the jovial attitude seen in his other movies and beneficial to the character (also nice to see some of Morris' magic tricks as well). Rochelle Hudson was very beautiful here and lent fine support. I was impressed with Florey's direction and Planer's camera-work giving us some interesting perspectives and camera angles. My beef with this film was that there was little action with the villains in the movie, seeing the case from Blackie's perspective. Next film in the series: Confessions of Boston Blackie. Rating, 8.