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Baby Face Morgan

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Baby Face Morgan
Original film poster
Directed byArthur Dreifuss
Written byJack Rubin
Oscar Brodney
Screenplay byEdward Dein
Jack Rubin
Produced byLeon Fromkess (executive producer)
Jack Schwarz
StarringMary Carlisle
Richard Cromwell
Chick Chandler
CinematographyArthur Reed
Edited byDan Miller
Music byLeo Erdody
Distributed byProducers Releasing Corporation
Release date
  • September 15, 1942 (1942-09-15)
Running time
63 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Baby Face Morgan is a 1942 American comedy of errors crime film directed by Arthur Dreifuss. It starred Mary Carlisle and Richard Cromwell.

The film was a notable "B" effort for PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation). Jack Schwarz 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 uniting under a strong leader. As the now deceased Mob Boss “Big Morgan” was their greatest leader, Rogers, his lieutenant, decides to bring in Morgan’s son (Richard Cromwell) Edward 'Baby Face' Morgan to lead the united 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 racket and brings him back to Doc. Doc immediately sees Edward and his cousin (Chick Chandler) Ollie are naive youngsters but decide 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 corporations called the Acme Protection Agency where the profits of the criminals extortion rackets are funneled to. Edward and Ollie believe they are running am 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 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) 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 doesn’t 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 (Copyright 1973 by Film Fan Monthly under arrangement with Curtis Books. Foreword copyright 1987 by Leonard Maltin, Paperback edition by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, New York. 361 pp.), "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 Richard Cromwell as a rube posing as a tough racketeer. Robert Armstrong, Chick Chandler, and Mary Carlisle lent strong support and while it never scaled any heights it was a passable spoof of the genre."

Cast

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