I Saw A Film!

An old Ed Wood special. Heavy on the discussion and low on the activity. A young man falls into a life of crime with his “heater” or “rod” and a charming lout. Family and friends warn of the likelihood of his ending up in prison or worse.

It isn’t long before the gun-toting dopes are holding up a night-watchman and trying to crack a safe. They end up killing the night-watchman and the chase is on. Soon enough the fellows end up in an argument over heavy remorseful feels and the young fellow takes a bullet and they dispose of him in the river. The crime has now been fully leveraged onto the dead fellow.

It just so happens the father of the now deceased reluctant robber is a famed plastic surgeon who is hired to change the face of the surviving gunman as he is worried that he is still associated with the boy they framed with the charge. In a hilarious sequence that takes place on a sofa and utilizes a dish of hot water, the doctor manages to create a new face on the killer. He’s really good at his job so you accept this only takes a few minutes and doesn’t require more than a satchel of equipment. As the cops pour in the bandages are removed and lo and behold the surgeon has changed the rotter to look just like his dead son! Face off! But without the actual face-off.

This silly old film, fairly short, runs free on Prime and one of the cops is Steve Reeves of Superman and Hercules fame. They push the hotness of the ladies, but there’s not much for them to do but stand around and act frustrated. This is the first film to include a warning about black face that I’ve noticed. The sequence, apparently added for padding, is a straight forward hideous vaudeville “ain’t the darkie funny” sort of routine. Also enjoy the CONSTANT Mexican guitar music, and I do mean it never stops.