Burly bank robber Richard Dix (as Frank "Duke" Ellis) is about to proclaim "I am a fugitive from a chain gang!" when he sees little brother Tom Brown (as John "Johnny" Ellis) has been sentenced to a similar fate. In order to protect handsome young Mr. Brown from the abusive system, Mr. Dix elects to remain behind. Good thing, too, as his accomplices end up dead. Having witnessed John Arledge (as Joe Carter) die in the "Sweat-Box" makes Dix bargain with sadistic guards to keep Brown out of the death chamber.
Brown, who received a relatively light sentence for confronting Dix' informer with a deadly weapon, is given a cushy office job. When he learns Dix is to be sent to prison for life, Brown decides to plan his brother's escape, putting both in danger...
This RKO effort beat the similarly-themed Paul Muni picture to the box office punch, but eventually took second place on the "Chang Gang" circuit. "Hell's Highway" suffers in comparison, but holds up well on its own. Note, the studio altered the ending to leave their heroic star in a better place, after initial audiences balked at Dix' fate. But, some of the hard stuff remained. The wife of the "Pop-Eye" character played by Warner Richmond is likely whoring after several men. And, cook Eddie Hart (as Burgess) is obviously homosexual, and possibly servicing C. Henry Gordon (as "Blacksnake" Skinner).
******* Hell's Highway (9/23/32) Rowland Brown ~ Richard Dix, Tom Brown, Charles Middleton, John Arledge
Brown, who received a relatively light sentence for confronting Dix' informer with a deadly weapon, is given a cushy office job. When he learns Dix is to be sent to prison for life, Brown decides to plan his brother's escape, putting both in danger...
This RKO effort beat the similarly-themed Paul Muni picture to the box office punch, but eventually took second place on the "Chang Gang" circuit. "Hell's Highway" suffers in comparison, but holds up well on its own. Note, the studio altered the ending to leave their heroic star in a better place, after initial audiences balked at Dix' fate. But, some of the hard stuff remained. The wife of the "Pop-Eye" character played by Warner Richmond is likely whoring after several men. And, cook Eddie Hart (as Burgess) is obviously homosexual, and possibly servicing C. Henry Gordon (as "Blacksnake" Skinner).
******* Hell's Highway (9/23/32) Rowland Brown ~ Richard Dix, Tom Brown, Charles Middleton, John Arledge