User Reviews

THEY MADE ME A KILLER 1946

A low rent programmer put out by Pine-Thomas and released through Paramount Pictures. This low rent noir drama was made by the "Dollar Bills", William Thomas and William Pine. The two Bills were known to be tight with a buck as they churned out low-budget fare for the bottom of the double feature. They were so good at this that they ended up in charge of the b-film unit at Paramount studios.

Robert Lowery, Barbara Britton and Lola Lane headline this quickie. Lowery is a mechanic from Chicago who decides to move to L.A. He loads up his car and heads for the big sunshine. His money however runs out and he needs to sell his car for some ready cash. He stops at a town to see what he can get for his heap.

Lowery is soon approached by Lola Lane with an offer to buy his car. But they need to wait till the next day because her boyfriend has the money. Lowery agrees and they all meet the next morning outside the local bank.

The deal though is not the one Lowery was hoping for. Lane's boyfriend, and his brother, Ed MacDonald and James Bush are really bank hold-up men. Lowery has been tricked into being the getaway driver for a bank robbery. Two men, a cop and a bank employee are shot with the Policeman being killed. The bank employee is taken to hospital in serious shape.

Needless to say Lowery ends up in Police custody while Lane and the other two make good their getaway. Nobody believes a word of his story about being forced into the crime. Lowery is sure the bank employee can clear him. But of course the man dies before he can do this. Lowery manages to get in a couple of quick punches and hotfoot it into the night.

The rest of the tale involves Lowery getting hooked up with the dead bank worker's sister, Barbara Britton. He convinces her to help clear his name as well as find her brother's killers. The clues lead them to a roadside diner ran by Elizabeth Risdon. Risdon just happens to be the mother of the two men Lowery and Britton are looking for. There are a few exchanges of flying fists and lead needed before everything is put right.

Not great, but, by no means is it a waste of time. It moves right along with only a 64 minute runtime.

The director was William Thomas. By directing their own productions, Pine and Thomas increased their bottom line.

The d of p was long time b-film and television man, Fred Jackman. Jackman worked in the industry from 1935 till 1981.

What is really of note here, is the writers, Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) and Winston Miller. Mainwaring is well known to film noir fans for doing the story or screenplays to, THIS WOMAN IS DANGEROUS, THE BIG STEAL, THE LAWLESS, THE TALL TARGET, ROADBLOCK, PHENIX CITY STORY, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE GUNRUNNERS and of course, OUT OF THE PAST. Winston Miller worked on the westerns, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, STATION WEST, RELENTLESS, Carson CITY, RUN FOR COVER and BOUNTY HUNTER.

This is a pretty decent film even though it is clearly a B-movie--and with a B-movie cast. Now the term 'B-movie' is not necessarily bad one, but it refers to a lower budget second film from a double-feature. These films were made mostly in the 1930s and 40s and were often made by small-time production companies such as PRC or Monogram, but were also often made by more prestigious studios like Columbia and even MGM. While they have a relatively poor reputation with some, they did fill a niche--and many of them (such as the Val Lewton films or Charlie Chan films) were seen as pretty respectable fair. In general, they had lesser-known actors, had scripts that were often a bit rough and a running time of about an hour. I personally love a good B...and admire how many of them managed to provide some dandy entertainment for a very reasonable cost. As for "They Made Me a Killer", it certainly is one of the better Bs--mostly because the plot is rather original.

The film begins with a guy leaving his home town of Chicago. On the way out west, he tries to sell his car but ends up getting into a ton of trouble. Instead of buying his car, a gang of thieves pretends to be interested...and pull off a bank heist with him in the car being forced to drive at gunpoint. He ends up being the one that is captured and the police don't believe that he was innocent. So how will the guy avoid a life behind bars?!

As I said, the idea is pretty original. In addition, the acting is very good--not flashy, but quite competent and believable. Overall, I was quite entertained but not bowled over. I think occasionally the dialog could have been better--perhaps more film noir or at least a bit grittier. Still, at only a shade more than one hour, the movie gets right to the action and doesn't let up until its nifty, though a bit predictable, conclusion. Well worth seeing if you are a B-fan.

***SPOILERS*** Story of a man Chicago native Tom Durling, Robert Lowery,looking to forget the past in his brother getting killed in a car accident only to find his future far worse in getting involved in a bank robbery in Santa Marta California. It's there that he's forced to be the getaway driver where two persons were killed in the process. Unknown to Durling the hot chick he picked up hitch hiking Betty Ford, Lola Lane, was involved with the bank robbers whom he was to be involved with. With the only witness bank teller Steve Reynolds, Byron Barr, to prove his innocence killed in the bank shoot out Durling now faces robbery and murder charges that can land him in the infamous San Quentin gas chamber.

It's the late Steve Reynolds sister kindergarten school teacher June, Barbara Britton, who after being canned from her job, just because her brother was murdered in a bank shootout?, who sands by Durling's side in believing in his innocence and help him make his escape from the law in trying to track down those who framed him and murdered her brother Steve. Being the cold blooded killers that they are brothers Jack & Frank Conley, Edmund McDoland & James Bush, keep Durling alive after he crashed their hideout just because of his driving and mechanic expertise that they need for their getaway from the police. As it turns out Durling is more then willing to be in with the two bank robbers and killers not all that interested to bring them to justice and clearing his name from the crime that they committed. But more then willing to get his hands on the 100 G's they ripped off and keep it for himself. Meanwhile June has gotten at job as a waitress at the place where the three, the Conley brothers and Durling, are hiding out in Ma Conley's Diner. It's in fact Ma, Elisabeth Risdon, who the brains behind her sons crimes is only using the place as a front from the police.

***SPOILERS*** With both Durling and June's cover blown the final minutes of the movie has a wild shootout between the crooks Durling and police who come, in now knowing that he's an innocent man, to his aid. With Durling now a free and innocent man he can now go on with his life getting a job as a soda jerk at the now under new management, him, Ma's Diner and be free to marry June. That as soon as her earns enough money pumping soda and flipping hamburgers to buy her a wedding ring for their upcoming marriage next June or whenever he pops the question.

An innocent victim of blind justice,before Dr Richard Kimble ; Tom,who's just lost his brother ,wants a new career in a new town. He has just arrived all of five minutes when he's involved in a bank hold-up and accused of murder ;then he becomes .... a fugitive ;the best scenes are to be found in the beginning :the hard judge has no pity on the new kid in town ;the witness who could clear his name is dying; then he escapes and disguises himself in a medical students and hides in an operating room like Harrison Ford would do in the theatrically-released movie ,but he was a real doctor!

The rest is full of implausibilities:the girl believes the boy-who-might-be-a -criminal illico ,and the scenes with mom and sons in the restaurant are not fully exploited ;unfortunately for them the two cops (and guests of the place) are always at the right place at the right moment :the juke-box trick is far-fetched ;the warden's heart attack is another coincidence too good to be true.

THEY MADE ME A KILLER is a cheap and fast-paced B-picture from Paramount. Robert Lowery stars in the classic wronged man role as a guy who gets accused of robbery and murder by the cops and who must fight to clear his name with the aid of a young woman.

With a running time clocking in at just over an hour this is a brisk little thing and if the staging isn't very convincing then at least it holds the attention throughout. You know the score with these pictures: the bad guys are bad and wooden, the cops rude and stupid, the hero and heroine flawless and put-upon. There's some low rent action and a few plot twists, but it's generally much as you'd expect.

Surprising neat little indy action thriller from the Pine-Thomas unit that holds up pretty well. Man on the move (Lowery) gets tricked into participating in a crime. He's arrested and then escapes, determined to clear his name and that of another innocent party. Britton is the girl who believes him and tries to help. The writing (Daniel Mainwaring of Out of the Past) is perfectly fine if not exactly Chandleresque; the sets are cheesy but completely appropriate to the story. The acting is fine. The director moves it right along. I was surprised how well it holds up. Watch for later Academy Award winner Gig Young using his name Byron Barr appearing briefly as an innocent bystander who gets shot. Low budget but no apologies needed.