Main Cast: Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Bruce Cabot, Rita Johnson, Donald Douglas
Release Year: 1938
Country: US
Run Time: 68 minutes
Plot
"Ripped from today's headlines", RKO Radio's Smashing the Rackets was inspired by the career of colorful New York district attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Chester Morris plays the Dewey character, here rechristened Jim Conway. Starting out as a G-Man, Conway is appointed special prosecutor of a conveniently unnamed state, whereupon he declares war on such gangster types as Bruce Cabot and Ben Welden. But while the real Dewey ascended to the governor's chair, Jim Conway settles for a private law practice once his job is done. The talented but underused Frances Mercer provides the film's romantic interest. Smashing the Rackets was the first of several "exploitation" pictures produced by RKO's B-picture maven Lee Marcus; the next on the docket was Tarnished Angel, an "a clef" retelling of the Aimee Semple McPherson story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Although nothing to get too excited about, this little RKO thriller actually holds up very well thanks to no-nonsense direction by Lew Landers and good performance by a well-chosen cast that includes Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Bruce Cabot, and Rita Johnson. The distaff side is especially well represented here, Johnson and Mercer both fine at playing cool and calculating society debs. The latter makes the most out of a rare co-starring assignment and Smashing the Rackets emerges as one of those forgotten little B-pictures ripe for reevaluation. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Lew Landers - Director, Harry Marker - Editor, Frank Tours - Musical Direction/Supervision, Nick Musuraca - Cinematographer, B.F. Fineman - Producer, B.P. Fineman - Producer, Lionel Houser - Screenwriter, Forrest Davis - Short Story Author
