Ultima ora

"Murder in the Big House" is a B-movie. And, like other Bs, it was quickly made and done on the cheap....even if it was made by a top studio, Warner Brothers. So, a few of the mistakes and problems with the story I can look past...and it turns out to be a dandy film in spite of its problems.

When the story begins,'Dapper Dan' Malloy is awaiting execution. His lawyer insists that the governor will commute the sentence, but it seems the lawyer is telling him this for one reason....to stall. This is because Malloy has promised to spill the beans IF he's going to be executed...and someone wants him to be kept quiet. In fact, just before the execution and before he can talk to reporters, Malloy is 'accidentally killed' by a bolt of lightning!! And leading the investigation is a brand new reporter, Bert Bell (Van Johnson).

The film excels with plot twists and turns. It also features a better than normal cast for such a movie...and this is thanks to Van Johnson being a relative newcomer and MGM loaning him out to Warner for the picture. Just a year or two later, Johnson would become one of the top actors for MGM...and loan-outs like this would be a thing of the past.

So what didn't I like about the movie? Two main things....a poorly choreographed fight scene where it is too painfully clear that the guys are stuntmen as well as too many cliches typical of a B-mystery film. Still, it's not bad and kept my interest throughout...making it better than just another time-passer.

By the way, my favaorite moment was during a terrible thunderstorm the night of the scheduled execution. One of the guards comments "Nature sure picked a strange time for a barbecue"!