Shantytown

Many film-making refugees from Nazi Germany found employment at Republic (as writers, associate producers and set/art) during the early-40's, and most of the B-features they worked on at Republic reflect themes and styles not normally associated with Republic's usual-lively B-features. Bordering on plumb depressing at times. Like this one.

Elizabeth "Liz" Gorty (Mary Lee) lives with her mother (Anne Revere) and stepfather (J. Frank Hamilton)in a ramshackle boarding house in "Shantytown" on the "wrong side of the tracks." Bill Allen (John Archer)and his wife Virginia (Marjorie Lord) rent a room from the Gorty's and "Liz", always a tomboy, resolves to become a lady like Virginia, who is expecting a baby. Bill is a fugitive from the law because he was innocently involved in a crime pulled off by the "Ace" Landers (Noel Madison) gang. Landers locates Bill and the latter is forced to drive a get-away car in a bank robbery. The gang is caught but Bill escapes. Meanwhile, Virginia is ill and is attended by kindly old "Doc" Herndon (Harry Davenport.) "Liz" manages to get on an amateur-hour broadcast, sings "On The Corner of Sunshine and Main" and "It Had To Be You", accompanied by Marty Malneck and his Orchestra , and she tosses in a plea for Bill to come home.

No matter what hovel they were hiding in or how hunted they were, film fugitives always have a radio handy and tuned to the Amateur Hour. Bill was no exception.