JohnHowardReid "Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood" (1942) was the fourth film in the "Boston Blackie" series and it was also the first movie directorial effort of the then very successful Broadway stage director, Michael Gordon.Owing partly to his expertise and partly to the fact that there was a war going on, Michael Gordon was soon in great demand in Hollywood (his later films included "Woman in Hiding", and "Portrait in Black") and he certainly stages some really great action footage here , utilizing some actual real life Los Angeles locations that were not far from Hollywood. Oddly, despite the film's actual title, no real outdoor locations in Hollywood itself were utilized. Of even more importance, although the film moves really fast, the plot is not particularly credible, but nonetheless, the solid acting by charismatic villains William Wright, Constance Worth and Forrest Tucker certainly help to put the story across most successfully.

binapiraeus This time, Boston Blackie REALLY gets a taste of his old 'job': a rich friend of his phones him to 'break' into his apartment and crack his safe to take out 6000 dollars and bring them to him in L.A. - but... Inspector Faraday catches him right 'in the act', with the safe open and the money in his hands; so THIS time, he thinks, he's got him for good! Of course, now the usual cat-and-mouse game follows, with the money and a precious jewel changing hands countless times (and Blackie meeting some of his old 'pals' from Sing Sing days...), with escapes from planes, hotel rooms and even elevator shafts - hilarious fun, as always! (With the cops being dumber than ever before...) And for a change, nobody gets murdered this time - so you could really call this a VERY entertaining, funny family crime movie, suited perfectly for any 8- or 10-year old; but nonetheless equally fun to watch for adults...

classicsoncall A frenetic entry in the Boston Blackie series, this one gets downright farcical at times with the Runt (George E. Stone) masquerading as an Our Gang Alfalfa type character, and Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) donning the guise of a Professor to help a friend in California. The caper involves the missing Monterey diamond, followed by the sixty thousand dollars Blackie brings with him from Arthur Manleder's (Lloyd Corrigan) safe back home. The film utilizes all sorts of ruses and gimmicks that wouldn't even be attempted in a movie today because quite frankly, they wouldn't work, literally or figuratively. Like buying a plane ticket with cash! Can you do that today? I don't think so.But given the time, I'm sure this was a fun diversion, and probably the best way to view the film and the series today. It's also cool to see some Hollywood names before they made it, like the unrecognizably young Forrest Tucker as a henchman named Whipper and an uncredited Lloyd Bridges. The bumbling police detectives were of course a staple for the genre, and you'll find them constantly foiled at the hands of era detectives like Charlie Chan, Mr. Wong, the Lone Wolf and plenty of others. There might be better ways to spend an hour, but in a pinch, this one will do as well as most.

blanche-2 "Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood" is another entry into the 14-film BB series. Boston Blackie doesn't exactly go Hollywood; I guess the producers wanted a snazzy name. These series - Blackie, The Saint, The Falcon, Nick Carter all follow a formula - the hero is an amateur detective, a smooth fellow who has flirted with the dark side of the law who usually has a sidekick and always has an officer of the law either angry with him or after him.This time Blackie is in trouble with the law - as usual - because as an ex-jewel thief, he comes under suspicion every time there's a heist. This time it's the Monterey diamond, even though Blackie is in New York. Then his good friend Arthur Manleder (Lloyd Corrigan) calls from Los Angeles, and he's in trouble and in need of $60,000 out of his safe. Of course the police enter Manleder's apartment just as Blackie is making a large withdrawal from said safe. The Boston Blackie police are completely moronic so Blackie and his short friend Runt (George E. Stone) are always able to get away, often in diabolically funny ways. This time is no different.What distinguishes these various series is the personality of the actors, which makes telling The Falcon and The Saint apart since George Sanders played both. Boston Blackie is the most amusing, starring the personable and well-tailored Chester Morris. The scripts have very witty dialogue - better than the others, in my opinion - and it's delivered well by Morris who has grace and cool under fire.I find these movies very enjoyable. Look for a young Forrest Tucker and also Lloyd Bridges, who has a small role.