Martha Wilcox I first saw this film on Channel 4 back in 1988 whilst I was in secondary school and remember thinking that this was a good vehicle to showcase Robert Taylor as a future talent. It is far superior to 'Society Doctor' simply we see him scheming when he is in court being given a prison sentence. It has the feel of the 'Scotland Yard' short subjects. We see him enjoying himself in prison playing the game until it is time for him to be released and free to enjoy his $200,000. However, the idea is dropped into his head that whilst he is in prison someone may discover his buried loot and leave him with nothing. You see the smile drop from his face and replaced with a dark gloom. There is darkness in Robert Taylor, and it is pity that he always played protagonists because he had enough darkness in him to play antagonists like in 'Undercurrent'.

Paularoc This is the first of the 50 entry series of MGM shorts Crime Does Not Pay. As with most of the entries, there are no acting credits. So it came as a pleasant surprise to see a very young Robert Taylor in the lead role. He plays a seemingly affable young bank teller who has embezzled $200,000 from his bank. Seemingly remorseful, he confesses to his boss telling him that he gambled the money away. But in fact, he is devious and has buried the stolen money and figures it's worth it to spend a few years in jail. He is sent to prison for five to ten years. After two and a half years the fear that somehow someone will find the buried money grips him and when his cell mate urges him to break out, he agrees to break out of prison with him. Once out, he immediately goes to retrieve the money. He uses a ghastly and shocking method to disguise himself. There is an excellent twist ending to the story. Top notch short well worth watching.

Ron Oliver An MGM CRIME DOES NOT PAY Short Subject.An imprisoned embezzler begins to worry about the $200,000 in BURIED LOOT he's secreted in New Jersey.This two-reeler was the first in a series featuring true crime stories told in a compelling, hard-hitting fashion. It is well plotted & acted, with no dull moments or unnecessary subplots. No cast credits are given, but movie mavens will enjoy the ripe performance of Robert Taylor, only steps away from discovery & stardom, as the bad guy consumed not by conscience but by fears of ultimate failure to enjoy his ill-gotten gains.Many of the prison shots were lifted right out of MGM's classic feature THE BIG HOUSE (1930).Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something like writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.

SkippyDevereaux One of Robert Taylor's earliest "films"--if you call a short subject, a film.All about a guy who steals $200,000 from a bank and the aftermath that goes with it. I found it to be very entertaining and thought that it was too bad that they did not do a complete full length film on this one, as it was really well made!!Try and catch it on a certain cable channel that shows these "one reel wonders", as it is a good one.