kidboots Tommy and Nancy are "spooning" in the park, and dreaming of getting married on their savings of $260. Nancy is played by Marian Nixon,a versatile actress, who specialised in "sweet young things". Tommy was played by William Janney, who I suspect was the older brother of Leon Janney, who made a couple of Penrod films in the early 1930s. They play their roles convincingly.They are overheard by Rocky (Hugh Trevor) who robs them. He is the right hand man of racketeer Gene Fenmore (Lowell Sherman). Gene is a "Robin Hood" as he steals from unscrupulous people and never resorts to any rough stuff or gun play. He is very classy but Rocky wants to run the show. Tommy and Nancy follow Rocky and attempt to hold up Gene and Rocky. After getting to the bottom of things Gene takes them under his wing. Nancy thinks Gene is a good person but Tommy is not so sure. A bit of cross promotion - the dance music at the night club is a selection from "The Cuckoos" which starred Hugh Trevor.The gang is planning a big job but as usual Gene wants no bloodshed. Rocky is determined to implicate Tommy as he has never forgiven him for the "phoney" stick-up. The jeweller is killed and when Gene and Rocky confront each other Rocky is killed. The other gang members, who are fed up with Gene's "gentlemanly" ways believe Gene cold bloodedly murdered Rocky. The police have been trying to capture Gene for years and by arresting "the kids" they hope to appeal to his better nature.Debonair Lowell Sherman is the whole show, although Hugh Trevor shows that he could have been a big star. Hugh Trevor was very handsome, could sing and had such a presence in this film. He had been a hit in "The Cuckoos" (1930) and "Half Shot at Sunrise" (1930) but he left films in 1931 to go back into the insurance business. He was still getting movie offers right up to his untimely death in 1933.

drednm Stagy and a little disappointing but an interesting story, and the film boasts Lowell Sherman--a very underrated actor/director. A film star for 20 years, he is forgotten now, but his great talkie success, What Price Hollywood, is still considered one of the best 30s films.In The Pay-Off, Sherman plays a gentlemanly gangster who gets involved with a young couple of innocents--William Janney and Marian Nixon--who get involved in his crime ring when they get mugged my a "butcher" played by hunky Hugh Trevor. While the premise is interesting, the film is not too well done and it talks itself to death.The ending is no big surprise, but Lowell Sherman remains one of the great undiscovered acting talents of the early talkie period. Despite his make-up (very stagy) his acting is very natural and not at all the hammy early talkie style.George Marion plays Mousy, Helene Millard is Dot, Robert McWade and Al Roscoe also co-star.Hugh Trevor, who died a few years after this film, is best remembered for 2 comedies with Wheeler and Woolsey--The Cuckoos and Half Shot at Sunrise. He could have been a big star--tall and handsome--but he died on the operating table during a routine appendectomy.

sbibb1 This film tells the story of an well bred and mannered man (Lowell Sherman) who happens to be the boss of an underworld racket. When one of his henchmen robs a young couple about to get married, he feels sorry for them and takes them in as his family, only to have other henchmen in his crime unit make them stooges in robberies.An early sound film (1930) directed by Lowell Sherman, the stand out performance here is by Sherman himself. He has a very natural and easy going style of acting, making me curious to see other films in which he starred. The plot of the film, though not very believable, still makes for interesting viewing.

Ralph Michael Stein Another Alpha Video $4.99 DVD bringing a forgotten pre-WWII second (or third?) matinee feature to the DVD player.A young couple sits in a faux Central Park late at night contemplating their marriage the next day. Fortunately the lad has saved $260 towards their life together. But a real nasty bad guy overhears them and holds them up taking every dime.But...the almost groom recognizes the creep as a guy who hangs out in the building where he's a super's schlepper (that's NYC talk). So he and fiancee attempt to regain the money by armed robbery and blow it. They're captured by the gang.The gang, which does high values burglaries and robberies, is headed by a suave guy, Gene Foreman, played actually with some insight by Lowell Sherman who was at the tail end of his acting career. Perhaps he knew that: he seems genuinely sad throughout the film.Foreman eschews violence-he's a dapper dan in tails who gets leads to promising heists through wining and dining the rich. Foreman sort of adopts the young couple and the girl really likes him. Her boyfriend worries about losing this gem who intones "squeeze me" whenever she's scared, needs affectionate reassurance or both.The really nasty dude, Rocky, is murdered and the couple are the suspects. Foreman magnificently rises to the occasion, his acting transcending the limitations of predictable plot, sets less realistic than those on "The Honeymooners" and a supporting cast of deservedly unknowns.Fun flick from the past.5/10