Nothing so ancient here at the progressive Definitive Article Blog - this one’s from 1947.
We open with some narration as was the style back then. Our anti-hero Shubunka tells us he runs the seafront and has nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to fear. That’ll change! He has a fancy apartment and a big scar on his face - no worries though, as in close ups you can see it’s clearly stuck on. The nature of his rackets isn’t clear but it looks like protection although it’s probably drugs and hookers, but they aren’t allowed to say.
He works one soda fountain with Jammey, who is scared that toughs are moving in on some of their locations. Eye watering damage estimated at $120 has been caused and Jammey is worried that Shabs has taken his eye off the ball as he has nice things and a showgirl girlfriend. He certainly has a point, as we see the dead eyed Shabs throw furs and jewellery at the mostly disinterested but wonderfully named Nancy Starr.
Shabs doesn’t trust Nancy and after she tells a tall tale about a sick baby he tails her to a meeting with an agent. She’s clearly scared of our man but likes the stuff, thank you very much.
Elsewhere in the soda fountain, which must double as a soap opera, one chap plans to woo an older lady called Olga whilst another is in danger of losing his shirt to the bookies. The cashier has contempt for Shabs and some toughs are at the door looking to smash the place up!
Temperatures start to rise when Shabs agrees to an ill advised trip to the beach. It’s so hot he has to unbutton his suit jacket and he gets shaken down by a couple of great caricature gangsters. He again suspects Nancy has given their location away and has to try and bargain with the toughs. He ends up in front of the winnable kingpin, Cornell who tells him he’s taking over. Shabs plans to flee town with Nancy and come back to reclaim what’s his with some hired muscle. But who can he trust? Nancy? Jammey? Anyone?
This was quality entertainment that has plenty of unintentional laughs and a good take on issues like morality and honour. Shabs was clearly a shit, but he was our shit and Barry Sullivan did well to make us care a wee bit about such a horrible character. To be fair you never saw Shabs beating anyone up, with all his violence implied in his steely gaze and hand clenching. Clearly he wasn’t shy about letting folk have it, but at the end he was moaning that he wasn’t nasty enough to stay on top.
The ‘B’ and ‘C’ plots were similar in that the characters struggled with their own vices, be they women or gambling. Neither turned out well so the moral of the story was don’t do anything that could remotely be considered as fun.
I liked Belita as the femme fatale Nancy who got to sing a song but appeared to forget half of the words. She was a right cow throughout and it was funny when her betrayal was rewarded with hee-haw.
There were a lot of good character actors on show, and although everyone was smart and wore a tie and hat, there was a nice air of malevolence around a lot of them.
Things panned out as you’d probably guess but it was a fun visit to the seamy side of town, where life is cheap and the dames don’t put out, even when you’ve spent $7.80 on them.
THE Tag Line : Crime Doesn’t Pay - For Long : 75%
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