Smashing the Rackets
1938 film by Lew Landers
- August 19, 1938 (1938-08-19)
Running time
Smashing the Rackets is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Lionel Houser, and starring Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Rita Johnson, Bruce Cabot and Edward Pawley. It was released on August 19, 1938, by RKO Pictures.[1][2][3]
Plot
Jim 'Sock' Conway, former boxer and FBI hero, is maneuvered for political reasons into a do-nothing job in the district attorney's office. He considers quitting but agrees to remain in his job to defend Letty Lane in order to court her much nicer sister Pat.
Meanwhile, a gang led by White Clark and Chin Martin begins a protection racket to force local businesses to install slot machines. Chin hires Letty's boyfriend Steve Lawrence, an attorney, to file an injunction to prevent the attorney from interfering with their plans. Steve begins plotting to take over the gang from Whitey, who he finds too brutal. After Whitey orders the brutal beating of Jim's friends Franz and Otto and Otto dies, Jim uses his position to prosecute the hoodlums and is promoted. He then secures an indictment of a major racketeer.
Steve and Chin kill Whitey, and then Steve arranges for Chin to be caught in a police raid. A suspicious Letty tracks Steve to his home in country just as Chin arrives to kill Steve, and she fatally shoots him. Steve's mistress Peggy provides testimony that allows Steve to be indicted. Letty kills herself in an automobile accident in order to avoid damaging her sister's reputation. Jim and Pat are married, and he founds his own law practice.
Cast
- Chester Morris as Jim 'Sock' Conway
- Frances Mercer as Susan 'Pat' Lane
- Rita Johnson as Letty Lane
- Bruce Cabot as Steve Lawrence
- Edward Pawley as Chin Martin
- Joe De Stefani as Franz
- Don Douglas as Harry Spaulding
- Kay Sutton as Peggy
- Ben Welden as Whitey Clark
- Paul Fix as Maxie
- Eddie Acuff as Joe
- George Irving as District Attorney Edward Greer
Production
The film was based on Forrest Davis's series of articles on Thomas E. Dewey's campaign against organized crime in New York City.[4][5]
References
- ^ "Smashing the Rackets (1938) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ Hal Erickson (2014). "Smashing-the-Rackets - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ "Smashing The Rackets Trailer, Reviews and Schedule for Smashing The Rackets - TVGuide.com". TV Guide. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ Farris, Scott (2012). Almost president: the men who lost the race but changed the nation. Internet Archive. Guilford, CN: Lyons Press. p. 111-112. ISBN 978-0-7627-6378-8.
- ^ "Smashing the Rackets". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
External links
- Smashing the Rackets at IMDb
- Smashing the Rackets at AllMovie
- Smashing the Rackets at the TCM Movie Database
- Smashing the Rackets at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- v
- t
- e
Films directed by Lew Landers
- The Vanishing Shadow (1934)
- The Red Rider (1934)
- Tailspin Tommy (1934)
- Rustlers of Red Dog (1935)
- The Call of the Savage (1935)
- The Raven (1935)
- Stormy (1935)
- Parole! (1936)
- Night Waitress (1936)
- You Can't Buy Luck (1937)
- Border Cafe (1937)
- Danger Patrol (1937)
- Flight from Glory (1937)
- The Man Who Found Himself (1937)
- They Wanted to Marry (1937)
- Crashing Hollywood (1938)
- Condemned Women (1938)
- Law of the Underworld (1938)
- Blind Alibi (1938)
- Smashing the Rackets (1938)
- Annabel Takes a Tour (1938)
- Double Danger (1938)
- Twelve Crowded Hours (1939)
- Bad Lands (1939)
- Fixer Dugan (1939)
- The Girl and the Gambler (1939)
- Conspiracy (1939)
- Enemy Agent (1940)
- Honeymoon Deferred (1940)
- Ski Patrol (1940)
- La Conga Nights (1940)
- Wagons Westward (1940)
- Sing, Dance, Plenty Hot (1940)
- Girl from Havana (1940)
- Slightly Tempted (1940)
- Ridin' on a Rainbow (1941)
- The Singing Hill (1941)
- Lucky Devils (1941)
- I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island (1941)
- Mystery Ship (1941)
- The Stork Pays Off (1941)
- Harvard, Here I Come (1941)
- Cadets on Parade (1942)
- Canal Zone (1942)
- Alias Boston Blackie (1942)
- Stand By All Networks (1942)
- Junior Army (1942)
- Not a Ladies' Man (1942)
- Atlantic Convoy (1942)
- The Man Who Returned to Life (1942)
- Sabotage Squad (1942)
- Smith of Minnesota (1942)
- The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)
- Submarine Raider (1942)
- Doughboys in Ireland (1943)
- Murder in Times Square (1943)
- Power of the Press (1943)
- After Midnight with Boston Blackie (1943)
- Redhead from Manhattan (1943)
- The Return of the Vampire (1943)
- U-Boat Prisoner (1944)
- Cowboy Canteen (1944)
- The Ghost That Walks Alone (1944)
- Two-Man Submarine (1944)
- Swing in the Saddle (1944)
- Black Arrow (1944)
- I'm from Arkansas (1944)
- The Black Parachute (1944)
- Stars on Parade (1944)
- Crime, Inc. (1945)
- Secrets of a Sorority Girl (1945)
- Arson Squad (1945)
- Shadow of Terror (1945)
- The Enchanted Forest (1945)
- Follow That Woman (1945)
- Death Valley (1946)
- The Mask of Diijon (1946)
- Hot Cargo (1946)
- The Truth About Murder (1946)
- Devil Ship (1947)
- The Son of Rusty (1947)
- Danger Street (1947)
- Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947)
- Inner Sanctum (1948)
- My Dog Rusty (1948)
- Law of the Barbary Coast (1949)
- Air Hostess (1949)
- Stagecoach Kid (1949)
- Tyrant of the Sea (1950)
- Beauty on Parade (1950)
- Blue Blood (1951)
- Jungle Manhunt (1951)
- The Big Gusher (1951)
- When the Redskins Rode (1951)
- A Yank in Korea (1951)
- The Magic Carpet (1951)
- Aladdin and His Lamp (1952)
- Adventures of Gallant Bess (1952)
- Arctic Flight (1952)
- Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (1952)
- California Conquest (1952)
- Torpedo Alley (1952)
- Man in the Dark (1953)
- Run for the Hills (1953)
- Tangier Incident (1953)
- Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953)
- Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954)
- The Cruel Tower (1956)
- Hot Rod Gang (1958)
 | This 1930s drama film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e
