Tom Dwyer (The Last Crooked Mile)

Created by Jerry Sackheim

“She doesn’t know anything. She’s with me.”
— Tom introduces his girlfriend.

In the 1946 B flick, The Last Crooked Mile (1946, Republic Pictures), the Jarvis Gang’s bold daylight robbery of the Harrison Bank in San Francisco leaves one of them dead on the sidewalk and one of the bank’s customers injured, but the remaining three get away with #300,000 in unmarked and untraceable bills.

But only for a little while.

During a subsequent police chase, the bandit’s car plunges over a cliff, killing all three. Unfortunately, the 300 grand, targeted for the Federal Reserve, can’t be found.

Sniffing a pay-off, glib, cocky private eye TOM DWYER  worms his way into the investigation. Desperate to make good, the bank manager, Floyd Sorenson, promises him a 10 percent cut if he’s successful in recovering the money.

“Mr. Sorelson, there are just two things I am interested in: women and money”  he says. “And right now, I happened to be long on women… I’d like to take a crack at this case.”

But Tom’s not the only one after the loot. The cops are still looking, as is the Delta Insurance Company investigator. The getaway car’s been torn apart, and the money’s not there

Tom, however, thinks it might still hold a secret or two. Only thing is, the car was sold at a police auction, and it takes a while for Tom to track it down, finally discovering the notorious “death car” enjoying a second life as an attraction at the Ocean City amusement park. Other parties, however, are also interested. Including shifty Ed “Wires” McGuire, a gangster.

But before he cracks the case, Tom does all of the expected P.I. stuff. Bodies pile up, wisecracks are spat out, Tom gets pushed around and threatened by a few thugs, and naturally there are a couple of dames he has to tangle with: a sexy nightclub singer (Ann Savage) who used to date the leader of the gang and Adele Mara as the Dwyer’s long-suffering would-be girlfriend.

Sure, there are holes in the plot you could toss a getaway car through, but director Philip Ford, who also helmed the equally enjoyable  The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (also from 1946), delivers  a fun little B; an obvious cheapie, maybe, but with just enough action and snappy dialogue to keep things zipping along. There are some nifty scenes, including the getaway chase and a swell roller coaster scene, and Don “Red” Barry as the brash P.I., is just enough of a doofus to keep on the right side of irritating. 

FILMS

• THE LAST CROOKED MILE | Watch it now!
  (Republic Pictures)
  Premiere: August 9, 1946
  Based on a radio play by Robert L. Richards
  Screenplay by Jerry Sackheim
  Additional dialogue by Jerry Gruskin
  Directed by Philip Ford 
  Starring Don “Red” Barry as TOM DWYER
  Also starring Ann Savage, Adele Mara, Tom Powers, Sheldon Leonard, Nestor Paiva, Harry Shannon, Ben Welden, John Miljan, Charles D. Brown, John Dehner , Anthony Caruso, The Seven Pods of Pepper.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.