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As Good As It Gets

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Baby Face Morgan is one frustrating film. Producers Releasing Corporation a true poverty row outfit assembled a good cast of players and had a really original idea for a story. If this had been done by a major studio with a top director this could have been one of the great comedy gems of the era.Richard Cromwell is in the title role and he plays a hayseed young man who happens to be the son of a notorious gangster. Dad split from Mom and Cromwell never had any contact with him. Cromwell has a Mr. Deeds like quality to him as Robert Armstrong plucks him from obscurity to use him as a front man for their protection racket. Things go well for Armstrong until Cromwell falls for Mary Carlisle who heads a trucking company that was a victim of the protection racket. It all unravels for Armstrong after that.Any film with such colorful movie faces like Warren Hymer, Chick Chandler, Charles Judel and Ralf Harolde is going to be enjoyable on some level. But there was real potential here that was sadly wasted.What Preston Sturges could have done with Baby Face Morgan.

My score of 7 is very good, but relative to other B-films I'd give this one a 9--it's that good despite the tiny budget. For a lesser production made by a so-called "Poverty Row" studio (PRC--one of the cheaper and crappier studios), it's amazingly good. Normally, you'd expect ordinary or lousy writing--not a clever film like this one.The film begins with a meeting of various mobsters. Robert Armstrong (of "King Kong" fame) is leading the discussion and he's lamenting the death of their leader years before and how he wishes the mobs would all work together like the "good old days" under Morgan's leadership. Armstrong suggests that perhaps Morgan's son MIGHT be the guy to take this leadership role. The problem that the men in the meeting are not aware of is that Morgan's son (Richard Cromwell) has no idea who his father was and is a very nice and somewhat wimpy young man. However, throughout the film, there are many opportunities where various mobsters see the guy and assume he's talking about killings and extortion--when the guy is really talking about mundane things that aren't the least bit violent. What makes it even funnier is that after he's brought to the big city to run the mob, he thinks this is a legitmiate insurance company--and he begins selling policies right and left. He's so successful, though, not because of his salesmanship but because everyone else thinks he's selling "protection". Eventually, however, "Baby Face" learns the truth--and how can he possibly extricate himself from this terrible situation?! This film made me laugh many times. The acting, writing and entire production are very crisp and clever--making it a hidden gem that is a standout among the Bs.

Is there anything worse than a comedy film that lacks humor? The answer is Yes; one that fails to generate any interest throughout the picture. The premise is not too bad - a naive front man for an illegal business - but this is a potboiler with a poor script and screenplay and just does not work.Was this considered a good 'B' in 1942? Hard to imagine. The only positive aspect of the picture is the cast, which contains several well-known faces from the '30's and '40's, such as Warren Hymer, Vince Barnett and Robert Armstrong (I always dismiss Richard Cromwell as the weakling who got Gary Cooper killed in "Lives of a Bengal Lancer", so I wasn't counting him).Can't recommend this one and gave it a rating of 3 - if you have a choice, get a root canal.

When gang chief Big Mike Morgan (Jim Blaine) is killed, his lieutenant, "Doc" Rogers (Robert Armstrong) re-organizes the mob. Learning that Morgan has a son named Edward (Richard Cromwell), living in the country with his mother, Rogers has him brought to the city, and installs him as the head of Acme Protective Agency, which is a blind for gang's shakedown activities with local merchants. Edward thinks his father left him a legitimate business, and that he is running an actual insurance company.Rogers tells the gang members that "Baby Face" Morgan is now in charge, is a cold-blooded killer and does not even want the gang members to know him. Joe Torelli (Ralf Harolde), who thinks he should be the leader of the gang, is suspicious and grows more so after the protection collection money starts to roll in, and nobody sees the money after it is turned over to Rogers, who tells them that "Baby Face" is handling the dough.Complications arise when Edward/"Baby Face" meets Virginia Clark (Mary Carlisle), head of a transportation company, who has had a truck wrecked when she wouldn't pay the protection money. Edward writes her an insurance policy and promptly pays off when a second truck is wrecked. This starts a rash of business to Acme, and as fast as the gang shakes down trucking companies and wrecks their trucks, Edward pays the merchants on their policies, and this puts a serious dent into the gang's cash flow.Torelli learns that Edward is "Baby Face", which puts him way up on Edward who does not know he is the infamous gang leader "Baby Face." So Torelli kidnaps Edward's sweetheart Virginia.