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

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Hot-shot newspaper reporter Lee Tracy is involved in a poker game when a prosecutor is murdered. Tracy was reporting on the DA's latest investigation, so he's called in for help. Instead he has to clear the prime suspect, John Maxwell, because he was also part of the poker game when the murder happened. Maxwell tells Tracy to look into the prosecutor's assistant Forrest Taylor, as he was on the take. Soon after Tracy meets Taylor's daughter Tina Thayer, and Maxwell ends up dead in Tracy's apartment. Tracy and Taylor need to find out the truth soon before more people end up dead, being targeted themselves as well by Maxwell's partner, casino owner Jack La Rue.A mystery/crime programmer done at PRC, the plot is overly complex and convoluted, and relies too much on conveniences and plot holes. But it also uses a most effective means to deal with this, it moves at a quick pace, so there's little room to think about the previous scene, as the current scene demands attention.Lee Tracy ('High Tide', TV's 'Martin Kane') was once a big name, but in the 40s he was a has-been, and relegated to these low-budget features. His talent for fast & sharp talking works well here, as it fits the character perfectly. Tina Thayer is also quite decent as the demure but determined daughter who wants to find out the truth about her father. She went into a different career, ending her short acting career. Jack La Rue ('The Story Of Temple Drake') also had a decent career in the 30s before losing steam. These has-been actors were a gift for the poverty row studios tho, as they offered decent acting skills and somewhat recognizable names. While IMDb classifies this movie as film noir, it is only remotely noir-ish. It is a much more straight-forward crime/mystery that also lacks the noir visuals. Director Arthur Dreifuss (a couple of Boston Blackie movies) does what needs to be done to get the story onto film and DoP Ira Morgan (lensing such classics as 'Criminal Investigator' and 'Sensation Hunters' aka 'Club Paradise') manages to sneak in a few decent shots, but all in all they handled the material as routinely as possible. Given it's a PRC production and they probably had no budget or time to experiment with setups, they can hardly be blamed. It's decent enough, but then again I am partial to these movies. 6-/10

I agree with many of the previous comments about "The Payoff", although I'm just not that enthusiastic about it.The film is a page straight out of the part-crime-mystery / part-comedy genre of the day. It's true that the dialog is snappy and if you're in the mood it can be quite engaging. But it's also true that "The Payoff" is really more of a theatrical-style of presentation than film. Lee Tracy immediately goes over the top, and stays there, with a very stage-style performance. Too loud, too gestural, too self-entertaining, just plain "too". The other characters are mostly cliché, too.I wouldn't avoid The Payoff if you enjoy 40's urban crime features. It's a terrific feature if you're home sick and need to fill an hour. But I wouldn't go to any extraordinary measures to see it, either.

"The Payoff" (1942) Special prosecutor Lloyd Pearson (Ian Keith) has been murdered and there is strong evidence that gambler Moroni (John Maxwell) committed the crime, but he has an air-tight alibi, spending the evening with Brad McKay (Lee Tracy), star reporter of the Chronicle. Norris (Robert Middlemass), the publisher, send Brad and his son, Guy Norris (Tom Brown), to cover the story. Brad learns that Moroni did commit the murder, but has no way to prove it. Moroni tells Brad that the murdered prosecutor was getting a payoff, and was killed by his assistant Hugh Walker (Forrest Taylor) following a quarrel. John Angus (Jack La Rue), proprietor of the Hi Lo Club, tells Moroni that Brad suspects him. Phyllis Walker (Tina Thayer) tells Brad that her father is in danger from Moroni. Hugh Walker has given her a key to the public locker where some money is hidden. That night, Brad finds Moroni dead. He realizes there is a higher-up that had Moroni kill Pearson, and then has had Moroni killed. He learns that Walker has been kidnapped, but secures the money from the locker and hides it in his apartment. He meets Alma Dorne (Evelyn Brent)at the night club, and, while attracted to her, he suspects she is an accomplice of the gang. He surprises her while she is searching his apartment for the money, and agrees to help him. Norris summons Brad to his home for Brad to show him what evidence he has collected so far. Norris, at the point of a gun, tells Brad he has collected too much. Brad gets the upper hand by telling Norris that his son Guy is walking into a death trap. Norris rushes to save his son from the trap he himself had set for Brad.Note: Summary written by Les Adams {[email protected]} IMDb.com

Lee Tracy plays Brad McKay a smart mouthed reporter loved, or at least respected by both the police and the criminals. When a reforming special prosecutor, who's work he had been covering, is killed McKay is thrust in to the thick of things since its assumed that he may have a clue as to who might have killed the man. Tracy, an expert at playing fast talking wisenheimers, is in great form here delivering a steady stream of pontifications and wise cracks that not only amuse but also bamboozle the people around him giving him room to solve the case. I really liked this film a great deal since its a rare that a B-movie of this type had so many witty lines and comedic comebacks, it's almost like being hit by a machine gun of jokes. Tracy is aided by a great cast of character actors who manage to make their roles into something more than pieces to be moved around the chess board. If there is real weakness in the movie its that it becomes pretty clear who the bad guy is much too early in the film (the problem is simply that there really isn't anyone else it could be).It's not fatal but it sort makes what happens a foregone conclusion. Despite its short comings this is a movie that you're going to watch for, especially if you like great dialog and witty exchanges.