not as good as all the hype
... View MoreIt's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
... View MoreFun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
... View MoreExactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
... View MoreBeen years since I've seen this one, it's good to see it again. The only thing I had recalled about this film was that it was about gangsters and that I liked the film. I was thinking this was a serious drama but my memory failed to remember that it was a comedy. Oh it gets serious but it's not a pure hard-nosed drama like I was recalling it to be from my teen years -- that's OK. I finally got to see the film again and it's cute. It's a screwy jokes comedy with slapstick thrown it for good measure.This is not the worlds greatest film - but it's a fun one. It is one mixed up mess these guys get the young, naive Edward "Baby Face" Morgan into.7/10
... View MoreFlaky PRC production. Looks like the producers were aiming for a gangster comedy, with veteran goof-balls like Hymer and Barnett, along with serious types like Armstrong and Harolde, plus a gamely compliant Cromwell. What they get instead is a silly concoction, despite a cast that tries hard. Sweet-natured innocent (Cromwell) is set up by conniving gangster (Armstrong) as fall-guy for his insurance scheme. Trouble is the kid has no business sense and undercuts the scheme with wasteful spending. Meanwhile Armstrong has to contend with rival toughie Harolde who doesn't trust him. So there's trouble all around. Too bad the script is so clumsy (many gaps), along with slack direction from pedestrian director Dreifuss (check his credits). The result is 60-minutes of awkward entertainment, best left to aficionados of the 1940's.
... View MoreBaby 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.
... View MoreIs 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.
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