Waste of time

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Blistering performances.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

A Payne and a Morgan get together for this extremely short B comedy action filler that is sure to please in spite of its clichéd premise. When pharmacist George Reeves reacts to gangsters on the lam by pulling a gun while grabbing Band-Aids, he becomes a n instant hero. Wannabe cop brother Dennis Morgan sings in a nightclub, gaining a slap from tough Irish gal Gloria Dickson who slowly falls for his own brand of blarney when he wins over her family with a series of Irish lullaby's, with the exception of her tough cop suitor (John Payne) who makes his training a living hell. Between the two rivals, there's little room for gangsters to make a racket, although elements of a full plot are few and far between. The big story involves Morgan's determination to get away from the squad glee club and do something to impress Dickson and show Payne up.Harry Shannon and Mary Gordon add heart to the role of Dickson's Irish immigrant parents, emotional over the singing of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", a corny moment for sure, but you may find your eyes smiling along. A good bulk of this finds Morgan singing which without, this would clock in at a little more than half an hour. It takes more than 3/4 of the film to return to the plot set-up concerning Reeves, making me wonder how this managed to get past the approval of the Warner executives. So as entertaining as it seems to be, it's untimely pretty sloppy and a weak entry even on the B level. Even so, the film moves at a brisk pace, never slowing down for a second. So while there is music in this mess, it's rather flat in spite of Morgan's glorious voice.

I love this one-- it's the little film that could. It is easily my most favorite B-film. It has some great Irish music, some fast-paced action scenes (especially at the end), and appealing lead performers (like Dennis Morgan, John Payne & Gloria Dickson) to sustain our interest. But what impresses me most is the way this story deftly combines several different genres-- it's a musical, police procedural, romance, mystery and gangster drama all rolled into one. It tries to be all things to all viewers, and since the cast is so versatile, it succeeds. And to think they packed it all into a film that doesn't even run a full hour! Great entertainment.

After seeing any number of films from Warner Brothers I'm convinced that several properties at once were written with James Cagney in mind. And when he said no they devolved on to lesser players in the pecking order.Case in point is this film Tear Gas Squad in which there is no such specialized squad in any police department I know. And we only see tear gas being used in the final showdown with the bad guys here. What this is all about is yet another buddy film that was probably meant for the team of Cagney and Pat O'Brien.Dennis Morgan plays a nightclub singer with not too good an opinion of cops, but joins the force any way to impress Gloria Dickson who comes from a family of them. And she's got Sergeant John Payne who is also courting her who gives Morgan a ticket and gets a lot of lip from Morgan. So when he winds up Morgan's training officer you can only imagine what follows.Which you've seen in any number of Cagney/O'Brien films all of them better than this. At least Morgan got to sing a bit. John Payne who has a few good notes in his system as well sang not a bit.Fortunately for both Morgan and Payne better films were coming along although Payne would have to move to 20th Century Fox for them.

Cocky young nightclub singer joins police force to win affection of cop family's daughter.The title remains a mystery since the crime part comes as something of an after-thought. And when the title tear gas finally does fly, it's short-lived. Actually, the movie's a showcase for Morgan who's clearly on his way to bigger and better things. Despite the B-budget, he comes through here in spades with a lively performance and a fine singing voice. In fact, the production looks like an opportunity for a number of likable younger players— Payne, Reeves, Anderson— resulting in an uncommonly good-looking male cast. The rivalry between Morrissey (Payne) and McCabe (Morgan) appears both natural and the movie's dramatic centerpiece.Sure, the story's about as hackneyed as they come. But it's a Warner Bros. production and no one was more energetic on screen than the studio of Cagney, Flynn, and Robinson. Their crews knew how to keep a story moving in both filming and editing. And, despite the limitations, this lively little endeavor is no exception.(In passing—note the presence of two cast members from 1950's Superman series, George Reeves {Joe McCabe} along with John Hamilton {police chief}. Also, look quickly for Perry Mason's William Hopper in an early walk-on.)