Anne Shirley had made a big splash with "Anne of Green Gables" and was even nominated for a best supporting actress for "Stella Dallas" but in between she was caught in a web of mostly second rate films. Despite the lurid title this is a pretty good film. Even though Anne is topped billed she doesn't have much to do (except for a stirring speech at the end).
Jesses' (Roger Daniel) mother is very poor and when his older brother loses his job, he decides to go out in the world and make good.
He falls in with some "boys of the road" - a poor man's "Dead End Kids"
"Leo Gorcy" role) ended up playing Mi Taylor on the television series "National Velvet".
They find themselves in "Turpentine" - a boys labour camp. They are bribed with candy, food and thick blankets, that, unbeknown to them is charged to their accounts at exorbitant rates. Anne Shirley plays Annie, a young girl who tries to put the boys wise to the bad practices but only Jesse will listen. When any of them want to quit their accounts are tallied and they can never pay what they owe. When one of the boys is hurt in a fall Jesse writes a letter to the President to expose the working conditions but he is caught. A fire is started in one of the cabins and Jesse is shot in the scuffle. The survivors hide out in a mountain cabin and are rescued by the state police.
It is entertaining and quite well acted and is a very good expose of practices that were common in those times.
Jesses' (Roger Daniel) mother is very poor and when his older brother loses his job, he decides to go out in the world and make good.
He falls in with some "boys of the road" - a poor man's "Dead End Kids"
- there is even a Huntz Hall clone. James McCallion (who has the lead
"Leo Gorcy" role) ended up playing Mi Taylor on the television series "National Velvet".
They find themselves in "Turpentine" - a boys labour camp. They are bribed with candy, food and thick blankets, that, unbeknown to them is charged to their accounts at exorbitant rates. Anne Shirley plays Annie, a young girl who tries to put the boys wise to the bad practices but only Jesse will listen. When any of them want to quit their accounts are tallied and they can never pay what they owe. When one of the boys is hurt in a fall Jesse writes a letter to the President to expose the working conditions but he is caught. A fire is started in one of the cabins and Jesse is shot in the scuffle. The survivors hide out in a mountain cabin and are rescued by the state police.
It is entertaining and quite well acted and is a very good expose of practices that were common in those times.