Was it murder, suicide or an accident? That is the goal in the investigation in this third crime does not pay series made by MGM for well over a decade. This gave character actors the chance to play leads, unknowns to have a screen test and most obviously to prove, like the title of the series that crime does indeed not pay. Here the leading actor is character actor Raymond Hatton, playing an old man living in the desert who helps agents investigate the death of a man in a fiery car crash. In just two reels, a lot of detail is presented but it is pretty obvious from the get go what actually transpired. The intriguing part is how it got there and the details that reveals in the meantime. A fun series, the crime doesn't pay shorts came out of the public's fascination with gangster and crime stories, and within 17 to 20 minutes these films were precursor to the film noir of the 1940's. They are fast paced, pretty realistic and always filled with surprises. This one may not be among the best, but it is still pretty entertaining.
Review of Desert Death
