Many people imagine that police procedurals like "Riley the Cop" (1928), Gideon's Day, and Inspector Hornleigh, as well as detective thrillers such as The Greene Murder Case can automatically be classed as film noir. This is most definitely not the case.
"Riley the Cop" is more a comic turn than anything else, directed in a disappointingly drawn-out, over-emphatic and surprisingly (if appropriately) flat-footed style by producer-director John Ford.
This small-budget movie features slow-witted character actor, J. Farrell MacDonald, in a rare starring role (which for me is a further drawback), and to make matters worse, casts Louise Fazenda as Do- Gooder MacDonald's love interest.
True, hammy Louise did amass quite a following in her day, but she was never one of my favorites.
However, I did take a shine to lovely Nancy Drexel as the girlfriend of the story's ingratiating hero, David Rollins.
What I enjoyed best, however, was the music by S.L. Rothafel (Roxy himself), directed by one of the era's great yet unsung movie musicians, Erno Rapee. (Another 10/10 Fox disc).
"Riley the Cop" is more a comic turn than anything else, directed in a disappointingly drawn-out, over-emphatic and surprisingly (if appropriately) flat-footed style by producer-director John Ford.
This small-budget movie features slow-witted character actor, J. Farrell MacDonald, in a rare starring role (which for me is a further drawback), and to make matters worse, casts Louise Fazenda as Do- Gooder MacDonald's love interest.
True, hammy Louise did amass quite a following in her day, but she was never one of my favorites.
However, I did take a shine to lovely Nancy Drexel as the girlfriend of the story's ingratiating hero, David Rollins.
What I enjoyed best, however, was the music by S.L. Rothafel (Roxy himself), directed by one of the era's great yet unsung movie musicians, Erno Rapee. (Another 10/10 Fox disc).