Fast moving but often corny crime drama with the plethora of popular character comedians of the early 1940's. What is known today as white collar criminals has them in general population and forced to live exactly like everyone else. There's only a little bit of explanation for what Raymond Walburn and Thurston Hall are in for, but they go from their expensive suits to prison uniforms white quickly as they arrived to serve their sentence. Cliff Edwards, Chester Clute and Shemp Howard are among the other funny men who find themselves in a more serious predicament, with the cynical Lee Tracy (often amusing with his world weary eye rolls, even when serious) as the top cheese who has an angle for every con.
There's also Truman Bradley as a young doctor, fearing he might lose his medical license because of being locked up, yet going to work in the prison hospital, as well as tough guy Morgan Conway as the inmate predictably planning a breakout. Linda Hayes and Virginia Vale offer the feminine touch to the story, befriending each other on their way up on the train to meet their perspective boyfriends.
The mixture of comic and dramatic elements of the script doesn't necessarily work in this RKO programmer, with wealthy businessman Walburn and Hall truly delusional for thinking that they can get special treatment in a blue collar prison. The most interesting elements of the film focus what goes on behind the scenes in the prison hospital, a unique twist on the typical subplots that dominate most films of this nature. Tracy and Bradley give the most memorable performances, although Walburn and Hall try their best not to be too silly with the material they are given.
There's also Truman Bradley as a young doctor, fearing he might lose his medical license because of being locked up, yet going to work in the prison hospital, as well as tough guy Morgan Conway as the inmate predictably planning a breakout. Linda Hayes and Virginia Vale offer the feminine touch to the story, befriending each other on their way up on the train to meet their perspective boyfriends.
The mixture of comic and dramatic elements of the script doesn't necessarily work in this RKO programmer, with wealthy businessman Walburn and Hall truly delusional for thinking that they can get special treatment in a blue collar prison. The most interesting elements of the film focus what goes on behind the scenes in the prison hospital, a unique twist on the typical subplots that dominate most films of this nature. Tracy and Bradley give the most memorable performances, although Walburn and Hall try their best not to be too silly with the material they are given.