Pine and Thomas were known around Paramount as 'The Dollar Bills' because they were both named William and they could turn out a watchable second feature that would turn a nice profit on the cheap. For a decade or so they prospered, giving B talent a chance to shine in decently-written movies with good production values.
Here Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly and Lyle Talbot -- a decade past their primes -- are enjoyable in the sort of movie that W.S. Van Dyke used to direct people in a decade earlier -- MANHATTAN MELODRAMA and SAN FRANCISCO, where the two male leads grew up together, one became a gambler -- usually played by Clark Gable -- and the other became a priest or a lawyer -- that could be Spencer Tracy or William Powell -- and they both love the same girl, of course. And that's the beginning, middle and end, with, of course, an interesting run of good character actors, of which Hollywood had a plethora in the 1940s. So don't expect anything startlingly original, but do expect a pleasant ninety minutes.
Here Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly and Lyle Talbot -- a decade past their primes -- are enjoyable in the sort of movie that W.S. Van Dyke used to direct people in a decade earlier -- MANHATTAN MELODRAMA and SAN FRANCISCO, where the two male leads grew up together, one became a gambler -- usually played by Clark Gable -- and the other became a priest or a lawyer -- that could be Spencer Tracy or William Powell -- and they both love the same girl, of course. And that's the beginning, middle and end, with, of course, an interesting run of good character actors, of which Hollywood had a plethora in the 1940s. So don't expect anything startlingly original, but do expect a pleasant ninety minutes.