A man, Frank Puglia, enters the Customs office in Los Angeles. There he asks to speak to a certain agent in charge. He has a wire recording to deliver that was given to him by an undercover Customs Agent. Jonathan Hale is the agent in charge and quickly puts the recording in his machine.
The recording is the case notes of undercover Agent, Kent Taylor. He had been sent to Mexico to get the goods on a gold smuggling ring. They are smuggling the gold into L.A. and then shipping it to the far-east. There they get twice its value on the black market. Uncle Sam is not amused and wants his cut.
Taylor is given a cover as a minor mob guy from Detroit and heads south. Taylor stakes out the local nightclub and waits for someone suitably thuggish to appear. Enter noir vet Roy Barcroft, a thug if ever there was one. Taylor starts a dust up with Barcroft but comes out on the wrong end of it.
Taylor is then hauled off to a room. Barcroft and Taylor are soon joined by Denver Pyle and Dorothy Patrick for a "friendly" chat. Patrick owns the club and would like to know exactly what Taylor wants in town. Barcroft and Pyle work him over while Patrick gives him the third degree. Taylor comes out with his cover story which Patrick checks with a phone call. Satisfied that Taylor is not a cop, they offer him a job. Barcroft and Patrick are of course members of the gold smuggling gang. Taylor has hit pay dirt.
Taylor soon discovers how the mob gets the gold over the border. They are blackmailing a UCLA professor who is in Mexico on an archaeology dig. The professor, Robert Rockwell, has some rather large gambling debts he needs to work off. He has a instant entry permit which allows him through border checkpoints. The mob hides the gold in the relics and it shoots right through. They then unload it and transfer it to an Orient bound ship. They plan to do a trip north that weekend.
Barcroft does not trust Taylor and has his knife happy henchman, Pyle, keep tabs on him. Pyle, who goes by the moniker, "Jumpy", catches Taylor spying on Patrick. He tells Barcroft who makes some calls of his own and learns that Taylor is a Fed.
Soon the big boss, Thurston Hall, puts in an appearance. He has Taylor locked in his rooms. There, Taylor uses a wire recorder he has hidden in his radio to do up a report on what he has learned. He talks minor gang member, Frank Puglia, into delivering it. He shows Puglia where the recorder is and asks him to take the recording to LA when he has a chance. Puglia has been wanting out of the gang for a while and sees this as a good time to switch teams. Barcroft, Pyle and Hall soon enter the room and Hall orders the killing of Taylor.
Once they leave, Puglia retrieves the recording and speeds off to L.A.to deliver said recording. Agent Hale finishes listening to the recording, calls in several more agents and heads for the car park. The date given on the recording for the ship to leave for the Far East, was today.
With perfect timing the C-men arrive with guns drawn. Barcroft, Pyle and the boys do not come quietly and a blazing gun-battle is needed to help persuade them. Since Taylor's murder was on the recording it will be the chair for the bunch of them.
This is a quick and to the point programmer that works very well.
Taylor was in SMOOTH AS SILK, TANGIER, DEADLINE FOR MURDER, THE CRIMSON KEY, HALF PAST MIDNIGHT, WESTERN PACIFIC AGENT and SLIGHTLY SCARLET. Dorothy Patrick had roles in HIGH WALL, FOLLOW ME QUIETLY, THE BLONDE BANDIT. HOUSE BY THE RIVER, 711 OCEAN DRIVE, THE SELLOUT, VIOLENT Saturday. Roy Barcroft played a thug in hundreds of films and television episodes. These include TRAFFIC IN CRIME, THE LAST CROOKED MILE, THE MYSTERIOUS MISTER VALENTINE, SECERT SERVICE INVESTIGATOR, ROGUE COP and INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR. Robert Rockwell had roles in UNMASKED, THE RED MEANCE, LONELY HEART BANDITS and THE TURNING POINT.
The story and screenplay was by Albert DeMond. He also did SHOCK, THE RED MEANCE and UNMASKED. The d o p here was Republic regular John MacBurnie. MacBurnie handled the lense work on OUT OF THE STORM, STREET BANDITS, THE RED MENACE, SECRET SERVICE INVESTIGATOR, and INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR. The director was the under-rated George Blair. His films include, EXPOSED, SECRETS OF MONTE CARLO, DESTINATION BIG HOUSE, THE TRESSPASSER, INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR, LONELY HEARTS BANDITS and UNMASKED. I always wondered what Blair could have done with a decent budget. (b/w)
The recording is the case notes of undercover Agent, Kent Taylor. He had been sent to Mexico to get the goods on a gold smuggling ring. They are smuggling the gold into L.A. and then shipping it to the far-east. There they get twice its value on the black market. Uncle Sam is not amused and wants his cut.
Taylor is given a cover as a minor mob guy from Detroit and heads south. Taylor stakes out the local nightclub and waits for someone suitably thuggish to appear. Enter noir vet Roy Barcroft, a thug if ever there was one. Taylor starts a dust up with Barcroft but comes out on the wrong end of it.
Taylor is then hauled off to a room. Barcroft and Taylor are soon joined by Denver Pyle and Dorothy Patrick for a "friendly" chat. Patrick owns the club and would like to know exactly what Taylor wants in town. Barcroft and Pyle work him over while Patrick gives him the third degree. Taylor comes out with his cover story which Patrick checks with a phone call. Satisfied that Taylor is not a cop, they offer him a job. Barcroft and Patrick are of course members of the gold smuggling gang. Taylor has hit pay dirt.
Taylor soon discovers how the mob gets the gold over the border. They are blackmailing a UCLA professor who is in Mexico on an archaeology dig. The professor, Robert Rockwell, has some rather large gambling debts he needs to work off. He has a instant entry permit which allows him through border checkpoints. The mob hides the gold in the relics and it shoots right through. They then unload it and transfer it to an Orient bound ship. They plan to do a trip north that weekend.
Barcroft does not trust Taylor and has his knife happy henchman, Pyle, keep tabs on him. Pyle, who goes by the moniker, "Jumpy", catches Taylor spying on Patrick. He tells Barcroft who makes some calls of his own and learns that Taylor is a Fed.
Soon the big boss, Thurston Hall, puts in an appearance. He has Taylor locked in his rooms. There, Taylor uses a wire recorder he has hidden in his radio to do up a report on what he has learned. He talks minor gang member, Frank Puglia, into delivering it. He shows Puglia where the recorder is and asks him to take the recording to LA when he has a chance. Puglia has been wanting out of the gang for a while and sees this as a good time to switch teams. Barcroft, Pyle and Hall soon enter the room and Hall orders the killing of Taylor.
Once they leave, Puglia retrieves the recording and speeds off to L.A.to deliver said recording. Agent Hale finishes listening to the recording, calls in several more agents and heads for the car park. The date given on the recording for the ship to leave for the Far East, was today.
With perfect timing the C-men arrive with guns drawn. Barcroft, Pyle and the boys do not come quietly and a blazing gun-battle is needed to help persuade them. Since Taylor's murder was on the recording it will be the chair for the bunch of them.
This is a quick and to the point programmer that works very well.
Taylor was in SMOOTH AS SILK, TANGIER, DEADLINE FOR MURDER, THE CRIMSON KEY, HALF PAST MIDNIGHT, WESTERN PACIFIC AGENT and SLIGHTLY SCARLET. Dorothy Patrick had roles in HIGH WALL, FOLLOW ME QUIETLY, THE BLONDE BANDIT. HOUSE BY THE RIVER, 711 OCEAN DRIVE, THE SELLOUT, VIOLENT Saturday. Roy Barcroft played a thug in hundreds of films and television episodes. These include TRAFFIC IN CRIME, THE LAST CROOKED MILE, THE MYSTERIOUS MISTER VALENTINE, SECERT SERVICE INVESTIGATOR, ROGUE COP and INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR. Robert Rockwell had roles in UNMASKED, THE RED MEANCE, LONELY HEART BANDITS and THE TURNING POINT.
The story and screenplay was by Albert DeMond. He also did SHOCK, THE RED MEANCE and UNMASKED. The d o p here was Republic regular John MacBurnie. MacBurnie handled the lense work on OUT OF THE STORM, STREET BANDITS, THE RED MENACE, SECRET SERVICE INVESTIGATOR, and INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR. The director was the under-rated George Blair. His films include, EXPOSED, SECRETS OF MONTE CARLO, DESTINATION BIG HOUSE, THE TRESSPASSER, INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR, LONELY HEARTS BANDITS and UNMASKED. I always wondered what Blair could have done with a decent budget. (b/w)
