Runtime: 63 minutes
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Starring: Aline McMahon, Ann Dvorak, Preston Foster, Lyle Talbot, Glenda Farrell
From: Warner Bros.
A 63 minute change of pace was what was needed last night. Via Netflix, I’ll view more modern pictures than usual. Thus, to continue my trend of variety, I went to another service to finally tackle a movie I’ve known of for years. It was worth the wait to see this Warner Bros. programmer.
Obviously based on a stage play-but that’s not a negative-this shows about 24 hours at a service station, meaning gas station/restaurant/motel run by Aline McMahon and her young sister Ann Dvorak. McMahon is a tough auto mechanic who wears overalls, is rather frosty towards men, and forbids her sister from “hanging out with the wrong crowd,” meaning young hooligan boys… draw your own conclusions. Her opinion towards males is addressed as various sundry characters wander in and out of the station. These include a pair of criminals, two catty women & their chauffeur, and a stereotypical large Mexican family who did make a key contribution to the film.
The journey was always compelling in this version of a “bottle episode” where the service station was the only setting and the oppressive heat was ever-present, whether obvious or subtle. At barely more than an hour long, the pace is quick & the actors portrayed these familiar roles rather well. McMahon was the highlight as the keystone figure everything was centered around. As this was right before the Pre-Code era ended, there are some surprisingly explicit moments that soon would be no more. McMahon and Dvorak both deserved better careers; the former was due to a concurrent stage career, while the latter was more controversial, but you can go to Wikipedia for the details if you wish.
A stroke of genius was in the final act; the patriarch of the Mexican family played some acoustic songs on the guitar, sung in Spanish. That proved to be the perfect aural backdrop to several key scenes. That is one of a few reasons why this was a gem worth examining.
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