Bela!

POSTAL INSPECTOR-1936- Bill Davis, a postal inspector (Ricardo Cortez) investigates mail fraud and meets famous singer Connie Larrimore (Patricia Ellis) on a plane during a storm. She sings “When You're Through with Your Shower” to calm the passengers. Later she meets her old friend Charlie Davis (Michael Loring) who works for the Federal Reverse and is Bill's brother. Gregory Benez (Bela Lugosi), the owner of the night club Connie sings at owes a gangster 50 thou. He learns that the Federal Reverse is transferring 3 million dollars in old money and he and his partners steal it while Bill deals with a flood. A high speed chase through a flooded town is the finale. Hattie McDaniels and Frank Wilcox have un-billed roles.

 POSTAL INSPECTOR is a neat little B film trying to actually give insight on the work of the US Post Office and how it deals with crime. But the real reason to see it is Bela's turn as the uptight gangster (an untypical role for him to be playing at the time). Director Otto Brower had made THE PHANTOM EMPIRE with Gene Autry the year before and made other “programmers” like POSTAL INSPECTOR. 

However as a second unit director Brower on worked bigger films like THE GRAPES OF WRATH, BRIGHAM YOUNG and WESTERN UNION (sometimes with no credit). He died of a heart attack in 1946 while doing second unit work on DUEL IN THE SUN. Screenwriter Horace McCoy wrote B movies and his novel THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY was adapted into a movie in 1969 (after two previously failed attempts). Lead actress Patricia Ellis starred in movies with Joe E. Brown, James Cagney and Jack Haley but retired form films in the late 30's.

Thanks for reading!