Prison Break

2811. PRISON BREAK (1938-USA). With BARTON MacLANE, GLENDA FARRELL, PAUL HURST, WARD BOND, CONSTANCE MOORE. You’ve seen Barton MacLane in countless Hollywood mysteries and melodramas portraying cutthroat killers, crooked police captains and tough prison wardens. He has a rare starring role in this deeply involving and highly entertaining drama. He plays Joaquin Shannon, a big-hearted and ultimately heroic tuna boat captain. Joaquin’s sister Maria is about to marry Chris Nelson, one of his fishermen, Joaquin is also determined to wed. His beloved is Jean Fenderson, a divorcee whose first marriage recently ended in disaster. Jean has been left with a young son, Jackie. However, her narrow-minded and mean- spirited father forbids her and Joaquin’s continuing relationship because of the tuna captain’s class and profession. At a party celebrating the next-day nuptials of Chris and Maria, Chris gets drop- dead drunk. Then Jean’s equally ornery brother arrives on the scene and orders Joaquin to stay away from his sister. Soon, Joaquin finds himself taking a manslaughter rap and finding himself sent off to the penitentiary. He intends to be a model prisoner and make parole on the earliest possible date. This is not meant to be, as Big Red Kincaid-the real killer of Jean’s brother-arrives in the pen and takes an immediate disliking of Joaquin. The film works on two levels. It is at once a heartfelt human drama and a searing expose of the manner in which parolees who do not want to take “short cuts to easy dough” are unfairly treated by society. 73 minutes Drama