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Movie Info & Details
Release Year1939
Runtime1h 06m
LanguageEN
CertificationNR
GenresMystery
Votes1
DirectorArthur Lubin
WritersEdmund L. Hartmann, Ed Sullivan
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.0 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsBig Town Czar
About Big Town Czar
When gangster Phil Daley gets rid of his chief Paul Burgess he has everything that money can buy, except the respect of his parents and his sweetheart Susan Warren. His younger brother Danny quits college and forces Phil to make him part of the gang. The overly-ambitious Danny fixes a prize-fight on which rival gang-leader Mike Luger loses heavily and, thinking that Phil has double-crossed him, sends gunmen out to kill Phil. They kill Danny instead and the frightened Phil flees to a country hideout. His chief lieutenant, Sid Travis, sets a trap for Phil when he returns.
Directed by Arthur Lubin, Big Town Czar leans on a strong ensemble — Barton MacLane, Tom Brown, Eve Arden — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about mystery titles of 1939.
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