Flaky PRC production. Looks like the producers were aiming for a gangster comedy, with veteran goof-balls like Hymer and Barnett, along with serious types like Armstrong and Harolde, plus a gamely compliant Cromwell. What they get instead is a silly concoction, despite a cast that tries hard. Sweet-natured innocent (Cromwell) is set up by conniving gangster (Armstrong) as fall-guy for his insurance scheme. Trouble is the kid has no business sense and undercuts the scheme with wasteful spending. Meanwhile Armstrong has to contend with rival toughie Harolde who doesn't trust him. So there's trouble all around. Too bad the script is so clumsy (many gaps), along with slack direction from pedestrian director Dreifuss (check his credits). The result is 60-minutes of awkward entertainment, best left to aficionados of the 1940's.

Baby Face Morgan is one frustrating film. Producers Releasing Corporation a true poverty row outfit assembled a good cast of players and had a really original idea for a story. If this had been done by a major studio with a top director this could have been one of the great comedy gems of the era.Richard Cromwell is in the title role and he plays a hayseed young man who happens to be the son of a notorious gangster. Dad split from Mom and Cromwell never had any contact with him. Cromwell has a Mr. Deeds like quality to him as Robert Armstrong plucks him from obscurity to use him as a front man for their protection racket. Things go well for Armstrong until Cromwell falls for Mary Carlisle who heads a trucking company that was a victim of the protection racket. It all unravels for Armstrong after that.Any film with such colorful movie faces like Warren Hymer, Chick Chandler, Charles Judel and Ralf Harolde is going to be enjoyable on some level. But there was real potential here that was sadly wasted.What Preston Sturges could have done with Baby Face Morgan.

Is there anything worse than a comedy film that lacks humor? The answer is Yes; one that fails to generate any interest throughout the picture. The premise is not too bad - a naive front man for an illegal business - but this is a potboiler with a poor script and screenplay and just does not work.Was this considered a good 'B' in 1942? Hard to imagine. The only positive aspect of the picture is the cast, which contains several well-known faces from the '30's and '40's, such as Warren Hymer, Vince Barnett and Robert Armstrong (I always dismiss Richard Cromwell as the weakling who got Gary Cooper killed in "Lives of a Bengal Lancer", so I wasn't counting him).Can't recommend this one and gave it a rating of 3 - if you have a choice, get a root canal.

This one was put together strictly for laughs, and it's got a cast capable enough to pull it off considering the low budget constraints of Producers Releasing Corporation. Robert Armstrong gets things rolling in his portrayal of mob boss Doc Rogers, who has the bright idea of bringing in the son of former gang leader 'Big Mike' as a way of keeping a band of local hoods together. Young Edward Morgan (Richard Cromwell) is every bit the yokel he's described to be, and the story works on the basis of numerous bits involving mistaken identity and misinterpreted dialog. As 'Baby Face', Cromwell and his vice president sidekick Ollie Harrison (Chick Chandler) are almost annoying in most of their scenes, offset by the goofiness of Rogers' henchmen Lefty (Vince Barnett) and Willie (Warren Hymer). Wise Willie has a running gag with secretary Mabel (Toddy Peterson) involving rabbits that just won't quit multiplying, sending the picture to it's inevitable fur-ball climax. Eddie even manages to win over his sweetheart Virginia (Mary Carlisle) by the end of the story, so even though he's sent packing back to the sticks via Niagara Falls, it's done in a way that leaves the viewer feeling that 'Everything's Jake'.