TEAR GAS SQUAD (1940)

The title of this Warner Brothers B-film has almost no relevance to its plot. Still, this is a fairly enjoyable hour-long potpourri of crime story, romance, and even musical. The movie opens with George Reeves, a clerk at a drugstore, getting held up. Through fast thinking, he saves the day, collects a reward, and buys the store (talk about entrepreneurship!). The story then focuses on his brother, Dennis Morgan, a nightclub singer who does a humorous number dressed as a policeman, designed to get some kisses from the female clientele. The act backfires with Glenda Dickson, who comes from a family of policemen (Irish, of course), so Morgan decides to impress her by joining the force. He has to put up with Dickson's cop boyfriend (John Payne, young and lovely, but with an unflattering pencil-thin mustache), who really puts him through the paces during training. Hot-headed Morgan winds up suspended from the force for fighting, but when Reeves (remember him?) is killed by the gang behind the first hold-up, Morgan helps the cops track down the bad guys and saves Payne's life (and finally wins Dickson once and for all). Payne is much more likeable here than Morgan, who is too cocky for me; I kept wanting him to get knocked down a peg. John Hamilton, who played Perry White to George Reeves's Superman on TV, is the head cop. Fast-paced and fun, though I really thought Dickson should have chosen Payne.