Friday, May 18, 2018

Rubber Racketeers (1942)

Gangster Tony Gilin (Ricardo Cortez) takes advantage of rubber rationing and the subsequent spike in demand for tyres to steal new tyres. He has them hacked to look used and sell them in car lots.

Unfortunately some of his early tyres were death traps. One of the tyres kills the brother of Mary (Barbara Read), her boyfriend Bill (William Henry) is determined to find out who is behind the scam.

Gilin decides Bill needs to be silenced permanently but doesn't count on his girlfriend Nikki (Rochelle Hudson) despairing of Gilin's evil ways and warning Bill...

It is all rather clunky, low-budget and the propaganda is laid on somewhat thickly. In fact a bit too thickly as some of the dialogue is ridiculous. Vigilante justice also seems to figure highly in this curious little film. What I did like is the slang spoken by some of the villains. The film quite frankly is as flat as a dodgy tyre but is entertaining enough.