Series - MGM's Crime Does Not Pay
by ianhenslee | created - 16 Sep 2017 | updated - 16 Sep 2017 | Public- Genres
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1. Buried Loot (1935)
Passed | 19 min | Short, Crime, Drama
An embezzler who expects to serve his time in prison and then pick up his buried loot is in for a surprise.
Director: George B. Seitz | Stars: Brooks Benedict, James Ellison, Chuck Hamilton, Irene Hervey
Votes: 236
2. Alibi Racket (1935)
Approved | 18 min | Short, Crime, Drama
How police interrogation cracks the "airtight" alibi of a criminal.
Director: George B. Seitz | Stars: Granville Bates, Al Bridge, Eddie Dunn, Irene Hervey
Votes: 132
3. Desert Death (1935)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A man kills his cousin in the desert, then assumes his identity and tries to collect insurance on himself.
Director: George B. Seitz | Stars: Raymond Hatton, Harvey Stephens, Erville Alderson, Richard Carlson
Votes: 35
4. A Thrill for Thelma (1935)
Passed | 18 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A young girl, wanting a life of luxury, takes the "easy" way, and winds up in jail.
Director: Edward L. Cahn | Stars: Irene Hervey, Robert Livingston, Robert Warwick, William Tannen
Votes: 224
5. Hit-and-Run Driver (1935)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A man runs over a young couple on a deserted road, then leaves the scene and tries to cover up the incident.
Director: Edward L. Cahn | Stars: Sam Flint, William Gould, Jonathan Hale, Howard Hickman
Votes: 125
6. The Perfect Set-Up (1936)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
The City of New York Police Captain Detectives Hewitt tells the story of Alan Saunders, one of the most unusual criminals of our time, in "A Crime Does Not Pay Subject" short.
Director: Edward L. Cahn | Stars: Helene Chadwick, Robert Dudley, William Gould, Mahlon Hamilton
Votes: 102
7. Foolproof (1936)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
Starts with "Anderson Family" court trial where wife testifies on the murder of her husband, while the police investigation finds some interesting twists to the crime.
Director: Edward L. Cahn | Stars: Niles Welch, Alonzo Price, John Marsden, Stanley Andrews
Votes: 24
8. The Public Pays (1936)
Approved | 19 min | Crime, Drama, Short
A protection racket preying on milk distribution is broken through the persistence of law enforcement and the courage of a local businessman.
Director: Errol Taggart | Stars: Richard Alexander, Barbara Bedford, Harry C. Bradley, Russ Clark
Votes: 257
9. Torture Money (1937)
Approved | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
Police go after a fraud operation that stages automobile accidents to collect insurance money.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Edwin Maxwell, George Lynn, Murray Alper, King Baggot
Votes: 208
10. It May Happen to You (1937)
Approved | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
From MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" Series. Mobsters convince a meat packing company employee to help them hijack a truckload of beef.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: J. Carrol Naish, King Baggot, William Bailey, Barbara Bedford
Votes: 118
11. Soak the Poor (1937)
Approved | 16 min | Short, Crime, Drama
Entry number 11 in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series deals with racketeers shaking down small grocers and horning in on the relief tickets, forcing prices up with the consumers paying the freight.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Leslie Fenton, Leon Ames, Ted Billings, John Butler
Votes: 123
12. Give Till It Hurts (1937)
Approved | 21 min | Crime, Short, Drama
This entry in the Crime Does Not Pay series focuses on charity fraud. Two scam artists set themselves up as 'philanthropists' to help raise money for a local clinic, but the funds they raise never get to help the people who need it.
Director: Felix E. Feist | Stars: Janet Beecher, Clay Clement, Howard Hickman, King Baggot
Votes: 89
13. Behind the Criminal (1937)
Approved | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A police detective goes undercover as a criminal to get the goods on a shady lawyer who uses phony witnesses and perjury to get guilty clients acquitted.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Edward Emerson, Walter Kingsford, Anna Q. Nilsson, Joe Sawyer
Votes: 24
14. What Price Safety! (1938)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
Racketeers muscle in on construction business, use inferior materials, make big profits and endanger the public safety.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Lionel Royce, George Houston, John Wray, John Butler
Votes: 88
15. Miracle Money (1938)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A quack doctor convinces people that this "Volta Ray" cures cancer, and the local medical examiners must figure out a way to put his fraudulent practice to an end.
Director: Leslie Fenton | Stars: John Miljan, Boyd Crawford, Robert Middlemass, E. Alyn Warren
Votes: 122
16. Come Across (1938)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A bank robber pulls off a heist and comes out with a good haul. However, he winds up being forced to give most of it to his gangland "friends" to hide him from the police, and who now turn their backs on him when his money runs out.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Bernard Nedell, Bernadene Hayes, Rita La Roy, Donald Douglas
Votes: 26
17. A Criminal Is Born (1938)
Approved | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
An entry in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series, it tells the true story of how a young man, ignored by his parents, gets into a gang and starts a crime spree which leads to murder.
Director: Leslie Fenton | Stars: George P. Breakston, David Durand, Norman Phillips Jr., Warren McCollum
Votes: 140
18. They're Always Caught (1938)
Approved | 22 min | Short, Crime
Shows the role the crime laboratory plays in the solving of cases, and how even the smallest detail can become a major clue.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Stanley Ridges, John Eldredge, Louis Jean Heydt, Charles Waldron
Votes: 234
19. Think It Over (1938)
Approved | 19 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A gang of 'professional torches' burn down stores for the insurance money.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Lester Matthews, Charles D. Brown, Don 'Red' Barry, Dwight Frye
Votes: 51
20. The Wrong Way Out (1938)
Passed | 17 min | Crime, Short, Drama
In this entry in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series, young Ann Stevens and "Windy" Brown, against the advice of both sets of parents, run away and get married as they yearn for "independence."... See full summary »
Director: Gustav Machatý | Stars: Kenneth Howell, Linda Perry, William Bailey, Robert Elliott
Votes: 162
21. Money to Loan (1939)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
The MGM crime reporter introduces Norman Kennedy, District Attorney of a large city, who talks about the general want for money, and the extraordinary lengths to which some will go to get ... See full summary »
Director: Joseph M. Newman | Stars: Alan Dinehart, Paul Guilfoyle, John Butler, Addison Richards
Votes: 90
22. While America Sleeps (1939)
Approved | 21 min | Crime, Short
An episode in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series. Dave Miller, an aircraft plant worker, is actually selling secret bomber plans to foreign agents. United States Intelligence Department agents plan to trap him and the spies he works for.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Dick Purcell, Lenita Lane, Egon Brecher, Frederik Vogeding
Votes: 46
23. Help Wanted (1939)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A racketeer sets up an employment agency, and then sends his henchmen to lineup foremen in companies that employ unskilled labor. The foreman is promised a cut on each new man he hires, and... See full summary »
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Tom Neal, Jo Ann Sayers, Clem Bevans, Edward Pawley
Votes: 37
24. Think First (1939)
Approved | 21 min | Drama, Short
A pair of innocent young women, Margie and Ruth, are recruited by a gang to work in a major shoplifting ring.
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: Marc Lawrence, Laraine Day, Jo Ann Sayers, Ann Morriss
Votes: 35
25. Drunk Driving (1939)
Passed | 22 min | Short, Drama
In this Crime Does Not Pay series entry, John Jones is an up and coming businessman who drinks too much but denies he has a problem. One day he mixes drinking and driving, and the tragic consequences hit very close to home.
Director: David Miller | Stars: Dick Purcell, Jo Ann Sayers, Richard Lane, King Baggot
Votes: 181
26. Pound Foolish (1940)
Approved | 20 min | Crime, Short, Drama
An expose of attempts by wealthy people to avoid payment of customs duties. Part of the MGM "Crime Does Not Pay" series.
Director: Felix E. Feist | Stars: Neil Hamilton, Lynne Carver, Gertrude Michael, Victor Varconi
Votes: 22
27. Know Your Money (1940)
Approved | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
This entry in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series deals with the efforts of the Secret Service to detect counterfeit money and prosecute those responsible for such crimes.
Director: Joseph M. Newman | Stars: Noel Madison, Dennis Moore, Charles D. Brown, William Edmunds
Votes: 131
28. Jack Pot (1940)
Approved | 20 min | Crime, Drama, Short
An entry in MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series, which deals with illegal gambling and illegal bookmaking.
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: Tom Neal, Ann Morriss, Edwin Maxwell, Jean Rouverol
Votes: 185
29. Women in Hiding (1940)
Approved | 22 min | Crime, Drama, Short
The MGM crime reporter introduces Dr. Mallory, health commissioner of a large Midwestern city, he who talks about the dangers pregnant women face by going to clinics that advertise discreet... See full summary »
Director: Joseph M. Newman | Stars: Marsha Hunt, Jane Drummond, Mary Bovard, C. Henry Gordon
Votes: 232
30. Buyer Beware (1940)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
This entry in MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series deals with shady businesses selling stolen merchandise.
Director: Joseph M. Newman | Stars: Charles Arnt, Hugh Beaumont, Margaret Bert, Egon Brecher
Votes: 116
31. Soak the Old (1940)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A gang of con artists conspires to take over an honest movement to secure decent pensions for the elderly.
Director: Sammy Lee | Stars: Ralph Morgan, George Cleveland, Cathy Lewis, George Lessey
Votes: 100
32. You, the People (1940)
Passed | 21 min | Drama, Short, Crime
This entry in MGM's series of shorts, "Crime Doesn't Pay", features a big city crime boss's attempt to use his political "machine" to fraudulently win re-election for the current corrupt ... See full summary »
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: C. Henry Gordon, Byron Shores, Paul Everton, Matt McHugh
Votes: 179
33. Respect the Law (1941)
Passed | 20 min | Short, Crime, Drama
Shows how so-called "minor" lawbreakers can do more damage than major criminals.
Director: Joseph M. Newman | Stars: Moroni Olsen, Richard Lane, Frank Orth, William Forrest
Votes: 116
34. Forbidden Passage (1941)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
This short film portrays the U.S. Department of Immigration's efforts to capture a ring of smugglers who prey on desperate immigrants waiting entry by convincing them they have influence with the Immigration Service if they just pay a fee.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Addison Richards, Wolfgang Zilzer, Hugh Beaumont, George Lessey
Votes: 285
35. Coffins on Wheels (1941)
Approved | 17 min | Crime, Short, Drama
Unscrupulous car dealers foist faulty and dangerous cars on an unsuspecting public.
Director: Joseph M. Newman | Stars: Darryl Hickman, Tommy Baker, Allan Lane, Cy Kendall
Votes: 197
36. Sucker List (1941)
Approved | 19 min | Crime, Short, Drama
Mr. Brown and his racketeer buddies, calling their company "Best Selections", come up with a scheme to bilk those already seemingly desperate for money of what little they have. The scheme ... See full summary »
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: Lynne Carver, Noel Madison, John Archer, George Cleveland
Votes: 148
37. For the Common Defense! (1942)
Approved | 22 min | Crime, Drama, Short
This Crime Does Not Pay short shows how cooperation among all the nations of the Americas helps the war effort. In this case, a US government agent travels to Chile and Colombia. He works ... See full summary »
Director: Allan Kenward | Stars: John Litel, Douglas Fowley, Stephen McNally, Van Johnson
Votes: 222
38. Keep 'Em Sailing (1942)
Approved | 20 min | Drama, Short
An FBI agent goes undercover to investigate the sabotage of American cargo ships.
Director: Basil Wrangell | Stars: Jim Davis, Ian Keith, George Travell, Frederick Worlock
Votes: 46
39. Plan for Destruction (1943)
Approved | 22 min | Short, Drama, History
This short documentary looks at Nazi Germany's plan for world domination by reviewing the effects of and bitterness felt over the defeat in WWI and focusing on the geopolitical concepts of Prof. Karl Haushofer and his influence on Hitler.
Director: Edward L. Cahn | Stars: Lewis Stone, Frank Reicher, George Lynn, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Votes: 184
40. Patrolling the Ether (1944)
Approved | 21 min | Short, Drama
In the days leading up to World War II, the Radio Intelligence Division of the Federal Communications Commission enlists the help of amateur radio operators to determine the location of broadcasts by enemy agents in the United States.
Director: Paul Burnford | Stars: Hazel Brooks, Marc Cramer, Richard Crane, Donald Curtis
Votes: 110
41. Easy Life (1944)
Passed | 20 min | Crime, Short, Drama
In this entry in the MGM "Crime Does Not Pay" series young Frank Davis, dropping out of school and joining a small-time hoodlum gang, finds out that leading a life of crime is not all he thought it would be.
Director: Walter Hart | Stars: Steven Geray, Bernard Thomas, William 'Bill' Phillips, William Challee
Votes: 108
42. Dark Shadows (1944)
Passed | 21 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A police psychiatrist is enlisted to catch a homicidal killer.
Directors: Walter Hart, Paul Burnford | Stars: Henry O'Neill, Morris Ankrum, Arthur Space, Paul Guilfoyle
Votes: 221
43. Fall Guy (1945)
Approved | 18 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A bank cashier embezzles a large amount of money, murders the bank examiner, and frames a co-worker but will he get away with it?
Director: Paul Burnford | Stars: Leon Ames, Marjorie Davies, Paul Langton, Morris Ankrum
Votes: 20
44. The Last Installment (1945)
Approved | 19 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A young, soon-to-be-released convict idolizes the exciting life of a famous Roaring Twenties gangster he reads about in a magazine serial, but the warden tells him how the story ends before he can read the last installment.
Director: Walter Hart | Stars: Walter Sande, Cameron Mitchell, William 'Bill' Phillips, Robert Lewis
Votes: 148
45. Phantoms, Inc. (1945)
Approved | 17 min | Short, Crime, Drama