Racket Busters (1938)

Racket Busters is a 1938 American crime film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film stars Humphrey Bogart and George Brent and is about a crime in the trucking industry.

Plot

Attorney Hugh Allison is appointed Special Prosecutor to investigate and strike down gangster John "Czar" Martin's racketeering scheme in the trucking industry. This is Martin's first step in controlling New York's produce market. However, Alison is unable to get testimony from witnesses because of Martin's brutal coercion. Denny Jordan, a popular and influential trucker, refuses to join Martin's gang, and his truck is vandalized, causing Jordan to crash his truck on the side of a hill. To provide for his pregnant wife Nora, Jordan robs Martin's office but is caught. Martin agrees to forgive him if he joins his "protective association". Jordan reluctantly complies. This allows the other truckers to also join Martin's corrupt organization, while Allison begins jailing witnesses who refuse to testify. Jordan's oldest friend, Pop Wilson, is murdered after testifying against Martin, and Jordan's partner, "Skeets" Wilson, quits trucking and begins selling tomatoes. Although Jordan is arrested by Allison and his wife leaves him, he refuses to testify against Martin. In a move to control the entire produce market, Martin incites the truckers to go on strike, thereby causing a food shortage, until every commission merchant and produce dealer join his association. But, Wilson refuses Martin's entreaties and is killed by his gang. Jordan then leads the truckers into breaking the strike, and a free-for-all breaks out between the truckers and the racketeers. Jordan defeats Martin in a hand-to-hand fight as the police arrive. Denny eventually testifies against Martin, leading to his conviction.

Cast

Humphrey Bogart as John 'Czar' Martin

George Brent as Denny Jordan

Gloria Dickson as Nora Jordan

Allen Jenkins as 'Skeets' Wilson

Walter Abel as Hugh Allison

Henry O'Neill as Governor

Penny Singleton as Gladys Christie

Anthony Averill as Dave Crane, Martin's Henchman

Oscar O'Shea as Pop Wilson

Elliott Sullivan as Charlie Smith

Fay Helm as Mrs. Smith

Joe Downing as Joe Pender, Martin's Henchman

Norman Willis as Gus Hawkins, Martin's Henchman

Don Rowan as Cliff Kimball

Production

The film was based on the prosecution of real-life trucking racketeering schemes in New York City during Thomas E. Dewey's campaign against organized crime in the 1930s.

Release

Racket Busters was released on July 16, 1938. According to the Hollywood Reporter the film's title was changed on its release in Paris to Threat Over the City so that the tennis fans would not think the film was about the sport.

See also

1938 New York City truckers strike

References

External links

Racket Busters at IMDb

Racket Busters at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Racket Busters at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films