I recently rewatched some old movies.
The Big Shakedown (1934): Chemist Jimmy (Charles Farrell) and fiancee Norma (Bette Davis) are running a neighborhood drug store but not making much money. A representative from a big chain store offers a low bid for the store, threatening that what the chain wants, it usually gets. Enter Dutch Barnes (Ricardo Cortez). His beer business is on the rocks and he's looking for a headache powder. Jimmy mixes up one as good as the brand name. Dutch starts a new business counterfeiting toothpaste and makeup that Jimmy makes. When Dutch moves into counterfeiting drugs, Jimmy tries to quit, but finds it's not so easy.
Bette is the female lead but has nothing to do. At least, Glenda Farrell gets a catfight and a death scene.
The trailer billed Charles Farrell and Davis the newest love team in their first pairing. (I reread that and wondered how Glenda Farrell and Davis would fare.) Okay, they must have written that before they saw the footage. Or they saw something that I didn't.
Bullets or Ballots (1936): I hadn't seen this one in years. The title comes from a speech by anti-crime crusader Ward Bryant (Henry O'Neill) but voting has nothing to do with the plot. Robinson plays Johnny Blake a cop demoted to the outer boroughs who expects a break when his buddy is appointed to a special commission. Instead, he is fired. Luckily, local racketeer Al Kruger (Barton MacLane) offers Johnny a job. But, his second-in-command Bugs Fenner (Humphrey Bogart) doesn't like it.
One thing I really liked about this film was that it was halfway through before it was revealed that Johnny is working as an undercover cop. What a relief! He was a good guy all along. The Hayes Office must have been relieved.
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