YOUNG FUGITIVES
US, 1938, 68 minutes, Black-and-white.
Harry Davenport, Robert Wilcox, Dorothea Kent, Larry J.Blake, Clem Bevins, Myra Mc Kinney.
Directed by John Rawlins.
In the 1930s and 1940s, elderly character actor, Harry Davenport, was very popular. Here he is at his most popular best.
The title is misleading – there are no really young fugitives. Rather, this is the story of Civil War veterans in the 1930s, the ever-diminishing number of survivors. In fact, at the opening of the film, there are only two left and one of them dies. Harry Davenport, as Joel Bentham is the last – and there had been a fund for veterans building up which meant that $50,000 was to be given to the last survivor.
Joel has very fond memories of the war, admiration for those who fought, is very patriotic. However, he lives in a boarding house, a very cranky landlady who criticises him, and he spends most of each day fishing. After meeting with the other survivor and promising to look after his son when he dies, Joel goes fishing again and returns to find that he is being given a new room, that the townspeople want to give him an honour – but he turns up for the honour, castigates the mayor and the crowd who have ignored him and he moves off, with an old friend, Benji (a genial performance from Clem Bevins) to the dead veteran’s house. On the way there, they pass a depression train with all the travellers getting off and being pursued by the police, one of them getting into the car and being revealed as a young girl (Dorothea Kent).
There is a further complication when the son (Robert Wilcox) turns up. He is about the money and intends to steal it and return to the city. However, he is also charmed by the young girl and stays to help Joel and Benji. Joel notes that he cheats at chess and buries the money under a tree. The young girl is aware of this and is also trying to test him out.
Matters get complicated in the last 10 minutes or so when associates from the city turn up, hear about the money, hold up the group in the house, intending to take the money and run. However, Joel was to be escorted by the locals to the train so that he could travel to the Declaration Day remembrance procession in Chicago. Which means that in the nick of time, the band of the locals and the mayor turn up, the crooks skedaddle, are pursued by the crowd, the son making good decisions, the girl happy with him, and their all attending the parade.
Harry Davenport is certainly a pleasing character actor, even when a bit crotchety, which makes this an entertaining 1930s pastime.
