11 days ago

Buried Alive is a 1939 film directed by Victor Halperin.

SYNOPSIS
A prison trustee rescues a despondent executioner from a bar-room brawl, and is blamed for the fight by a tabloid reporter who actually started it, and loses parole, becomes embittered, and gets blamed for murder of guard.

CAST & CREW
Beverly Roberts as Joan Wright
Robert Wilcox as Johnny Martin
Paul McVey as Jim Henderson
Ted Osborne as Ira Hanes (as Ted Osborn)
George Pembroke as Ernie Matthews (as Geo. Pembroke)
Stephen Chase as Dr. Robert Lee (as Alden Chase)
George Lynn as Gus Barth (as Peter Lynn)
Wheeler Oakman as Manning
Norman Budd as The Kid
Ben Alexander as Riley
Boyd Irwin as Rutledge
Edward Earle as Charlie Blake
Dave O'Brien as Carson
Robert McKenzie as Al Garrity (as Bob McKenzie)
Don Rowan as Big Billy

Directed by: Victor Halperin
Screenplay by: George Bricker
Story by: William A. Ullman Jr.
Produced by: Ben N. Judell
Cinematography: Jack Greenhalgh
Edited by: Holbrook Todd
Production Company: Producers Pictures Corp.
Distributed by: Producers Pictures Corp.
Release Date: November 6, 1939
Running Time: 62 minutes
Country: United States

NOTES
After finishing Torture Ship, director Victor Halperin started production on his next film Buried Alive. The film began shooting in the first half of October 1939 for Producer's Pictures Corporation.

Actor Clem Wilenchick (aka Crane Whitley) was scheduled to play the character of Manning, but as the shooting began he was replaced by Wheeler Oakman. The Call Bureau Cast Service initially mentioned that Archie Twitchell would portray Carson, and was replaced by Dave O'Brien.

The Film Daily found the film "falls short of being a convincing drama. It will probably be okay as program material in the smalle nabe houses" but found Halperin's direction merely "O.K." Variety declared the film "Inferior all the way, particularly in its direction and playing, outside of Beverly Roberts".

A critic from The New York Post declared the film "so bad it seems almost like a new experience. Judging from the quality of most of the acting and direction, I should guess that it was a quickie film originally scheduled for six days' shooting but shortened to four" and concluded that "Buried Alive heads the January mustn't list."

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