Legionnaires' Disease

I picked up Black Legion (1937) because it was a Humphrey Bogart movie I hadn't seen yet. 

Bogart works in a machine shop, which seems like a pleasant place. The guys josh around a lot - everyone ribs Jack Foran for being hung over, and Polish kid Henry Brandon for studying all the time. But it's all in fun. When the foreman gets a promotion, Bogart is pretty sure he's up for the new position. He even starts making plans with his wife and kid for a new car and maybe a vacation. But the job goes to Brandon.

Now, instead of listening to radio serials with his son, he listens to radio ranters going on about immigrants stealing our jobs. He gets surly and sloppy at work, and a co-worker invites him to meet some friends. It turns out to be - the Black Legion!

These guys have a nifty black uniform with black hoods and carry pistols (both required, for a reasonable price). They beat up and whip undesirables, and Bogart goes along with it. In fact, they beat up Brandon and his nice old Polish dad, Egon Brecher. Then they burn down his home and throw them on a freight train out of town. So now Bogart is foreman.

Bogart's friend Foran, boards next door to Bogart's family. His landlord's daughter, Ann Sheridan, is Bogart's wife's friend, and thinks that Foran should settle down and marry her. Foran may run around with floozy Helen Flint and drink too much, but he has husband potential. But the landlord is Irish, and gets promoted at work, so the Black Legion goes after him. Now Bogart's wife begins to suspect, and leaves him, taking their son with him.

Bogart gets drunk and starts hanging out with Flint, but drunkenly tells Foran about the Legion. So now he is marked for death.

Bogart is caught, and left to take the rap. He is defiant, willing to go to prison or face the chair for the Legion. But when he sees his wife and son in court, he breaks. He spills everything about the Legion, and points out the members who are there in court, leading to their arrest. The judge gives a rather long speech about America and Democracy. 

Note that this was made in 1937, before America joined the war against Hitler. It is plainly a work of propaganda, and kind of clumsy at that. It's hard to believe that a nice guy like Bogart could be such a dope. When he goes to the first meeting, he evens laughs at the secret knock. But then he kind of gets excited about getting a uniform. I did buy that he got excited when holding a pistol. 

But having a great cast really made up for the slightly clumsy script. And maybe, I didn't mind because I agree with the sentiment: bigotry and violence are bad. But I don't think director Archie Mayo did Bogart any favors with this one.