Buried Alive (1939)

This is a z grade snooze fest, one of the worst prison movies I've ever seen, which really gives PRC the name of perfectly rotten cinema. It surrounds the trustee of a prison who is framed on a murder charge and faces the death penalty. The convoluted plot keeps falling through the invisible sieve, so many holes and nothing coming out of it. This is extremely difficult to get through with Wilcox giving too moody of a performance to sympathize with and Beverly Roberts, once a Warner Brothers leading lady, absolutely lifeless. This is especially surprising to be so dull with cult director Victor Halperin at the helm. Even the intense prison scenes fall flat, and a seemingly serious car accident is badly staged with unrealistic details surrounding the crash.

reference to "Of Mice and Men" for Big Billy PRC was one of the crappiest studios of the day. It consistently churned out films that were ultra-low budget AND rather stupid. By comparison, the films of Monogram and Republic looked like Oscar-contenders!! And, it's because of this I was so shocked by "Buried Alive"...because it is actually very good! Sure, the acting is occasionally shaky, but the story was really good and it makes you think.Despite the title, the film is set in prison. The film is an indictment of the prison system and a call for reform. It also appears to be a strong condemnation of newspapers. It begins with a prison trustee, Johnny Martin (Robert Wilcox), doing his best to make his stay in prison as brief and productive as possible. He is not only a model prisoner but does his best to look out for other prisoners. However, when he comes to the aid of a prison worker who is pulled into a fist-fight, a long series of unfortunate events occurs--resulting in Johnny NOT being paroled but being sentenced to the death chamber!! In addition to savaging the press, the film is very clearly anti-capital punishment and in favor of rehabilitation. It's unusual for its day and although it's a tiny bit preachy, it makes its case very well and is well worth your time. Cheap but effective and with a nifty ending.

Let's see now. A central figure is the guy who throws the switch at electrocutions. There are three guys in love with a woman who works as a nurse at the prison hospital. One of the prisoners gets to dress up in a suit and drive people around. The warden spends all of his time trying to help this guy. The security is non-existent. The nurse falls in love with the convict rather than the three guys who are in love with her. If prisons were run like this, they would be empty. Everyone would have walked away. My favorite character is the executioner. He has the shakes but can't seem to quit the job. About once a month he puts the juice to someone. He really wants to buy a farm and raise chickens. Oh, there's also a chaplain who is in love with this woman. Then there is an evil reporter who frames the poor schmoe. Does this sound like something you'd like to see?

"A prison trustee is soon to be released from prison when he ends up stopping a bar brawl involving one of the prison guards. After some unkind press for him on the bar brawl, the convict is turned down for his early parole. Will his love for the prison nurse help him in getting past all of the people trying to keep him in prison and looking at the electric chair?" according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis."Buried Alive" is a potentially interesting look at the electric chair era, and the public servants who organize the executions. But, the main story, involving handsome Robert Wilcox (as Johnny Martin) doesn't end up serving the film's morality question; at least, not the one introduced in the opening, by twitchy switch-puller George Pembroke (as Ernie Matthews).A "love story" between Mr. Wilcox and beautiful nurse Beverly Roberts (as Joan Wright) isn't terribly exciting. The book Wilcox describes, while driving, is John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" - which makes Wilcox "George" and cell-mate Don Rowan (as Big Billy) "Lennie". In the 1929s, prisoners did a lot more reading (and motion pictures were sometimes too talky).*** Buried Alive (11/6/39) Victor Halperin ~ Robert Wilcox, Beverly Roberts, George Pembroke