The Boss of Big Town

The Boss of Big Town

BLACK MARKET RACKET! He placed his life on the line...to uncover the sinister power that was racketeering in a big city's daily bread

1942 · 62 min · ★ 6.2 · Action, Thriller

Quality was seldom a consideration in the low-budget films of PRC Studios; still, the company was a welcome harbor for character actors who aspired to occasional leading roles. In Boss of Big Town, veteran supporting player John Litel is top-billed as crusading city market official Michael Lynn. When a criminal gang muscles in on the local food distribution markets, Lynn vows to throw the rascals out. First, however, he pretends to join the villains as a paid government stooge, the better to find out the identity of the "Mister Big" behind the distribution racket. The exposure of the "mystery villain" will come as a shock to fans of the 1927 Cecil B. DeMille epic The King of Kings--but not to dyed-in-the-wool movie buffs.

Directed by Arthur Dreifuss · Written by Edward Dein

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 9m together

The Boss of Big Town

I Surrender Dear

Both from Arthur Dreifuss.

More from Arthur DreifussSee all →

I Surrender DearI Surrender Dear · 1948
I Surrender Dear
★ 10.01948
MovieRomanceMusic
Patty Nelson lands a job as a singer with orchestra leader Al Tyler, and tours with the band as "Patty Hart." Patty's father Russ is dismissed from his radio-station job, and the disc jockey selected to replace him is Al Tyler. Patty rushes home to keep Russ company on the air for the final few days, and Al wonders why she suddenly walked out on him. The new "Patty and Russ" radio show catches on, causing complications with Al and the radio-station bosses.
Little Miss BroadwayLittle Miss Broadway · 1947
Little Miss Broadway
★ 8.01947
MovieMusicComedy
Upon leaving finishing school, Judy Gibson goes to meet her presumed wealthy and socially prominent relatives. However they are penniless Broadway characters and take possession of a Long Island mansion owned by an incarcerated thief so Judy doesn't find out the truth. Judy arrives with her fiancé and his father, who tries to sell worthless stock to Judy's family. They give him $200,000, part of the stashed loot they found belonging to the home-owner thief.
Life Begins At 17Life Begins At 17 · 1958
Life Begins At 17
★ 7.51958
MovieDrama
Rich college fraternity boy tries to get small-town beauty contest winner to fall for him by making a play for her 16-year-old sister.
There's a Girl in My HeartThere's a Girl in My Heart · 1949
There's a Girl in My Heart
★ 7.01949
MovieMusicComedy
A Gay-Nineties musical set in NYC's Bowery and East-Side explores the life of its inhabitants---an Irish policeman and his tap-dancing daughter and music-hall wife; a German professor of music and his singing daughter; and an Italian café-owner, a kindly priest, a struggling young doctor and a saloon-keeper. And a political ward-heeler, Terrence Dowd, who has a deceptive and dishonest plan to sell them all out in order to build a fight arena. But he meets his match in property-owner Claire Adamson.
Sarong GirlSarong Girl · 1943
Sarong Girl
★ 7.01943
MovieMusicComedy
A dancer in a girlie show plots revenge when a judge orders her show closed.
A Time to SingA Time to Sing · 1968
A Time to Sing
★ 6.51968
MovieDramaMusic
A young farmer becomes a singer against the wishes of his uncle.
Prison ShipPrison Ship · 1945
Prison Ship
★ 6.51945
MovieActionWar
Panic arises among Allied POWs aboard a Japanese freighter when they learn that the ship is actually a decoy target for American submarines on night patrol. The prisoners unite and attack their Japanese captors just as an American sub surfaces and, not knowing the prisoners are aboard, prepares to torpedo the ship.
High School HeroHigh School Hero · 1946
High School Hero
★ 6.51946
MovieMusicComedy
The Teen-Agers are down in the dumps: their football team faces almost-certain defeat, the school paper might need to suspend publication because circulation is so low, and the principal intends to replace student performers with professionals.
The Last BlitzkriegThe Last Blitzkrieg · 1959
The Last Blitzkrieg
★ 6.11959
MovieWarDrama
The fanatical son of a Nazi General leads a squad of German commandos, disguised as American Troops, behind the lines in order to sabotage the Allied Forces.
An Old-Fashioned GirlAn Old-Fashioned Girl · 1949
An Old-Fashioned Girl
★ 6.01949
MovieComedy
A music teacher in 1870s Boston works hard to succeed, while her wealthy distant relatives find their fortunes turning.
Two Blondes and a RedheadTwo Blondes and a Redhead · 1947
Two Blondes and a Redhead
★ 6.01947
MovieComedyMusic
Socialite Cathy Abbott is working in the chorus of a Broadway show instead of being enrolled at an exclusive girl's school as her parents think. When the show closes, she brings two of her chorus friends home with her. In addition to trying to make her friends acceptable to the snooty society of which her family is part, she is also being blackmailed by a rival.
The PayoffThe Payoff · 1942
The Payoff
★ 5.91942
MovieActionThriller
The city's District Attorney is murdered, and a newspaper reporter investigates. He starts finding out that everything wasn't quite as cut and dried as it appeared to be.
Boston Blackie Booked on SuspicionBoston Blackie Booked on Suspicion · 1945
Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion
★ 5.81945
MovieCrimeMystery
Blackie is implicated in a murder when he accidently sells a phony Charles Dickens first edition at an auction.
Campus RhythmCampus Rhythm · 1943
Campus Rhythm
★ 5.71943
MovieRomanceComedy
Radio singer Joan Abbott, known as the "Crunchy-Wunchy Thrush", does not want to renew her contract with the cereal sponsor, as she wants to go to college. But her guardian, her Uncle Willie signs the contract in order to pay off his own debts. But this time Joan won't take no for an answer and enrolls under an assumed name. When Joan goes missing, the radio institutes a search for Joan via a publicity stunt.
Junior PromJunior Prom · 1946
Junior Prom
★ 5.31946
MovieMusicComedy
A wealthy man's son is running for high school student body president, and the boy's father tells the principal that if his son wins, he will make a sizable donation that will pay for the football team's much-needed uniforms.
Riot on Sunset StripRiot on Sunset Strip · 1967
Riot on Sunset Strip
★ 5.11967
MovieDrama
A police captain is caught between businesses operating on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip who don't like the punks hanging out, and his belief in allowing the kids their rights. But when his daughter gets involved with an unruly bunch, his attitude starts to change.

More Like This

Grand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto · 1977
Grand Theft Auto
★ 5.31977
MovieComedyAction
A rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.
The Man Who Saved the WorldThe Man Who Saved the World · 1982
The Man Who Saved the World
★ 4.81982
MovieScience FictionAction
Two space cadets crash-land on a desert planet, where an evil wizard seeks the ultimate power to take over the world. Although the movie borrows some background footage from Star Wars, the plot is mostly unrelated.
Seven SwordsSeven Swords · 2005
Seven Swords
★ 6.22005
MovieActionDrama
In the middle of the 17th century, the Manchus conquered China and founded the Ching dynasty. Due to widespread uprisings against the new rulers, the study and practice of traditional martial arts is forbidden and punishable by death. The unscrupulous leader of a troop of mercenaries takes advantage of this situation to make a fortune with the bounty on his head.
Jesus Christ Vampire HunterJesus Christ Vampire Hunter · 2001
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter
★ 4.92001
MovieActionComedy
The second coming is upon us, and Jesus has returned to earth. But before he can get down to the serious business of judging the living and the dead, he has to contend with an army of vampires that can walk in the daylight.
Barb WireBarb Wire · 1996
Barb Wire
★ 4.11996
MovieScience FictionAction
A sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons. Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood, who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action.
The VelociPastorThe VelociPastor · 2018
The VelociPastor
★ 5.52018
MovieActionHorror
After losing his parents, a priest travels to China, where he inherits a mysterious ability to turn into a dinosaur. At first horrified by this new power, a prostitute convinces him to fight crime. And ninjas.
Stranger on the Third FloorStranger on the Third Floor · 1940
Stranger on the Third Floor
★ 6.51940
MovieCrimeDrama
Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter