T-Man Brass Bancroft goes undercover in a prison which has a secret counterfeit operation set up in the print shop.T-Man Brass Bancroft goes undercover in a prison which has a secret counterfeit operation set up in the print shop.T-Man Brass Bancroft goes undercover in a prison which has a secret counterfeit operation set up in the print shop.
William B. Davidson
- Warden Denby
- (as William Davidson)
Charles C. Wilson
- Capt. Kilrane
- (as Charles Wilson)
Sidney Bracey
- Pop Dryden
- (as Sidney Bracy)
Phil Bloom
- Convict
- (uncredited)
Nat Carr
- Prison Doctor
- (uncredited)
Glen Cavender
- Day Gate Guard
- (uncredited)
George Chesebro
- Convict Printer
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJim Pierce is in studio records/casting call lists in the role of Counterman, but he did not appear in the movie.
- GoofsWhen Reagan and Joe Downing are on the prison wall, their medium shot is undercut with a long shot, obviously archival footage from an earlier film. The mismatch has Reagan's Bancroft go from wearing a hat with no gun to no hat and holding a pistol while Downing's character Dice goes from no hat and a pistol to a hat and a rifle.
- Quotes
Warden Denby: That's enough, Captain.
Night Captain: But, Warden, you can't handle killers with kid gloves. They are killers!
Warden Denby: Granted but you first gotta prove it.
- ConnectionsFollowed by Murder in the Air (1940)
- SoundtracksYou Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
(1938) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Sung a cappella by Eddie Foy Jr.
Featured review
Counterfeiting In Stir
Ronald Reagan's third film as Secret Service Agent Brass Bancroft finds him going undercover into prison to ferret out a gang of counterfeiters. The original assignment just had him trying to get close to the distributor of the bogus dough to find out where the plates are. Little does he dream that the stuff is being printed in the prison print shop along with the prison newspaper.
This is kind of like White Heat where Edmond O'Brien goes to prison to get close to James Cagney to get information on some real crimes Cagney and his gang were pulling. But believe me, Smashing the Money Ring will never be confused with White Heat. Reagan's going undercover, but they don't even bother to give him a phony name.
It was an interesting if far-fetched idea for a story, but this was a B film that got that kind of treatment. Part of the plot called for Reagan to be shot after a prison break by the big boss. It was at fairly close range, but it turns out Ron was only wounded and after being dumped into a lake with the getaway car, he swims away and the next minute you see him without a scratch.
I have to wonder if Reagan's mind didn't hearken back to those days at Warner Brothers when in 1981 he was really shot. Doctors instead of scriptwriters saved the life of the 40th President of the United States.
Ron was ably assisted by a cast that included Margot Stevenson, Eddie Foy, Jr., and Joe Downing as the crook Reagan was supposed to get cozy with. Interestingly enough Eddie Foy, Jr. as the sidekick got to romance Margot Stevenson. With Ron it was strictly business in this film. Maybe that had something to do with Eddie's brother Bryan Foy being in charge of Warner Brothers B picture unit.
Counterfeiting while in stir, who'd a thunk it, the brothers Warner that's who.
This is kind of like White Heat where Edmond O'Brien goes to prison to get close to James Cagney to get information on some real crimes Cagney and his gang were pulling. But believe me, Smashing the Money Ring will never be confused with White Heat. Reagan's going undercover, but they don't even bother to give him a phony name.
It was an interesting if far-fetched idea for a story, but this was a B film that got that kind of treatment. Part of the plot called for Reagan to be shot after a prison break by the big boss. It was at fairly close range, but it turns out Ron was only wounded and after being dumped into a lake with the getaway car, he swims away and the next minute you see him without a scratch.
I have to wonder if Reagan's mind didn't hearken back to those days at Warner Brothers when in 1981 he was really shot. Doctors instead of scriptwriters saved the life of the 40th President of the United States.
Ron was ably assisted by a cast that included Margot Stevenson, Eddie Foy, Jr., and Joe Downing as the crook Reagan was supposed to get cozy with. Interestingly enough Eddie Foy, Jr. as the sidekick got to romance Margot Stevenson. With Ron it was strictly business in this film. Maybe that had something to do with Eddie's brother Bryan Foy being in charge of Warner Brothers B picture unit.
Counterfeiting while in stir, who'd a thunk it, the brothers Warner that's who.
Helpful•74
- bkoganbing
- Jan 19, 2008
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime57 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was Smashing the Money Ring (1939) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer