ksimkutch While undeniably entertaining "The Secret Six" does suffer from a rather messy screenplay courtesy of Frances Marion that makes the audience feel as though they are random passersby who picked up a few bits and pieces from some strangers' conversation. The plot which treads on familiar ground as it regards the rise and fall of a gangster (Wallace Beery) whose rise commends as his criminal friend (Ralph Bellamy) brings him in front of a crooked drunken attorney (Lewis Stone) who is also the brains behind a large underworld bootlegging operation. Later on as our main crook nicknamed "Slaughterhouse" begins to climb up the ranks within this gang of low lives by backstabbing pretty much anyone that stands in his way for the top. Two investigative reporters (Clark Gable and Johnny Mack Brown) decide to stop him from getting there with the help of an employee (Jean Harlow) who works at a restaurant operated by the bootleggers as their front. This is all quite easy to follow despite plenty of lousy dialogue (which the phrase "oh yeah?" makes about 30% of) but it's the final execution itself that's confusing. The movie starts off with us following "Slaughterhouse" for better or worse but then when those two male Nancy Drews show up the picture shifts gear and they become our main protagonists afterwards there's hardly any glimpse of him unless one of these guys is hanging about.Despite all of that "The Secret Six" does manage to provide lots of entertainment mainly thanks to it's colorful players - Beery is one mean bum, Bellamy fits surprisingly well is this dreary setting, Gable while he doesn't really have all that much to do except spit out his iffy good guy dialogue still manages to give a good show the same goes for Brown, Harlow's character seems like the biggest casualty here since there are little glimpses into her personalty but not much else.Marjorie Rambeau, Paul Hurst, John Miljan, DeWitt Jennings, and Murray Kinnell deliver highly stellar performances in their supporting roles but there's no doubt that my absolute favorite of the bunch was Lewis Stone he was simply tops. Of course one can't forget the masterful direction by George Hill. All in all very enjoyable could have been a classic if it wasn't for it's so-below-so writing.

lugonian THE SECRET SIX (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1931), directed by George Hill, with story and dialogue by Frances Marion, became MGM's contribution to the gangster genre. Following numerous prior crime melodramas produced by other motion picture studios at the time, along with the current success of LITTLE CAESAR (First National, 1930), that launched Edward G. Robinson to overnight stardom, THE SECRET SIX is quite extraordinary as well as underrated. Feature billing goes to Wallace Beery, whose secondary presence under Chester Morris' leading performance from the Frances Marion scripted prison drama, THE BIG HOUSE (MGM, 1930), that has earned Beery an Academy Award nomination. For THE SECRET SIX, it's Beery's turn to take leadership in the cast, holding his own along with scene stealing support by future stars on the rise by Jean Harlow, Ralph Bellamy and the pre-mustache Clark Gable.Plot summary: Louis Scorpio (Wallace Beery), better known as "Slaughterhouse," employed at the Centro Stockyards and Packing Company at $35 a week, is introduced to a new profession, a life of crime in bootlegging by ringleader, Johnny Franks (Ralph Bellamy, in movie debut) and his assistant, Nick Mizoski (Paul Hurst), earning $150 a week a piece, while dining in a café where they are serviced by Johnny's moll, Peaches (Marjorie Rambeau). While invading the territory of rival mob boss, "Smiling Joe" Colimo (John Miljan), a gangland shooting ensues, killing Colimo's kid brother, Ivan (Oscar Rudolph) in the process. Later, as Colmino confronts Johnny to find out who was responsible for Ivan's death, Johnny places the blame on the absent Scorpio, waiting for further orders on Pier 14. Colimo and his mob drive by, gun down Scorpio, and leave him for dead. Slightly wounded, Scorpio, suspecting a double-cross, surprises Johnny upon his return, and puts him out of circulation. Now the new underworld leader rising to power, Scorpio acquires the services of Johnny's former aids, Richard Newton (Lewis Stone), a drunken criminal lawyer and personal mouthpiece; Metz (Murray Kinnell), a deaf mute wearing thick glasses posing as his lookout; and Anne Courtland (Jean Harlow), a café cashier working on high salary by Scorpio under orders to keep a couple of Herald reporters, Hank Rogers (John Mack Brown) and Carl Luckner (Clark Gable), from writing stories on Scorpio's gangland activities while investigating Johnny's unsolved murder. As Hank and Carl receive bribes from Scorpio, it turns out that one of the reporters is working undercover for a masked secret organization known as "The Secret Six," that's to put an end to Scorpio's criminal activities, maybe.Interesting that THE SECRET SIX is the movie's title, considering the organization in question, first mentioned 47 minutes into the start of the story, is hardly mentioned again after its initial introduction. Anyone unfamiliar with the movie itself would assume by its title that The Secret Six is the name of Scorpio's mob. However, Beery, the milk drinking thug sporting a mustache to give him a mean looking appearance, is the prominent figure throughout its 83 minutes, but, as mentioned before, its the fine support by platinum blonde Jean Harlow and seventh billed Clark Gable, together or separately, that gathers enough attention. Harlow performs is quite good here, compared to her weak performance in another gangster melodrama classic of THE PUBLIC ENEMY (Warner Brothers, 1931) starring James Cagney. Interestingly, Gable, who got his start playing thugs and/or villains on screen, is happily cast here as a wisecracking reporter whose gig on "Aunt Emma" becomes his running gag throughout. It was a role as a reporter that would win Gable an Academy Award as Best Actor for IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Columbia, 1934). Being Gable's first of six films opposite Harlow, their scenes together are quite limited, with Harlow working more opposite Brown, the same Johnny Mack Brown who, in his final film for MGM, who would achieve newfound popularity shortly after-wards in matinée westerns through the 1950s.True to the tradition of these gangster stories of this period, THE SECRET SIX fails to disappoint with its gun-play, car chasing and police sirens racing down the city streets, as well as tough talk to go around. Other highlights include Hank's close calls of getting caught while strolling through Scorpio's luxurious apartment searching for evidence against the crime boss during the background orchestration playing to the song, "Sing" originally introduced from the Buster Keaton military comedy of DOUGHBOYS (1930); the execution style shooting inside a subway car of one of the characters; the courtroom scene with Anne (Harlow) testifying against Scorpio at the risk of her own life; and how way Peaches gets her vengeance on Johnny's killer; and the Beery-Stone on-screen chemistry at their best.Not shown on commercial television since the 1970s or earlier, the rediscovery of THE SECRET SIX surfaced again in the wake of cable television, notably on Turner Network Television (TNT) anywhere between (1988 and 1993), before becoming a prominent fixture on Turner Classic Movies after 1994. Though never distributed to video cassette, THE SECRET SIX has earned its place on the handful of classic movie titles on DVD display through Turner Home Entertainment. And that's no secret. (***)

MartinHafer This is an odd movie on two accounts. First, the plot for this movie appears to have been stolen by Warner Brothers just four years later in SPECIAL AGENT. Both films feature a newspaper reporter who is actually a government agent. And both have these reporters gaining close access to mob leaders in order to convict them of tax fraud. I just can't believe the story parallels are just coincidental. Second, while he receives very low billing, Clark Gable is given one of his first starring roles. Despite the low billing, he is second only to Wallace Beery in the film in regard to time on screen and importance to the story.As mentioned above, this film concerns Gable getting close to mobster Beery in order to help a secret grand jury gain enough information for an indictment. However, unlike SPECIAL AGENT, there is more emphasis on the exploits of the mob leader and the newspaper reporter's role is slightly less prominent. While the film was certainly more original that SPECIAL AGENT, the film wasn't quite as polished and seemed a bit shrill. As a result, if you only want to see one film, SPECIAL AGENT is probably a slightly better film.

frankfob In the '30s, Warner Bros. specialized in gritty, violent urban crime dramas, and no studio did them better. This tough-as-nails gangster film is, surprisingly enough, from MGM, and compares favorably with the Warners product--in fact, it comes out ahead in several respects. The cast is terrific--with Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Ralph Bellamy and Clark Gable, to name a few--and George Hill's direction is as energetic and forceful as any of the directors at Warners. Another bonus is the well-known MGM gloss; it may have been just a B picture, but a "B" at MGM was as good as, and often better than, an "A" at other studios. Although this is one of Gable's earlier performances, his star quality is unmistakable--he explodes onto the screen, his good looks and charm in full force. Ralph Bellamy, whose career was spent mostly playing good-natured second leads, does a top-notch job as a two-timing, scheming gang leader who gets his just desserts after a double-cross. Even Wallace Beery manages to rein in his tendency to ham it up and contributes a solid job as the murderous "Slaughterhouse" Scorpio, who takes over Bellamy's gang. Lewis Stone as a corrupt lawyer who actually runs the gang shows what a good job he could do when given a part he could sink his teeth into, and Jean Harlow proved that she wasn't just another pretty face (and great body); she really shines in the last part of the film, especially during the courtroom scenes. This is a first-rate picture, with sharp writing, tough, no-nonsense direction and superior performances from all concerned. Don't miss it.