The Reckoning (1932) On DVD

Judy is tired of a life of petty crime and begs her boyfriend Terry to go straight. After a botched robbery attempt threatens to send the pair to prison, Terry swears he's going to quit. Mob boss "Doc" has other plans for Terry. Pretending to help, he lands Judy an honest job as a nanny with the wealthy Henderson family. What Judy doesn't realize is that "Doc" plans to clean out the Henderson's safe, which holds a fortune in jewels, and pin it on Terry and her.

Bearing a strong resemblance to her sister Loretta Young, actress Sally Blane co-starred with Rudy Vallee (The Vagabond Lover, 1929), Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (Little Accident, 1930), Walter Huston (The Star Witness, 1931), and Buster Crabbe (She Had To Choose, 1934) before marrying director Norman Foster and choosing domestic life. Handsome James Murray seemed headed for stardom after turning in a brilliant performance for King Vidor in The Crowd (1928). Despite acquitting himself well in three Lon Chaney movies, The Big City (1928), The Shakedown (1928) and Thunder (1929) he succumbed to alcoholism. His lifeless body was retrieved from the Hudson River in 1936 at age 35.

THE RECKONING is one of several 1932 releases starring Sally Blane, the pretty (and overworked) older sister of Loretta Young. Blane plays the sweetheart of hero James Murray, who gets sucked into a life of crime by criminal mastermind Bryant Washburn. Convinced that Murray is a "good kid" at heart, detective Edmund Breese sets him free after hauling him in on a misdemeanor. Murray repays this kindness by taking care of the reprehensible Washburn, shooting the dirty rat down like a dog to prevent a robbery-murder. At 50 minutes, THE RECKONING is just long enough to set up the situation and deliver a denouement; character development is hardly a consideration.