Frankie Darro's cinema appearances are never less than tolerable, as is the case here, an action/adventure affair with oil drilling forming its background, a quite popular minimally budgeted effort that regularly played the side street "B" movie circuit for at least twelve years after its initial theatrical release, its title becoming a mimetic phrase for crude oil, and although the plot is somewhat hackneyed, a capable cast makes the most of thin material. Darro plays as Clifford "Fishtail" O'Reilly, his nickname given him by his father Dan (Frank Shannon) after a drill bit used with rotary rigs during the early days of oil exploration that form the setting for the storyline. When Dan falls to his death due to sabotage arranged by loan sharking J.G. Anderson (Berton Churchill) who wishes to take possession by default of the well, Clifford must decide if he will continue in working the site wherein he has spent many of his ripening years. His initial uncertainty ceases when freelance geologist Hank Langford (Roy Mason) convinces him that the well is about to gush, additionally joining with Fishtail in working the rig, while being stimulated by the presence of Clifford's friend and guardian Cynthia (Gloria Shea). Because Anderson's acquisitive interest in the affair is imperiled by Langford's involvement, the latter, as well as the younger O'Reilly, are soon in danger of losing more than eventual oil based income. This is a short (53 min.) film, that is long on documentary montage of oil drilling techniques, additionally and quaintly supplied with two original musical numbers, one of which is sung by Darro and Mason. It benefits from the able camera-work of Arthur Reed and strong turns are contributed by Darro, Mason and the beautiful Shea, with acting honours going to ever reliable Churchill, cast as leader of the Forces of Evil.
10 Reviews
Pretty Oily
Hitchcoc29 January 2008
Unremarkable film about a bunch of good guys trying to find oil while a bad guy tries to get it for himself. It has the usual pack of thugs who throw their weight around. A crusading union type guy trying to pull the others together when the going gets tough. It's not a terrible movie, but not very suspenseful or believable. The young lead was apparently pretty charismatic back in the thirties. He looks like a refugee from the Bowery Boys, ready to fight, with that mop of black hair and bottom heavy build. It has a few action scenes and a conclusion that isn't particularly satisfying. It is worth a look as a period piece.
Apples, Chicken and Frankie Darro
wes-connors15 May 2011
"Wildcat riggers risk their lives in the pursuit of oil. Their jobs get even more dangerous when ruthless oil baron J.C. Anderson sets his sights on their territory. When longtime driller Dan O'Reilly falls to his death from a well tower sabotaged by Anderson's strong-arm thugs, his teenage son 'Fishtail' inherits the property and the troubles that come with it. With the help of his geologist pal, Hank Langford, the boy fights to bring in a gusher before the deed to the well-site expires," according to the Alpha Video synopsis.
This was the first of two films adapted from "The Joy of Living" by Peter B. Kyne; but, after watching "Black Gold" and "Tough to Handle" (1937) back-to-back, it's difficult to believe they are sourced from the same story. Possibly, one of these credits is an error. In the other film, young star Frankie Darro is a New York City paperboy involved with sweepstakes fixers; here, he confronts a crooked oilman.
Actor Russell Hopton directed "Black Gold" with some interesting touches. Darro was often given a handsome older man to "bond" with (later changed to the ethnic comic character appearing herein as "Snowflake"), and you sometimes wonder about Darro's affections. In this one, he (as Clifford) and LeRoy Mason (as Hank) appear more bi-sexualized than usual, thanks to the way particular scenes are staged and scripted. Watch and listen especially, after Darro begins to eat Mr. Mason's apple, to their "piano duet" followed by a tea party with pretty Gloria Shea (as Cynthia), then the picnic.
****** Black Gold (1/20/36) Russell Hopton ~ Frankie Darro, LeRoy Mason, Gloria Shea, Berton Churchill
This was the first of two films adapted from "The Joy of Living" by Peter B. Kyne; but, after watching "Black Gold" and "Tough to Handle" (1937) back-to-back, it's difficult to believe they are sourced from the same story. Possibly, one of these credits is an error. In the other film, young star Frankie Darro is a New York City paperboy involved with sweepstakes fixers; here, he confronts a crooked oilman.
Actor Russell Hopton directed "Black Gold" with some interesting touches. Darro was often given a handsome older man to "bond" with (later changed to the ethnic comic character appearing herein as "Snowflake"), and you sometimes wonder about Darro's affections. In this one, he (as Clifford) and LeRoy Mason (as Hank) appear more bi-sexualized than usual, thanks to the way particular scenes are staged and scripted. Watch and listen especially, after Darro begins to eat Mr. Mason's apple, to their "piano duet" followed by a tea party with pretty Gloria Shea (as Cynthia), then the picnic.
****** Black Gold (1/20/36) Russell Hopton ~ Frankie Darro, LeRoy Mason, Gloria Shea, Berton Churchill
"Knowledge improperly used is a dangerous weapon".
classicsoncall13 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
"Black Gold" could just as easily have been made as a B Western with the typical plot of an evil town boss attempting to steal away the mining rights of the local citizenry. The setting for this picture moved into the twentieth century with an opening montage of oil wells in production and the feeling that America was on the move. What quickly got my attention, even though it came later in the picture, was how the bad guys were trying to undercut the going price of a barrel of oil - eighty cents!!! What?!?! The fat cats were getting rich back in the Thirties even at that price!
The other thing you don't see anymore is a deal made on a handshake like Dan O'Reilly (George Cleveland) did with Henry Langtree (LeRoy Mason). Those were the good old days, huh? I see the credits for the film state Mason's character as Langford, but he was called Langtree more than once.
Everything you'd expect to see in a film like this is here, underhanded business practices, sabotage, henchmen goons with guns and a cheerless old tycoon calling the shots. I enjoy seeing Frankie Darro pop up in these era flicks with some of that Cagney swagger; he's got a lot of film credits to his name but is virtually unknown today. Seeing LeRoy Mason as a good guy seemed a bit out of place, as he was consistently cast as a heavy in a bunch of Westerns back in the day. Hygeinic standards aside, I found it more than a bit unusual that they both took bites out of the same apple during that musical duet interlude.
The other thing you don't see anymore is a deal made on a handshake like Dan O'Reilly (George Cleveland) did with Henry Langtree (LeRoy Mason). Those were the good old days, huh? I see the credits for the film state Mason's character as Langford, but he was called Langtree more than once.
Everything you'd expect to see in a film like this is here, underhanded business practices, sabotage, henchmen goons with guns and a cheerless old tycoon calling the shots. I enjoy seeing Frankie Darro pop up in these era flicks with some of that Cagney swagger; he's got a lot of film credits to his name but is virtually unknown today. Seeing LeRoy Mason as a good guy seemed a bit out of place, as he was consistently cast as a heavy in a bunch of Westerns back in the day. Hygeinic standards aside, I found it more than a bit unusual that they both took bites out of the same apple during that musical duet interlude.
It's okay.
planktonrules28 January 2014
"Black Gold" is a short full-length film--even for a B-movie. Additionally, the DVD copy by Alpha Video is missing 4 minutes--making the entire picture only 53 minutes in length.
The O'Reilly family has everything staked on an oil well they are digging. Dan just KNOWS it will come in but the deadline on his lease is about to expire. To make things worse, he doesn't realize that his friend, J.C. Anderson (Berton Churchill) is a jerk--and will do anything to make sure the oil well DOESN'T produce because he knows it's on a very rich site and wants it all for himself--even if it means murder!
This is an amiable B-movie and it has few slow spots--mostly because of its run-time. The ending seemed a bit weak and hearing everyone refer to the black actor Fred Toones as 'Snowflake' (his common stage name) was kind of sad
The O'Reilly family has everything staked on an oil well they are digging. Dan just KNOWS it will come in but the deadline on his lease is about to expire. To make things worse, he doesn't realize that his friend, J.C. Anderson (Berton Churchill) is a jerk--and will do anything to make sure the oil well DOESN'T produce because he knows it's on a very rich site and wants it all for himself--even if it means murder!
This is an amiable B-movie and it has few slow spots--mostly because of its run-time. The ending seemed a bit weak and hearing everyone refer to the black actor Fred Toones as 'Snowflake' (his common stage name) was kind of sad
Okay, but too much like many similar films from the same period
dbborroughs1 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Frankie Darro headlines this story of oil men trying to bring in a well and the money man who doesn't want it to happen so that the oil field owner will default and he can take over. A good but unremarkable little drama, the film suffers from being similar to several other oil field films made about the same time. Forgive me if I don't rattle off names, but they are a clumpy lot with plots that play out about the same in each one (I mean somewhere in all of these films there has to be deadly sabotage/accident that spurs everyone on.) Half way into the brief, it runs under an hour, film I was wondering why I was seeing this to the end since I was pretty much two steps ahead of what was happening on screen. In all fairness if you haven't seen many oil field films this is worth it. I would also suggest that if you do pick this up that you see if you can get it as part of one of the multi-film packs that are out there since this isn't a strong enough film to pay for on its own.
Welcome to poverty row where the good guy wins every time!
mark.waltz20 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Powerful oil man Berton Churchill covets the small but rich oil field of struggling friend Frank Shannon, but friendship isn't enough to erase the dollar signs in his eyes so he resorts to ruthless measures to get it. If he can't get Shannon to sell it to him cheap, maybe he can manipulate Shannon's naive but devoted son Frankie Darro to turn it over. But Darro has loyal friends like LeRoy Mason, Gloria Shea and Fred 'Snowflake' Toones to stand by him, and the bullying tactics of Churchill's henchman Stanley Fields aren't enough.
Surprisingly above average grade D melodrama from the independent Conn Pictures, a small film company where the usual output wasn't so hot. Darro is a likeable young man and had a long stretch of success in playing characters much younger than him, and he's easy to root for. Churchill could have easily played this as a one dimensional fat cat, but layers the character in a way that makes him even more sinister. Darro and Shannon have a few lighthearted moments including an amusing song, and Tombes rises above stereotypes to make his character dignified, loyal and likeable. Under an hour and very much to the point, so well worth checking out.
Surprisingly above average grade D melodrama from the independent Conn Pictures, a small film company where the usual output wasn't so hot. Darro is a likeable young man and had a long stretch of success in playing characters much younger than him, and he's easy to root for. Churchill could have easily played this as a one dimensional fat cat, but layers the character in a way that makes him even more sinister. Darro and Shannon have a few lighthearted moments including an amusing song, and Tombes rises above stereotypes to make his character dignified, loyal and likeable. Under an hour and very much to the point, so well worth checking out.
A Few Good Moments
boblipton14 February 2024
Frank Shannon is a wildcatter with a couple of weeks to run on his lease. If he can strike oil, it turns into a ten year lease, which is exactly what Berton Churchill, who leased him the land, doesn't want; although it's a tough drill, the latest reports say it will be the richest strike around. Shannon is broke, but he brings in geologist Leroy Mason. So it becomes a race between Shannon, Mason, and Shannon's son Frankie Darro, against Churchill and his gang of goons including Stanley Fields and Dewey Robinson.
It's a cheap Poverty Row production which spends a lot of time showing well towers, but there is one great sequence, when the sabotage kills Shannon. Also Fred Toones gets a role that's not pure stereotype. Is that enough to make it a great movie? No, of course not. But there are some very good moments amidst the stereotyped story.
It's a cheap Poverty Row production which spends a lot of time showing well towers, but there is one great sequence, when the sabotage kills Shannon. Also Fred Toones gets a role that's not pure stereotype. Is that enough to make it a great movie? No, of course not. But there are some very good moments amidst the stereotyped story.
"Aaah, if he can't drill, he can't strike oil!!!"
kidboots13 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Russell Hopton acted in many films until his death in 1945. He only directed 2 and "Black Gold" was one, (the other was also from 1936). Frankie Darro had a sometimes abrasive screen presence but in this he was playing a good kid. He was obviously quite popular on the "quickie" circuit - he made so many films. In this one he plays the son of an old oil rigger who is convinced that he will strike oil very soon.
J.C. Anderson (Berton Churchill) is trying to convince the old man to sell up as he knows there is going to be oil struck at any moment. A geologist, Henry, comes on the scene and helps "Fishtail's" dad. He also convinces "Fishtail" to go to school regularly. Henry has his eye on Cynthia, the pretty teacher. This was Gloria Shea's last film - she had begun her career as Olive Shea in "Glorifying the American Girl" (1929). "Fishtail's" dad is killed when the rig is sabotaged and Henry is determined to bring Anderson and his cronies to justice. When Henry is kidnapped Anderson tries to persuade "Fishtail" to sell his oil lease. It all ends well with oil being struck and "Fishtail" going to Military school.
It is okay for a rainy day.
J.C. Anderson (Berton Churchill) is trying to convince the old man to sell up as he knows there is going to be oil struck at any moment. A geologist, Henry, comes on the scene and helps "Fishtail's" dad. He also convinces "Fishtail" to go to school regularly. Henry has his eye on Cynthia, the pretty teacher. This was Gloria Shea's last film - she had begun her career as Olive Shea in "Glorifying the American Girl" (1929). "Fishtail's" dad is killed when the rig is sabotaged and Henry is determined to bring Anderson and his cronies to justice. When Henry is kidnapped Anderson tries to persuade "Fishtail" to sell his oil lease. It all ends well with oil being struck and "Fishtail" going to Military school.
It is okay for a rainy day.
Lively Little Programmer
dougdoepke16 May 2019
Plot-- The O'Reilly father and son have leased an apparently dry-hole oil well and will soon have to turn it back to the owner Anderson if it doesn't soon produce. But is it really a dry-hole or does Anderson know something the well meaning O'Reilly's don't. Meanwhile, will O'Reilly Jr. ever take to book learning, and will the two good-lookers Hank and Cynthia finally get romantic.
The independent production's a well done 30's programmer, with a solid story, good acting, and location filming at a real oil field that also proves eye-catching. (My guess is the Signal Hills site in greater LA.) Even Mason and Darro as well as the extras look dirty enough to be actually working there. Also, youngster Darro scoots around like a little cannonball, apparently doing all his own stunts up and down the rig.
Then too, the romantic interludes between Mason and Shea blend well into the storyline without interrupting it. Also, director Hopton keeps things moving, along with some action coming right at the camera, so be prepared to duck. I guess the only drawback is 'Snowflake' Toones supplying racial humor, but at least he's not heavily mocked and even appears as one of the roughnecks.
All in all, the details add up to nifty hour's entertainment, better than average for its programmer type.
The independent production's a well done 30's programmer, with a solid story, good acting, and location filming at a real oil field that also proves eye-catching. (My guess is the Signal Hills site in greater LA.) Even Mason and Darro as well as the extras look dirty enough to be actually working there. Also, youngster Darro scoots around like a little cannonball, apparently doing all his own stunts up and down the rig.
Then too, the romantic interludes between Mason and Shea blend well into the storyline without interrupting it. Also, director Hopton keeps things moving, along with some action coming right at the camera, so be prepared to duck. I guess the only drawback is 'Snowflake' Toones supplying racial humor, but at least he's not heavily mocked and even appears as one of the roughnecks.
All in all, the details add up to nifty hour's entertainment, better than average for its programmer type.
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