Movie Review: Black Gold (1936)
Synopsis: After working 40 years in the oil business and digging wells for others, Dan O'Reilly has gone into business for himself and with help from a new investor, Hank, is close to striking oil and ensuring his teenage son, Clifford's, future. However, the oil tycoon he leases the land from, J. C. Anderson is determined to stop the digging long enough for O'Reilly's lease to run out so he can reclaim the property, including an act of sabotage that takes O'Reilly's life and leaves the well to Clifford.
Who's in it? The movie stars Frankie Darro, LeRoy Mason, Gloria Shea, Berton Churchill and Fred 'Snowflake' Toones.
Review: I had to pick up my daughter from an overnight community theater "lock-in" with friends early this morning and, while waiting to pick her up, looked for a movie to watch. I picked Black Gold mostly because of Frankie Darro starring in it and, overall, I thought it turned out to be a good classic drama.
I thought the movie's premise was a solid one, especially since Anderson (Churchill) was a great two-faced villain. He pretended to help the men who were digging for oil by offering them property leases and loans while at the same time paid a group of thugs to make sure those same men never struck it rich. He was a hated man with all the power.
This in turn made O'Reilly's (Frank Shannon) story intriguing because while he hoped he could strike oil before his lease ran out (automatically adding another 10 years), he was almost out of money and Anderson's men did a good job forcing expensive repairs. That story becomes even more complicated when O'Reilly is killed because Clifford (Darro) was just a kid and Hank's (Mason) ownership stake was a bit unclear. In fact, I'm not so certain Anderson couldn't have just claimed his property back through legal means with no evidence of the death being anything but accidental.
The movie's ending was a bit chaotic but entertaining, building quite a bit of suspense with a few twists that kept it from being predictable. I especially loved how it ended for Anderson because it almost seemed like an act of God.
My only real complaint about the movie is the film seemed like it couldn't make up its mind who the lead character was. Darro gets top billing, but Clifford is more of a supporting character. Hank probably could be considered the male lead/protagonist but the main part of the story, at least for about half the movie, centers around O'Reilly. And Clifford's teacher, Cynthia (Shea) was clearly just a mother-figure/love interest. The movie was still good but might have been better had it been told from a clearer perspective.
Final Opinion: It's an entertaining film with strong characters and a plot that has enough twists to keep it from becoming boring or predictable. It's worth taking the time to watch.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1936:
Movie Review: The Invisible Ray (1936)
Movie Review: The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936)
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