I Demand Payment

I Demand Payment is a 1938 American drama film directed by Clifford Sanforth and starring Betty Burgess, Jack La Rue and Matty Kemp.[1][2] It is based on Rob Eden's 1932 novel Second Choice.[3] Sherman L. Lowe wrote the screenplay.[4] It was produced by Poverty Row company Imperial Pictures.[2][5]

I Demand Payment
Directed byClifford Sanforth
Written bySherman L. Lowe
Based onSecond Choice by Rob Eden
Produced byClifford Sanforth
Henry Spitz
StarringBetty Burgess
Jack La Rue
Matty Kemp
CinematographyRobert Doran
Edited byDouglass Biggs
Production
company
Imperial Pictures
Distributed byImperial Distributing Corporation
Release date
November 8, 1938
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

A man finds himself drawn in too deep after going to work for a loan shark, and his new wife tries to leave him after discovering his true occupation.

Cast

Reception

Billboard wrote that it was "a powerful illustration that crime does not pay".[9] Variety's review described the film as featuring "The loan-shark racket framed in an undistinguished production" and as "Imperial's contribution to the gangster cycle." It noted, "It provides an hour's entertainment for fans with time to kill who do not care how they kill it.... Bright spots in the production are Jack La Rue and Matty Kemp, standouts in unsympathetic parts, and Betty Burgess as the femme lead. La Rue's strong personality and intensity as a strong-arm guy practically dominates the entire proceedings... Story progresses in routine fashion until the melodramatic climax where Kemp is cornered in his hideout after fleeing gang vengeance... Action fans who like plenty of gun-play will get it here".[10] The New York Daily News rated it two stars, stating in its review that "Matty Kemp tries desperately to give a fine performance in a film distinctly amateurish."[4] The Film Daily stated that the film "rates weak with amateur script and direction" and called the photography "fair".[11]

References
  1. Pitts, Michael R. (1997). Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940: An Illustrated History of 53 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each. ISBN 9780786401680.
  2. "At Local Theatres: The Lyric". Republican and Herald. 28 June 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  3. Goble, Alan (September 8, 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
  4. ""I Demand Payment"". Daily News. 25 November 1938. p. 55. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  5. Pitts p.181
  6. opening credits
  7. "I Demand Payment (1938) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  8. Egan, Joseph (November 22, 2016). The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal of the 1930s. Diversion Books. ISBN 9781682302989 – via Google Books.
  9. "Roadshow Films: New and Recent Releases." The Billboard. Vol. 55, Iss. 4, (Jan 23, 1943): 28. Via Proquest.
  10. "Film Reviews: I Demand Payment." Variety. Vol. 132, Iss. 12, (Nov 30, 1938): 12. Via Proquest.
  11. "I Demand Payment". The Film Daily. December 13, 1938. p. 9. Retrieved 28 July 2021.

Bibliography
  • Pitts, Michael R. Poverty Row Studios, 1929–1940. McFarland & Company, 2005.
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