The Gold Racket (1937)

Very much in the vein (no pun intended) of "Yellow Cargo" (1936), this pitches G-man Conrad Nagel ("O'Connor") and annoying newspaper girl "Bobbie" (Eleanor Hunt) on a hunt to stop gold smugglers on the US-Mexican border after two of his predecessors are killed. In almost Holmesian fashion, he manages to trace tiny fragments of the precious metal back to a remote Mexican mine. Off he sets, inveigles himself with the local bar manager, sends for his sidekick to provide the cabaret and is soon on the trail of the ruthless gang. When "Bobbie" is taken captive - the race is on (just leave her, I say...)! It's not a bad story, it is just very formulaic with little jeopardy, a pretty lacklustre script and some crooning (the songs written by Fuzzy Knight who features here as "Scotty") that does little to liven it up. Kills an hour...like a garrotte...