BUREAU OF MISSING PERSONS (1933)

When legendary actress Bette Davis began her career at Warner Brothers in 1932, it was in a prestigious picture called THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD, starring the esteemed actor George Arliss, who had chosen Miss Davis personally for the film. She made such a positive impression that the studio put her under contract. For the next few years she worked tirelessly, learning her craft and becoming well known by the movie going public. She made eight pictures in 1932, five in 1933, five in 1934, etc. Some of them were A pictures, such as THE RICH ARE ALWAYS WITH US and SO BIG. But just as often she was cast in B pictures that were quickly made on low budgets. She hated these programmers and fought constantly for better roles in better films, but as a contract player she had to do as she was told or go on suspension without pay.

Miss Davis finally got the chance to prove herself as a great actress when she was loaned out to RKO to star in OF HUMAN BONDAGE in 1934. And she won her first Oscar for Best Actress in DANGEROUS (1935). Despite these accomplishments, Warners continued to cast her in the occasional B picture. In frustration, the actress walked away from her studio contract in 1936 and signed with another producer. Warners sued her for breach of contract. She counter sued in an attempt to be free of Warners, but she lost the case. Nevertheless, she managed to get the studio's attention and win their respect. She began working in the better films she had longed for. From 1937 until the late 1940's she was the most important actress at the studio, winning another Oscar and gaining five more nominations along the way.

While Miss Davis may have hated those B pictures, this hardcore fanboy loves them. They give me a chance to see this dynamic actress when she was young and hungry for success. In those films she was stylish and fast talking, holding her own with the other talented contract players from the Warners stable, as well as the bigger stars like James Cagney, Edgar G. Robinson, Pat O'Brien, and Warren William. She played secretaries, business women, murderesses, and clothes designers. And she did the occasional mad scene as well. Whatever kind of role she was given, she was always terrific.

One such B picture is BUREAU OF MISSING PERSONS, a 75 minute gem with Davis top-billed over Lewis Stone, Pat O'Brien, Glenda Farrell, and well known character actors like Ruth Donnelly, Allen Jenkins, and Hugh Herbert. The film, directed by Roy Del Ruth, is about as straightforward as it gets. Lewis Stone is the manager of the bureau and Pat O'Brien is the brash ex-cop who has to learn not to manhandle his clients. He gets involved with Norma Williams (Davis), who comes in looking for her missing husband. The plot thickens very quickly as Norma is revealed to be a suspected murderess who escaped from the police. To complicate matters, O'Briens's character falls in love with her. Unfortunately, not only does she have a husband, albeit missing, but he has a wife, played by Glenda Farrell, one of the best and brightest of the Warner Bros. roster of tough, gorgeous dames.

The story is far from profound, but the talent of these wonderful actors makes the whole thing believable and great fun from beginning to end. Davis and O'Brien had worked together the previous year in another programmer, a really good one, called HELL'S HOUSE, and they have lots of chemistry between them. If you're a fan of Old Hollywood and that magical ambience so peculiar to Warner Brothers films in the 1930,s, you may want to pay a visit to the BUREAU OF MISSING PERSONS to see that up and coming new personality, Bette Davis, and a host of other cinematic friends from that wonderful era. Not a bad way to enjoy 75 minutes of your life!