Smashing the Rackets [SEP] director
Smashing the Rackets
Smashing the Rackets is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Lionel Houser, and starring Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Rita Johnson, Bruce Cabot and Edward Pawley. It was released on August 19, 1938, by RKO Pictures.
Plot.
Jim 'Sock' Conway, former boxer and FBI hero, is maneuvered for political reasons into a do-nothing job in the district attorney's office. Meanwhile, he meets wild debutante Letty Lane, girlfriend of mob mouthpiece
In 1938 RKO created a new type of motion picture, the exploitation film, in response to potential issues from the Hays commission and the National Legion of Decency about the number of crime dramas which were being produced by the studios. One of the first was "Smashing the Rackets" (1938), after which Marcus suggested two other exploitation films, "Clip Joint" and "Strip Tease". Neither had either social significance or artistic value, but were conceived solely to drive viewers through the turnstiles. While they perfectly