''I Demand Payment'' is a 1938 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Clifford Sanforth Clifford Sanforth was a film director and producer in the United States. See also Clifford S. Elfelt, his birth name and the name he used prior to the 1930s. He produced and directed under that name through 1926. Sanforth said he got the idea to ...

and starring Betty Burgess,

Jack La Rue Jack La Rue (born Gaspare Biondolillo; May 3, 1902 – January 11, 1984) was an American film and stage actor. Early life and family Gaspare Biondolillo was the son of Sicilian immigrants Luigi Biondolillo (1874–1951) and Giuseppa Biondoli ...

and

Matty Kemp Matty Kemp (September 10, 1907 – December 12, 1999) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1926 and 1943. After retiring from acting, Kemp produced many musical short films. In 1954, he contributed the story ...

. It is based on Rob Eden's 1932 novel ''Second Choice''.

Sherman L. Lowe Sherman L. Lowe (born Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (or Russia), 18 October 1894; died 24 Jan 1968, Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American screenwriter. He was a writer of the Frank Buck (animal collector), Frank Buck serial ...

wrote the screenplay. It was produced by Poverty Row company Imperial Pictures.

Plot

A man finds himself drawn in too deep after going to work for a

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at Usury, extremely high or illegal interest rates, has strict terms of debt collection, collection, and generally operates criminal, outside the law, often using the threat of violence or other illegal, ...

, and his new wife tries to leave him after discovering his true occupation.

Cast

* Betty Burgess as Judith Avery *

as Smiles Badolio *

as Toby Locke *

Guinn "Big Boy" Williams Guinn Terrell Williams Jr. (April 26, 1899 – June 6, 1962) was an American actor who appeared in memorable western (genre), Westerns such as ''Dodge City (film), Dodge City'' (1939), ''Santa Fe Trail (film), Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), and ''The ...

as Happy Crofton * Lloyd Hughes as Doctor Craig Mitchell * Anthony Orlando as Louie Badolio * Sheila Terry as Rita Avery *

Bryant Washburn Franklin Bryant Washburn III (April 28, 1889 – April 30, 1963) was an American actor who appeared in more than 370 films between 1911 and 1947. Washburn's parents were Franklin Bryant Washburn II and Metha Catherine Johnson Washburn. He attend ...

as Joe Travis *

Donald Kirke Donald Kirke (May 17, 1901 – May 18, 1971) was an American stage, film and television actor. Career In the early 1920s, Kirke acted in stock theater, including the Gene Lewis-Olga Worth and the Lewis-Worth companies. Kirke's Broadway credi ...

as Mr. Twitchett *

Harry Holman Harry James Holman (March 15, 1862 – May 3, 1947) was an American actor. He appeared in approximately 130 films from 1923 to 1947. Biography Born in Conway, Missouri, Holman dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began seeking w ...

as Justice of Peace * Edward Keene as District Attorney * Norma Taylor as Miss Farnsworth

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote that it was "a powerful illustration that crime does not pay". ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

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". 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." ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' stated that the film "rates weak with amateur script and direction" and called the photography "fair".

References

Bibliography

* Pitts, Michael R. ''Poverty Row Studios, 1929–1940''. McFarland & Company, 2005.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0030255 1938 films 1938 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels 1930s English-language films Films directed by Clifford Sanforth 1930s American films Films with screenplays by Sherman Lowe