During the war years, the Crime Does Not Pay series from MGM took a huge dip in quality and entertainment value. Instead of thrilling audiences with realistic crime dramas (with violent endings), the films started focusing on topics like patriotism, good citizenship and Nazi spies--all very dull compared to their older films. Fortunately, with "Fall Guy", the series makes a return to the sort of subjects that made these shorts among the best of the age. While it still lacks the narration of the original films, the style is clearly like the old Crime Does Not Pay shorts.

Leon Ames plays a guy who is embezzling from his bank. However, he's very clever and amoral--killing a bank examiner and framing an innocent man of the crime. In fact, the innocent guy has been sentenced to die and it's up to a determined investigator to turn up the truth before it's too late. And, it all ends in a tremendously violent and exciting finale.

All in all, a very gripping, well made and exciting short--and one well worth your time. A few notes about the film are in order. First, although Leon Ames is the only actor listed on IMDb, Will Wright plays the crooked lawyer and Morris Ankrum plays the tough investigator. Second, in the final scene in the death house, you might notice that one of the pants legs on the murderer is torn. This is an interesting touch, as this was done deliberately in order to make it easier to attach electrodes for the electric chair!

The crime genre features criminal activities, investigations, law enforcement, crimes, and the pursuit of justice. Crime stories often revolve around the planning, execution, and consequences of criminal acts, as well as the efforts to solve and prevent such acts. They explore various aspects of criminal behavior, motives, and the moral dilemmas faced by both perpetrators and those seeking to uphold the law.

James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A bank cashier embezzles a large amount of money, murders the bank examiner, and frames a co-worker but will he get away with it?

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Robert Armstrong, Teala Loring, and Leo Penn in Fall Guy (1947)

Lee Majors and Heather Thomas in The Fall Guy (1981)

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