Aspiring writer John Shelton is working on the Great American Novel...but since he's sick of living with his rich aunt, he decides to move out, figuring he will get by on selling some short stories to a cheap magazine.
Little does he know, when he arrives at Smoky Trails magazine with his stories in tow, that said magazine is so nearly broke that the owners are betting on horses to raise money to pay the printer for this month's issue. Also they can't locate the one writer who produces all of their stories because he is out on one of his periodic benders....
Albert Dekker and Charles Butterworth are the shady publishers who quickly notice that young Shelton has not only stories to sell but also a stack of cash that his uncle lent him to get started on. The pair are fast talkers with no scruples—and while they spout some funny lines ("If he insists on cash, we'll promise it to him!"), they soon grow rather annoying.
Donald Meek, on the other hand, is a riot—cast violently against type as drunk and obnoxious western author Dusty King.
Luckily for Shelton, cute Virginia Grey is also on the magazine staff—and her loyalties gradually shift as she watches her colleagues take advantage of the young newcomer. Yes, it's fairly easy to guess where the plot is heading...but the story does have a handful of offbeat touches and some funny dialog to keep it interesting.
My favorite bit is the sequence where Shelton, having been "allowed" to buy into the magazine, is assigned to write an entire issue in a night: "All right," he's instructed, "you get going on the novel and we'll pick it up first thing in the morning."
John Shelton is okay if nothing spectacular in the lead role. Virginia Grey, too, is fine, though I found myself wishing she had a little more to do. Overall, it's one of those pictures where plot is more important than characterization...and the plot is bizarre rather than brilliant.
Little does he know, when he arrives at Smoky Trails magazine with his stories in tow, that said magazine is so nearly broke that the owners are betting on horses to raise money to pay the printer for this month's issue. Also they can't locate the one writer who produces all of their stories because he is out on one of his periodic benders....
Albert Dekker and Charles Butterworth are the shady publishers who quickly notice that young Shelton has not only stories to sell but also a stack of cash that his uncle lent him to get started on. The pair are fast talkers with no scruples—and while they spout some funny lines ("If he insists on cash, we'll promise it to him!"), they soon grow rather annoying.
Donald Meek, on the other hand, is a riot—cast violently against type as drunk and obnoxious western author Dusty King.
Luckily for Shelton, cute Virginia Grey is also on the magazine staff—and her loyalties gradually shift as she watches her colleagues take advantage of the young newcomer. Yes, it's fairly easy to guess where the plot is heading...but the story does have a handful of offbeat touches and some funny dialog to keep it interesting.
My favorite bit is the sequence where Shelton, having been "allowed" to buy into the magazine, is assigned to write an entire issue in a night: "All right," he's instructed, "you get going on the novel and we'll pick it up first thing in the morning."
John Shelton is okay if nothing spectacular in the lead role. Virginia Grey, too, is fine, though I found myself wishing she had a little more to do. Overall, it's one of those pictures where plot is more important than characterization...and the plot is bizarre rather than brilliant.