Sun 3 Mar 2019
THE ROOKIE COP. RKO Radio Pictures, 1939. Tim Holt, Virginia Weidler, Janet Shaw, Frank M. Thomas, Ralf Harolde, Muriel Evans, Ace the Wonder Dog. Director: David Howard.
Tim Holt, who came up for discussion as a B-western movie star following my review of Sagebrush Law a while back, was only 20 years old when he made this film, and as a rookie cop Clem Maitland, he’s really perfect for the part, since he’s young and eager and as wet behind the ears as they come.
Although he’s billed first, this film is really built as a showcase for all the clever things Maitland’s dog Ace can do, which I didn’t find all that interesting, but back in 1939, audiences may have enjoyed his tricks a whole lot more. As for me, I was more impressed with the performance of even younger Virginia Weidler, 12 at the time playing a 9-year-old tomboy named Nicey who wants to become a cop herself, when she grows up — and she can hardly wait.
It’s too bad that with all the screen time Nicey gets, they really didn’t have a lot for her to do. Part of the story has to do with Clem convincing the police chief that dogs can be of great help to a police force, but even though the police chief is the father of his girl friend, he stubbornly can’t see it Clem’s way.
The other half of the story is nabbing a gang of crooks, which is a whole lot easier than convincing a stubborn police chief to see the light. The end result is competently done, but it’s certainly nothing special.
March 3rd, 2019 at 7:26 pm
Weidler is best known to me as Katherine Hepburn’s kid sister in “The Philadelphia Story.” She’s really good in that.
She’s in “The Women” too, though I have no memory of her in that. She had a short career. She seems to be one of those kid stars who had trouble with growing out of kid stars’ parts. IMDb says she died in her very early forties.
March 3rd, 2019 at 8:46 pm
There’s good evidence from Gallup Polls and other audience surveys, that Hollywood’s audience in this era centered on young people. People in the 13 to 25 year old range.
A film like “The Rookie Cop” seems designed to appeal to that young audience.
Like many youth oriented films of that era it shows young people (in this case Tim Holt) trying to act responsibly and make a positive impact upon the world.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:34 pm
It wouldn’t be all that long before Holt was getting better roles, culminating with TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE, but he ended up in a series of entertaining B Westerns and his roles outside of those dried up until he ended up in low budget SF though a surprisingly good one).
I always thought it a shame he didn’t transition to television, he was a charismatic actor, and much better than he often gets credit for as he shows whenever he got the opportunity.
March 5th, 2019 at 12:44 am
David, he did fairly well. Not just the film above, but Fifth Avenue Girl opposite Ginger Rogers, Hitler’s Madmen, an enormous hit, Magnificent Ambersons, a failure of a film, and played without a hint of charm by Holt, which he made up for by being just and winning in Treasure of the Sierra Madre. I always felt that two things worked against him; the numerous westerns and being so clearly identified with them as B pictures, and his own personality. On a personal note, I detest Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but Holt and Bruce Bennett work so well I can keep coming back to it.
March 5th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
By a freakish coincidence, on the day this was posted a kindly old man gave me a kindly old VHS tap[e with ROOKIE on it.
I have to say Tim Holt’s acting compares favorably to that of Ace the Wonder Dog, who gets better lines.
March 5th, 2019 at 3:20 pm
You’re quite welcome, I’m sure. (I’m assuming I may be the Kindly Old Man you’re referring to.)
In Tim Holt’s defense, this was his first leading role, and he was getting by mostly on boyish charm. He did get better, but the boyish charm did stay with him for quite a while. My opinion. He did get far too identified with playing B-western roles, and when they finally played out in the 50s, he apparently gave up on Hollywood.
I wish he’d decided to go into TV, but I suspect that if he had, all that would he’d have been offered would have been westerns.
March 5th, 2019 at 10:06 pm
Barry,
Yes, I knew of those roles which is why I think it such a shame he ended up in the B Western ghetto. I never knew why his career went that way, drinking, personality, …, just that it did.
He and Bennett outstanding in TREASURE.
March 6th, 2019 at 12:01 am
Here’s a link to an online interview with Tim Holt in his later years.
https://fiftieswesterns.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/tim-holt-tuesday-2-john-booker-interviews-tim-holt-1970/
A relevant passage is this:
JB: Why did the series come to an end?
TH: Howard Hughes decided he didn’t want to make any more B pictures. TV was hitting the theatres hard. It wasn’t economically viable to make our pictures any more.
JB: Is that when you left Hollywood?
TH: Yes. I came to Oklahoma in 1947 with a rodeo and that’s where I met my wife. When the series finished I headed back here for good. I never did like Hollywood that much… there was nothing magical about it for me.
JB: What’s happened generally since then, since your series ended?
TH: Well, I went up to Iowa to get a degree in animal nutrition. Then I went into the home building business until 1962… then in ’62 I came here with KLPR.