Don't Turn 'Em Loose

Don't Turn 'Em Loose is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Ben Stoloff and produced by RKO Radio Pictures, who released the film on September 18, 1936. Written by Harry Segall and Ferdinand Reyher, the production's screenplay is at least partially based on "Homecoming" by Thomas Walsh, a short story published in Collier's magazine in March 1936. The film costars Lewis Stone, James Gleason, Bruce Cabot, Louise Latimer and Betty Grable. Plot Bob Webster, aka Bat Williams, is a career criminal who keeps his parents and siblings in the dark about his chosen career by pretending to be an engineer who is often away in different parts of the world on assignments. He uses this ploy not only to disguise when he is out of town engaged in criminal activities, but also to cover the times he has been sentenced to prison. After receiving a parole from prison, he rejoins his gang, including his gangster girlfriend, Grace Forbes in robbing a creamery. A robbery during which they kill a clerk who can identify them. After the robbery, Williams leaves the gang and returns to his family's home in upstate New York. His father, John, his mother, Helen, and his sister, Mildred, all think the world of Williams. During his stints in prison, he sends one of the other gang members to different far-away locales, in order to mail a post card to his family, pretending that he is working there on an engineering job. During his visit, he overhears his father on the phone with the Governor, who is asking John to serve on the state parole board. Fearing discovery, Williams tries to convince his father not to serve on the board, but John won't commit one way or the other. While in his home town of Barlow, he also runs into his old girlfriend, Letty Graves. To impress Letty, Williams breaks into a jewelry store and steals a bracelet, but kills the security guard so that he can't identify him. Meanwhile, Detective Daniels has been pursuing Williams and his gang. He catches up to Grace, who is having an affair behind Williams' back with another gang member, Al. Daniels threatens Grace with exposing the affair to Williams, if she doesn't help lure Williams into a trap. In order to save herself, she double-crosses Williams, and Daniels is able to arrest him and send him back to prison. Knowing that it was Grace who gave him up, Williams secretly escapes from prison and tracks her down, killing her.