The Drag-Net (DVD)

Playboy Larry Thomas Jr.'s extravagant lifestyle causes him to lose his position at his father's bank, and he's assigned to serve as assistant district attorney. On the night before his first day on the job, he takes his girlfriend, city desk reporter Kit Van Buren, to a seedy gambling den run by gangsters. When a woman is shot down in the club, Larry and Kit are drawn into a whirlwind of murder and deception. During his investigation, Larry discovers a second body. Framed for the killing, Larry finds himself on the run from the law.

Rod La Rocque, born Roderick La Rocque de La Rue in 1898, was smitten by the acting bug in his early teens. By the age of 16 he was working in vaudeville and appearing in silent shorts for Chicago film companies. In 1923, he landed a starring role in Cecil B. DeMille's silent spectacle, The Ten Commandments. He and his wife, actress Vilma Banky, moved to Germany in 1933, where Rod appeared in Leni Riefenstahl's film, S.O.S. Iceberg. His return to the States brought him mostly B-movie roles, but he did manage to get supporting roles in high quality productions such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and Meet John Doe (1941). He also played Lamont Cranston in two Shadow features - The Shadow Strikes (1937) and International Crime (1938).

• drama