The Big Fix
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
James Flood
James Brown
Sheila Ryan
Noreen Nash
Regis Toomey
Tom Noonan
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Returning veteran Ken Williams re-registers at Norton University, where, before the war, he was a well-liked student and a very promising basketball player. Ken is accompanied by his fellow soldier and pal, Andy Rawlins, who is surprised when Ann Taylor, the university liaison for veteran affairs, recognizes Ken's name and warmly welcomes him home. Andy was unaware of Ken's basketball fame and is mystified by his refusal to rejoin the team. Ken will not divulge his reasons, even to Ann, with whom he begins a romance after she helps Andy and him settle in as boarders at the home of Mrs. Carter. All Ken will say is that he wants to concentrate on his engineering studies, much to the dismay of Coach Ambrose, who also tries to convince him to play again. One evening, Ken suddenly breaks a date with Ann when a mysterious woman shows up at Mrs. Carter's and asks to see him. The woman is Ken's younger sister Lillian, whose gangster boyfriend, Del Cassini, had pressured Ken to fix basketball games, thus causing him to quit the team and drop out of school before going into the Army. Lillian assures Ken that she is no longer associated with Cassini, and that he can therefore resume playing. After their meeting, however, Lillian returns to Cassini's hotel room and tells the gangster that Ken fell for her "little sister act." Soon after, a delighted Ken has rejoined the basketball team and assured the jealous Ann that Lillian is his sister. All goes well until one of Cassini's thugs warns Ken that Cassini wants him to ensure that Norton loses their opening game. When Ken hits him, the man tells him that Lillian will go to jail if he does not cooperate. Upon questioning Lillian, Ken learns that she was involved in a drunken hit-and-run acccident, and that in a panic, she turned to Cassini for help. He covered up her involvement, but is now demanding that Ken fix games for his gambling syndicate. Ken refuses to be manipulated again, which leads the syndicate's secret leader, police lieutenant Brenner, to change his strategy. Brenner visits Ken and asks him to help in an undercover operation, in which, he claims, the police are investigating organized gambling in college sports. Brenner tells Ken to cooperate with Cassini in order to lead the police to the big boss, and to tell no one of his involvement. Ken reluctantly agrees and soon is playing to Cassini's orders. He does tell Ann and Andy about the situation, however, and as his unhappiness increases, Ann determines to help him. She checks at the department of motor vehicles and learns that no hit-and-run accident was reported, as Lillian had claimed. When Ann finds Lillian drunk at a nightclub, Lillian reveals that it was all a ruse to force Ken to fix games. Ann shares her knowledge with Ken, who then tells Brenner that he will no longer cooperate since Lillian is not in danger. Brenner is worried, as Norton is about to enter the championship tournament, and his syndicate has bet heavily against them. Furious that Lillian talked to Ann, Brenner shoots her, then kidnaps Ken. Just after Brenner takes Ken from the team's hotel, the dying Lillian calls his room and informs Andy that Brenner is the head of the syndicate. Andy then organizes the rest of the team and follows as Brenner takes Ken to another hotel. There, Cassini shoots Brenner upon learning that he killed Lillian, and the team rescues Ken. Andy and Ann reassure Ken that Lillian's last act was an attempt to save him, and Ken goes on to lead Norton to victory in the championship. Soon after, Ken and Ann are married.
Director
James Flood
Cast
James Brown
Sheila Ryan
Noreen Nash
Regis Toomey
Tom Noonan
John Shelton
Charles Mcgraw
Charles Mitchell
John Morgan
Nana Bryant
Howard Negley
Grantland Rice
Crew
George Bricker
Emil Cadkin
Sonia Chernus
Norman Colbert
Alfred Degaetano
Dorothy Drake
Eunice
Irving Friedman
J. N. A. Hawkins
Howard Koch
Joel Malone
Armor Marlowe
Virgil Miller
John L. Myers
George Ross
Perry Smith
Marvin D. Stahl
Stewart Stern
Ben Stoloff
George J. Teague
Bud Westmore
Aubrey Wisberg
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
This was PRC's last release. After this all PRC productions would be released by Eagle Lion Films.
Notes
The working titles of this film were The Pay-Off and All in the Game. The New York Times review commented on the timeliness of the film's subject, noting that "recent front-page news of professional gambling in the sports world has...reached the screen in PRC's The Big Fix." According to a December 1946 Hollywood Reporter news item, second unit filming took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
