Car 99

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Fred MacMurray and Ann Sheridan in Car 99 (1935)

A story of the Michigan State Police and the strong sense of loyalty and duty it instills in its men. It follows the career of a newly-inducted rookie, Ross Martin, who has joined the force ... Read allA story of the Michigan State Police and the strong sense of loyalty and duty it instills in its men. It follows the career of a newly-inducted rookie, Ross Martin, who has joined the force at the urging of his sweetheart, Mary Adams. Martin soon distinguishes himself by his brav... Read allA story of the Michigan State Police and the strong sense of loyalty and duty it instills in its men. It follows the career of a newly-inducted rookie, Ross Martin, who has joined the force at the urging of his sweetheart, Mary Adams. Martin soon distinguishes himself by his bravery in the apprehension of criminals. But when the leader of a gang of bank robbers falls ... Read all

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IMDb RATING

6.3/10

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YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos6

Top cast30

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Fred MacMurray

Trooper Ross Martin

Guy Standing

Prof. Anthony
(as Sir Guy Standing)

Ann Sheridan

Mary Adams

William Frawley

Sgt. Barrel

Dean Jagger

Recruit Burton

Marina Koshetz

Nan
(as Marina Schubert)

Frank Craven

Sheriff Pete Arnot

Nora Cecil

Granny Adams

John Howard

Recruit Carney
(as John Cox)

Robert Kent

Recruit Blatzky
(as Douglas Blackley)

Charles C. Wilson

Trooper Capt. Ryan

Alfred Delcambre

Recruit Jamison

Joe Sawyer

Whitey
(as Joe Sauers)

Mack Gray

Smoke

Eddy Chandler

Trooper Haynes

Howard Wilson

Dutch

Russell Hopton

Dispatch Operator Harper

Sam Flint

Bank President
(scenes deleted)

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929-49, that were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Its initial television broadcast took place in Chicago 7 January 1959 on WBBM (Channel 2). It first aired in Seattle 1 July 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7), in New York City 10 August 1959 on WCBS (Channel 2), in Milwaukee 5 October 1959 on WITI (Channel 6), in Omaha 26 December 1959 on KETV (Channel 7), in Philadelphia 4 January 1960, on the Late Show on WCAU (Channel 10), in Des Moines 22 February 1960 on WHO (Channel 13), in Grand Rapids 24 February 1960 on WOOD (Channel 8), in St. Louis 4 June 1960 on KMOX (Channel 4), and in Toledo 5 October 1960 on WTOL (Channel 11).

Quotes
Professor Anthony: I trust there hasn't been an accident?
Trooper Ross Martin: Not an accident, Sir. A murder.
Nan: A murder! Not near here?
Trooper Ross Martin: Right up the road, Miss Anthony. Just a couple of gangsters. They turned on a smokescreen and got away.
Nan: Smokescreen? What's that? Oh, I'm petrified.
Professor Anthony: The modern criminal has become a versatile fellow, hasn't he, Martin?
Trooper Ross Martin: He certainly has, Sir. Uses flop-over licence plates and..
Nan: Flop-over what?
Trooper Ross Martin: Car licence plates. If we're hunting a Michigan car, they sometimes flopover to Indiana plates after the first half mile and sail right past.
Professor Anthony: Gangsters! Up Here! Smokescreen. Smokescreen? Yes. Who would believe that this was anno domini 1935?
Trooper Ross Martin: Well, I'm sorry to go Sir but I have to shakedown all the garages and barns round here looking for that car.
Nan: Shakedown? Oh, that would be thrilling. Think of going back to Boston and telling our friends that we'd been shaken down!
Nan: Oh, my dear Nan do be serious and remember that this is a ghastly business.
Nan: Oh, Daddy, please let him shake us down! Just this once.
Professor Anthony: You see, Martin. My daughter enjoys a thrill. It's probably due to the sheltered life she's led.
Nan: [to Martin] Come on, I'll show you our garage. I can just see the headlines: "Police search Professor's garage." What colour car was it?
Trooper Ross Martin: Light grey. Well goodbye, Professor. And thanks for the use of the phone.

User reviews6

Featured review

6/10

Blowing up churches with dynamite in the production code era...

... is a strange plot device used in the B action picture from Paramount.

This is the first year Fred MacMurray was playing lead roles, and he starred in a number of vehicles at Paramount in 1935, including this one about the Michigan state police. MacMurray is a new recruit, Ross Martin, on the police force whose girlfriend, Mary (Ann Sheridan), is the local telephone operator. He's learning the ropes, based out of a rural area, when he encounters and brings in the leader of a high tech bank robbery gang. He rather undoes that deed by letting the leader escape. As a result he's put on suspension and really doesn't want to fight being thrown off the force until he gets a second chance to bring in this gang. It is part documentary, part comedy, part crime film.

The story is pretty routine to the point that watching it wouldn't hurt you if you were recovering from a nervous breakdown. There are two things that recommend it. First is the fact that there are some future big stars in it. Of course there is MacMurray, but there is also a very young Ann Sheridan and also Dean Jagger as MacMurray's partner on patrol. Then there is the big coincidence of William Frawley who will be MacMurray's Uncle Bub in the TV show My Three Sons as the trainer of the fresh group of recruits that include MacMurray. He is supposed to be the irascible older presence, but unexpected is his character continually telling the new recruits to stay away from women. He seems to be MGTOW 75 years before its time.

The second thing to recommend it is that high tech gang of bank robbers. They're not just the armed muscle like they might be over at Warner Brothers. These guys have a sophisticated plan and high tech equipment to go with it. An odd part of that sophisticated plan is that they blow up a church to lure the state police away from the bank that they plan to rob! I don't think I've ever seen that happen in a crime film before.

All of the things I've mentioned - the rather tame rustic atmosphere, the unexpected casting, and the high tech robbers make it worth watching.