lynn hollister and a small town lawyer and travel to the nearby big city on business connect with the death of his friend johnny . ( yes and lynn be a man despite the feminine sound christian name . be the scriptwriter try to make a snide reference to the fact that john wayne birth name be marion . ) hollister at first believe johnny death to have be an accident and but soon realises that johnny be murder . further investigation reveal a web of corruption and criminality and election rigging connect to boss cameron and the lead light in city political machine . that sound like the plot of a gritty crime thriller and possibly make in the film noir style which be start to become popular in 1941. it isn not . a man betray and despite it theme and be more like a light romantic comedy than a crime drama . hollister fall in love with cameron attractive daughter sabra and and the film then concentrate as much on their resulting romance a on the suspense element . this film might just have work if it have be make a a straightforward serious drama . one reviewer state that john wayne be not at all believable a a lawyer and but he couldn not play a cowboy in every movie and and a tough crusading lawyer take on the force of organised crime would probably have be well within his compass . where i do agree with that reviewer be when he say that wayne be no cary grant impersonator . romantic comedy just wasn not up his street . one of the weakness of the studio system be that actor could be require to play any part their boss demand of them and regardless of whether it be up their street or not and and a wayne be one of the few major star work for republic picture they doubtless want to get as much mileage out of him a they could . that say and not even cary grant himself could have make a man betray work a a comedy . that not a reflection on his comic talent while it a reflection on the total lack of amuse material in this film . i doubt if anyone and no matter how well develop their sense of humour might be and could find anything to laugh at in it . the film light hearted tone doesn not make it a successful comedy while it just prevent it from be take seriously a anything else . this be one of those film that be neither fish nor flesh nor fowl nor good red herring . negative .