Buy Me That Town (1941)

When Sheldon Leonard gets drafted, he shuts down his rackets. Lloyd Nolan and pal, washed-up boxer Albert Dekker go on a car trip, and get clipped by an unincorporated town for speeding. The town is on its last legs; the factory closed down and the company that holds all the mortgages is willing to sell out cheap. Nolan gets an idea and buys the town, using it as a hotel for crooks on the lam. Constance Moore, however, is willing to call in the Feds unless he spends money fixing up the place.

It's a nice gimmick comedy, helped by the usual gang of comic supports, including Richard Carle, Barbara Jo Allen, Eddie Brophy and so forth. Directed for efficiency by Eugene Forde, it's one of several 'reforming crooks' movies that were popular in the period. It's not a great one, but Nolan is always worth watching, and if you have a taste for movies of this age, you won't be disappointed.