Humphrey Bogart and William Holden have very little in common. They both won an Oscar. Both men were obviously accomplished actors and movie stars. Each was married to an actress. But the most obvious thing they’ve shared for over fifty years now is Billy Wilder’s Sabrina, where the two played the brothers Larrabee. There’s no real chemistry between them in that film, perhaps understandable given the different styles and significant age difference, but they’re supposedly vying for the same girl. If you go back a few years earlier, Bogart and Holden actually appeared together in another film, a gangster picture made for Warner Bros. called Invisible Stripes, directed by Lloyd Bacon. Neither was the star, though. Bogart was still in his phase of playing second fiddle, largely uninteresting gangsters and Holden was a babyfaced runt just lucky to have a role of any significance. His first breakthrough Golden Boy was released the same year, but there was little reason to think Holden would be anything big during filming.

The lead in the film was actually George Raft, who must’ve stood under five and a half feet tall and had the acting range of a surly gorilla. Bogart would soon become a star thanks to Raft turning down roles in High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, all parts the latter would’ve been mediocre in. None of the three are particularly special here, but Raft probably makes more of an impression than either Bogart or Holden. He has far more screen time and a much better role. Both Raft and Bogart are in Sing Sing when the picture begins, each awaiting parole. As luck would have it, they get out on the same day, but end up taking different paths. Raft is determined to stay straight and set an example for his kid brother, played by Holden. Bogart figures less importantly, but it’s clear that he’s more interested in finding a natural blonde to cozy up next to than a legitimate job.

There’s real effort put into showing that Raft as a parolee and ex-con has a lot of trouble finding and keeping a job. I can’t think of too many other films of this time that seem so intent on bringing to light the struggles of someone just released from prison. Maybe Raoul Walsh’s The Roaring Twenties, which has Cagney try to go straight before ultimately failing back into old habits, but Invisible Stripes seems more focused on that difficulty than merely using it as a jumping off point for the plot. Even its title refers to the stigma that prison life carries over into the outside world. Raft somewhat humorously ends up as a stock boy at a department store working alongside Leo Gorcey. So was Warner Bros. actively lobbying for better treatment of ex-cons in these gangster films of the late ’30s/early ’40s? It definitely seems that way by having popular movie stars portray men with records who can’t find work. I don’t know if this was another effort in the studio’s continual attempts to bring social realism and awareness into its movies or if there really was a prevalent problem concerning out of work ex-cons. I’d guess some of both, but it’s so obvious in this film as to seem peculiar.

With Raft trying to eke out a living and little brother Holden constantly frustrated at his low rung on the totem pole, it doesn’t take a well-seasoned viewer to figure out where we’re going. It seems like Warner Bros. made this type of film over and over again. A gangster or criminal tries to go straight and can’t, or he has a younger brother who flirts with the dark side against the elder’s wishes. Standard issue, but Invisible Stripes remains interesting solely because of the cast. Holden feels really unnatural here. You can barely squint your eyes and see the actor he’d later become. His girlfriend as played by Jane Bryan is another interesting choice, and Bryan, who appeared in several semi-popular WB films, has an oddly intriguing presence despite lacking any real star quality. She looks rather plain, almost resembling Patricia Neal, and her role in the film is of the basic girlfriend/wife variety. But she’s still distinctive enough to make an impression where several other generic looking actresses might have barely registered.

These little attributes, of Holden and Bryan and Bogart, make it all serviceable and maybe slightly ahead of the typical gangster fare. Despite his fate, Raft is sort of a good guy too and his troubles are carefully portrayed as sympathetic. Bogart has no real color, but it was one of his final supporting gangster parts so there’s that bit of notoriety I guess. It’s funny watching Bogart in so many of those thoughtless roles, a dozen or so are probably found within the four volumes of Warner Bros. Gangster sets. He has none of the electricity of Cagney or the forcefulness of Edward G. Robinson. Many of these pictures show absolutely nothing to hint at how bright Bogart’s future would be. You can say the same for Holden here, but he was barely twenty years old. Raft, meanwhile, was in his early forties and destined for semi-obscurity. Like his co-stars, he’d eventually work for Billy Wilder too, but in a much smaller capacity as the lead gangster in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre that kicks off Some Like It Hot. It’s kind of funny to see Invisible Stripes and be reminded that Raft was at one point a significantly bigger name than either Bogart or Holden, and even capable of delivering a performance of some merit.