Holmes Is Back!

PURSUIT TO ALGIERS-1945-Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are planning a vacation in Scotland. After some mumbo-jumbo about fish & chips, a committee wants Holmes to escort Prince Nicolas (Leslie Vincent), young heir to the throne of his native country Rovenia. The intrepid duo split up with the doctor taking a boat to the Mediterranean while Holmes takes a mysterious airline ride. For a short time Watson believes Holmes is dead but he shows up on board alive with Nicolas who then pretends to be Watson's nephew. A sinister trio, Gregor (Rex Evans), Mirko (Martin Kosleck) and Gubec (Wee Willie Davis) are after the prince. A woman named Shelia (Marjorie Riordan) carries the stolen jewels of a duchess. A twist ending reveals who the real future king is. Final scene seems edited.

 Once again this “modern day” Holmes mystery was produced and directed by Roy William Neill. PURSUIT makes mention of several “unrecorded” Holmes cases including “The Giant Rat of Sumatra”. It's also the only entry that has no scenes at the Baker Street flat so Mrs. Hudson doesn't appear. John Abbot has a small role though.

This was the 12th of 14 Holmes/Watson stories produced by Universal. TERROR BY NIGHT was next.

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Inner Sanctum #4

THE FROZEN GHOST-1945-Radio hypnotist Gregor the Great (Lon Chaney) believes he killed a man through his hypnotism act. After much soul searching he comes to believe he's losing his mind so his  manager George (Milburn Stone) suggests he take a job helping Madame Monet (Tala Birell) at her wax museum. Naturally trouble brews between Monet and Greg's girlfriend Maura (Evelyn Ankers) and then between Rudi (Martin Kosleck), the weird sculptor and Gregor over the affections of Monet's niece Nina (Elena Verdugo; Chaney's romantic lead in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN the year before). Later Monet disappears and Greg thinks he killed her. A cynical Shakespeare loving police captain Brant (Douglas Dumbrille) investigates and at one point says "I'm not paid to think". When Nina discovers her aunt's corpse in a wax display she's chased by a knife packing Rudi but comes to suspect Greg when she sees him with aunt's scarf. Soon it's revealed that George and Rudi are in league to drive Greg crazy. Fortunately Gregor and Brant devise a plan and arrive just in time to save Nina from being burned alive. 

This was the fourth of six “Inner Sanctum” miseries, I mean mysteries. It's ok but the story and direction are kind of slipshod. Harold Young had directed Chaney earlier in 1942's THE MUMMY'S TOMB and later made THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE (the last of the Paula Duree/ape woman series). A drunk at the beginning of the film is played (un-billed) by Arthur Hohl (Montgomery from ISLAND OF LOST SOULS).

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The Movie That Cried Wolf?

SHE-WOLF OF LONDON-1946-In jolly old (fake) England, heiress Phyllis (June Lockheart) is ready to marry her beau Barry (Don Porter) just as a series of murders plague the area, all credited. to a mysterious "she-wolf". While an inspector (Dennis Hoey; Lestrade in the Universal Sherlock Holmes series) and his assistant (Lloyd Corrigan) investigate, Phyllis comes to believe she is responsible for the murders due to a family curse. Her aunt Martha (Sara Hayden)), who'll lose her house if Phyllis marries, acts way too suspicious to be trusted and her daughter Carol (Jan Wiley) is always trying to sneak off to see her boyfriend Dwight (Martin Kosleck) who's attacked in a park.. Eventually it's revealed that it's all a plot by Martha to drive Phyllis insane but interference by their housekeeper (Elly Maylon) puts an end to it. 

Pretty standard Universal programmer by Jean Yarborough who made THE BRUTE MAN and HOUSE OF HORRORS (both starring Rondo Hatton) the same year although I was surprised by Corrigan's character's death. And there's no wolf!

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Rondo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE OF HORRORS-1946-Universal's second outing featuring the famed Rondo Hatton as the murdering “Creeper” (after the Sherlock Holmes entry PEARL OF DEATH). He's rescued from a watery death by mad sculptor Marcel (Martin Kosleck; usually a Nazi in many films in the '40's) who wants him as a model for his greatest masterpiece. At night Rondo does his rounds (Virginia Christine plays his first victim), breaking the spines of women but he also takes time to kill a pompous art critic (Alan Napier) who ridiculed Marcel's work. A commercial artist Steve Morrow (Robert Lowery; future Caped Crusader in the BATMAN & ROBIN serial 3 years later)) comes under the suspicion of a deluded police lieutenant (Bill Goodwin). Morrow's girlfriend Joan (Virginia Grey, a busy actress in the '40's)) is another critic who discovers the secret alliance. When Rondo discovers Marcel might betray him it all goes down the drain. Rondo gets shot in the finale but doesn't seem to die (probably because Universal plan to use the character again). Joan Fulton (later Shawlee) appears as a doomed model and the great Byron Foulger is an almost buyer of one of Marcel's statues until dissuaded by Napier.

 

HOUSE OF HORRORS isn't seen much today and would probably totally forgotten if not for the presence of the Rondo Hatton who does an impressive job of trying to be sinister but in fact often comes off as a sorrowful guy done in by his natural appearance (of course in real life the actor was afflicted with acromegaly). Perhaps this was director Jean Yarbrough's intention but since the Creeper's pastime is coldly breaking the backs of innocent people I doubt it. The fast but fairly competent Yarbrough would also direct Hatton in his final feature THE BRUTE MAN later in the year. Universal had planned to exploit Hatton as a new horror star based on his affliction but he died later in 1946 before his final film was released.

 

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Watching The Detective!

NICK CARTER-MASTER DETECTIVE-1939-In his first starring role Walter Pidgeon plays Nick Carter, a NYC detective. He's hired by the owner of a defense plant (Addison Richards ) where a new kind of plane is being tested to prevent anymore sabotage by foreign agents. Henry Hull plays the scientist who invented it. After he's killed Carter suspects a nurse (Rita Johnson) but it's really the seemingly nice guy doctor (Stanley Ridges. who was in BLACK FRIDAY with Karloff &Lugosi the next year).

Martin Kosleck and Milburn Stone are spies who pretend to be injured and smuggle out microfilm. Henry Victor (the strong man in FREAKS) is the head of the spy ring. Donald Meek plays a comical private eye/bee keeper who shows up at various times to try and help. The climax takes place at sea with Carter in an aerial duel with the spies' boat. Sterling Holloway and Frank Faylen have small roles.

There's nothing special about this little mystery but it moves along quickly. In fact it almost seems like a an overlong TV show. Oh wait, I forgot TV hadn't been invented in 1939!

The first Nick Carter story appeared as a "dime store" novel in 1886! The persona of Carter was revised several times (like becoming more of a Pulp hero in the early '30's to compete with THE SHADOW and DOC SAVAGE). Several silent films made in France first featured the detective.

After an MGM trilogy Columbia made a serial featuring Nick's son Chick! The character was later again revived in for two movies featuring Eddie Constantine in the lead role. Robert Conrad played him in a made for TV movie in 1972. A radio series ran from 1943 to 1955.

NCMD was only the second full length feature for French born director Jacques Tourneur who in 1942 would direct the classic CAT PEOPLE.

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