Wise Thriller

 

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HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL-1951-A woman (Valentina Cortese) in a Nazi prison takes on the identity of her friend Karen who died there. She comes to America looking for her “son” Chris who is heir to a fortune. In NY, she meets Chris’ guardian Allen (Richard Basehart) who she eventually marries. They go to San Francisco and meet Chris (Gordon Gebert) and then go live in the title house where she has a problem with housekeeper Margaret (Fay Baker) who seems as though she might have a secret agenda with Allen. Especially when the brakes fail on Karen's car. She tells Allen's sort of friend, Marc (William Lundigan), she thinks Allen is trying to kill her and Chris. Or is it just in Karen's mind? 

An ironic twist ending reveals everything. Nice little thriller directed by Robert Wise who made THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL the same year.

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In Like Flynn

 

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CRY WOLF-1947-After the death of Jim Demarest, his widow Sandra (Barbara Stanwyck) shows up to claim his estate. His brother Mark (Errol Flynn) doesn't seem to know anything about the marriage or so he says. He keeps a tight rein on his niece Julie (Geraldine Brooks) who hears strange noises and screaming that seem to come from Mark's mysterious and forbidden lab.

Interesting film noir with a twist ending directed by Peter Godfrey who made THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS with Humprey Bogart the same year. Also with Richard Basehart & Jerome Cowan. It's based on a novel by mystery writer Marjorie Carleton.

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I Run To Death…

 

 

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THE SEVENTH VICTIM-1943-Mary Gibson (Kim Hunter in her film debut) leaves a girls school to look for her elusive sister Jacqueline (Jean Brooks; THE LEOPARD MAN) in NYC. In a Greenwich Village restaurant, the owners tell her Jacqueline rented a room but never used it. She convinces them to unlock the room. Inside she finds a noose and chair. She goes to the police and then a lawyer, Gregory Ward (Hugh Beaumont) who just happens to be in love with Jacqueline. August (Lou Lubin), a shady PI says he knows where Jacqueline is but when they investigate, he's killed. 

Later Mary sees 2 guys toting August's corpse on the subway. Ward has secret dealings with Dr. Judd (Tom Conway), under whose care Jacqueline seems to be. Things get very mysterious after this. Judd acts strange, Jacqueline shows up then disappears and it turns out Ward is her husband. Then local Poet Hoag (Erford Gage) says he'll find Jacqueline. Mrs. Redi (Mary Newton), the new owner of Jacqueline's cosmetic shop, tells Mary her sister is the one who killed August and warns her to leave town. Later sis reappears to explain things. This leads to a cult of devil worshipers, betrayal, forced suicide and an enigmatic ending. Isabel Jewel and Dewey Robertson are also in it. 

This dark and mysterious Val Lewton production was the directorial debut of Mark Robson (BEDLAM, ISLE OF THE DEAD) who'd make THE GHOST SHIP for Lewton the same year. Tom Conway (the real-life brother of George Saunders) played the character of “Dr. Judd” a year earlier in CAT PEOPLE. Some have theorized he's reprising the same role here although Judd was killed in CAT PEOPLE. Actor Erford Gage was unfortunately killed in WW 2 in 1945. In the middle 1950's Hugh Beaumont played the father (his first name was Ward) on TV's long running “Leave It To Beaver”.

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Early Boris

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THE PUBLIC DEFENDER-1931-Rich playboy Pike Winslow (Richard Dix) is actually the mysterious crime fighter The Reckoner who investigates a group of corrupt businessmen who framed their partner, the father of Pike's childhood sweetheart Barbara (Shirley Grey; later in THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE). He's assisted by the erudite Professor (Boris Karloff) and big lug Doc (Paul Hurst). They meticulously plan each attack they make on the bad guys looking for evidence to clear the wronged man. 

THE PUBLIC DEFENDER seems similar to "The Shadow", also created in 1931 and may have been an influence on the creation of Batman (although that was 8 years away). 

Star Dix was an Academy Award nominated best actor in 1931 (for the western CIMARRON, the first movie to win the best picture Oscar). Karloff was just a few months away from playing the monster in FRANKENSTEIN. Interesting ahead of its time crime drama directed by J. Walter Ruben. 

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More Price Magic

 

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THE LONG NIGHT-1947-A mysterious stranger is shot at a rooming house. The police investigate and when they go to the room of Joe Adams (Henry Fonda) he shoots at them through the door. When he won't cooperate, they shoot at him from a building across the street but that doesn't work. A flashback relates what has happened Joe, a factory worker who meets Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes), who works in a flower shop. They fall in love and he wants to marry her. She seems hesitant (of course she's hiding a secret). Joe follows her to a smoky nightclub where magician Maximillan the Great (the one and only Vincent Price) performs. Jo meets with Max for some unknown reason. Max's assistant Charlene (Ann Dvorak) gives Joe the lowdown on her boss. He and Charlene begin a friendship. Max says he's Jo's father despite her being an orphan. He thinks Jo is no good for Joe. Then Jo has a flashback where we find out Max is not her father but a guy who tried to put the moves on her. He wants to break the couple up and says “Do I have to apologize for superior imagination?”. When Max goes to see Joe, he won't shut up and Joe shoots him. Back in the present Jo talks Joe out of the apartment amid a teargas attack. 

A bevy of characters appear: Elisha Cook Jr., Queenie Smith, Charles McGraw, Bobby Barber, Ellen Corby, Byron Foulger, Mary Gordon, Richard Reeves, Ray Teal, Dick Wessel and Will Wright. This kind of crime drama/love story/film noir was directed by Anatole Litvak (THE SNAKE PIT) after spending most of the WW2 years making a short film documentary series “Why We Fight” with Frank Capra. 

The movie succeeds if you are not looking for a huge payoff in the finale, otherwise it's a slight disappointment. It also depends on your point of view with Joe's predicament. He doesn't really evoke that much sympathy. This was lead actress Bel Geddes' movie debut. Among other things, she's remembered as the lead on TV's “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episode “Lamb To The Slaughter”.

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Karloffnaut

 

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JUGGERNAUT-1936-Dr. Satorius (Boris Karloff) is in Morocco researching a cure for fractured paralysis, but his funding is terminated. Relocating to the French Riviera, he has a strange manservant named Jacques (Gibb McLaughlin). He hires a nurse and is visited by Lady Clifford (Mona Goya), the wife of a cotton millionaire (Morton Seltin)), who's having an affair with Halliday (Anthony Ireland), a guy who lost all his money gambling. Lady Clifford promises Satorius a fortune if he becomes her hubby's live-in doctor but with an ulterior motive of course. Son Roger (Arthur Margetson) arrives and Dad tells him he is to be sole heir to his money. Suddenly he falls ill. 

This convoluted little murder mystery seems like casting Karloff was an afterthought. Director Henry Edwards made SCROOGE (with Seymour Hicks in the title role) the year before.

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Borecast

 

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BROADCAST SIGNAL INTRUSION-2011-A video archivist (Harry Shum Jr.) becomes obsessed with a mysterious video that may be connected with the disappearance of several women. He hooks up with a woman named Alice (Kelley Mack) and they go all over trying to find the answer. This pretty much tries to say something but the story (especially the ending) is confused. 

The director Jacob Gentry had previously done MY SUPER PSYCHO SWEET16 series of films for MTV.

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Jolly Old England

 

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MIDNIGHT AT MADAME TASSUAD'S-1936-Sir Clive Cheyne (James Carew) makes a bet with his friend that he will stay overnight alone at “The Chamber of Horrors” section of Madame Tassaud's wax museum. Meanwhile Cheyne has a problem with Nicholas (Kim Peacock; also one of the screenwriters) the philandering, neer do well fiancé of his niece Carol (Lucille Lisle). Nick is in cahoots with Newton (Charles Oliver), an associate of Cheyne's, who owns Cheyne money. Jerry Melville (Patrick Barr), a snooping reporter tries to get the low down on the engagement. He has a comical assistant named Stubbs (future first Dr. Who star William Hartnell). After Melville exposes Nicholas' illicit affair, he goes to the museum to save Cheyne who's going to be killed by Newton's gang. Wax figures of Mae West, Marie Antoinette and Lawrence of Arabia also appear. 

This British production was the second to last film directed by George Pearson who way back in 1914 made the first movie adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes story (A Study in Scarlet).

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Devil?

 

BLACK TORMENT-1964-Sir Richard Fordyke (John Turner) and his new bride Elizabeth (Heather Sears) return to his ancestral home where his first wife committed suicide. He's given a rather cold greeting as a young girl has been raped and murdered and her dying words were Richard's name. His father is wheelchair bound by a stroke and can only communicate in sign language which Richard doesn't know. Fortunately his caregiver Diane (Ann Lynn) knows it. She also happens to be Richard's dead wife's sister. Other suspicious acting friends are his accountant Seymour (Peter Arne) and his footman Harris (Norman Bird). After another girl is killed Col. Wentworth (Raymond Huntley; also in Hammer's THE MUMMY) explains to Richard that although he was 100 miles away villagers swear they saw him riding through the village being chased by his deceased wife who was yelling "murderer". A dead girl's fiancee calls Richard the devil and things happen to Richard, leading many to believe he is some kind of demon. After it seems Elizabeth has killed her husband, the culprits are revealed. Patrick Troughton is a stable master. 

Director Robert Hartford-Davis later made CORRUPTION and INCENSE FOR THE DAMMED. After that he came to the US and made BLACK GUNN and THE TAKE. Heather Sears had co-starred with Herbert Lom in the unsuccessful remake of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, produced by Hammer in 1962.

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Darro & Moreland

CHASING TROUBLE-1940-Jimmy (Frankie Darro) and Jefferson (Mantan Moreland) deliver flowers for an obviously shady florist. When Jimmy finds out his friend Susie (Marjorie Reynolds; later in THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES with Abbott and Costello) has lost her boyfriend (and job) he decides to find her a new one. He thinks someone named Bill Jones would be perfect. Among other things, Jimmy considers himself a handwriting expert. Saboteur Morgan (Alex Callam) convinces Jimmy he's a G-man and makes Jimmy one too so Jimmy can keep an eye on reporter Pat Callahan (Milburn Stone) who's investigating a murder which Morgan committed. Morgan's assistant is Phillips (Tristram Coffin). Naively Jimmy tries to set Susie up with Morgan. Later Jimmy figures out he's a spy and he and his gang have set a bomb at an airplane factory. Callahan winds up in the hospital but a traffic cop (Joe Devlin) helps him get out. Despite the racial subservient role Jeff is a lot wiser than Jimmy, suspecting trouble and questioning his partner's misguided motives. Director Howard Bretherton made UP IN THE AIR with the Darro-Moreland team (they made 8 together for Monogram Pictures).

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Stray

 

STRAY-2019-Murphy (Christine Woods), a female police officer coming back to her job after the death of her child, investigates the mysterious burning death of a woman who later appears to be 1000 years old. Murphy meets the woman's daughter Nori (Karen Fukuhara) who seems to have some special power. A guy (Japanese guitarist-singer Miyavi) who might be Nori's brother hangs around. This weird supernatural tale has very good acting and direction but might be a little too dark.

 This is the only feature film (so far) by director Joe Sill who before and after made video shorts, commercials and music videos.

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Made In England

 

THE WOMAN THAT WOULDN'T DIE-1965-In England American Raymond Garth (Gary Merrill) is married to rich old bag Ellen Taylor (Jane Merrow) (it seems simply so she can have sex with him). He seems resigned to his fate until Ellen's young niece Alice (Georgina Cookson) comes to town. They begin an affair. Although Raymond makes plans with their chauffeur to do away with Ellen he gets a little over zealous and drowns her prematurely. He buries her in the garden shed. The chauffeur hires an actress to impersonate Ellen so it looks like she leaves town. Then he kills her and makes it look like a car crash. Now Ray and Alice are free to be together except after several strange occurrences, it seems like Ellen isn't dead. 

The result is guessable but the twist ending is good. 

WOMAN was known in England (where this was filmed) as CATACOMBS. It's kind of like a longer version of an “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episode and was the directorial debut of German born Gordon Hessler who made THE OBLONG BOX in 1969.

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More Hammer

 

MANIAC-1963-In the French region of The Camargue a pervert named Janello (Arnold Diamond) rapes a local girl Annette (Lillane Brousse). Her father finds him before the police do and he proceeds to torture and kill the guy with a blowtorch. 4 years later an American painter Jeff Farrell (Kerwin Matthews, THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) decides to spend some time in a small village after breaking up with his girlfriend. He rents a room from Mme Eve Beynat (Nadia Grey) who also runs a saloon with her step-daugther Annette, who Jeff is first attracted to. Later he has an affair with Eve. She tells him her husband Henri (Don Houston) is in a mental hospital and if Jeff wants her to be free they will have to help him escape from the hospital. Jeff agrees. They pick him up and drop him off at a pier. Later Jeff discovers a dead body in the trunk of their car. They deduce it is a male nurse who helped Georges get away. At night they dump the body. An inspector investigates. There's a few twists in this kind of forgotten little Hammer thriller written by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Michael Carreras, the boss' son. Nice finale.

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House of The Damned

 

HOUSE OF THE DAMNED-1963-Architect Scott Campbell (Ron Foster) and his wife Nancy (Merry Anders) go to do a sur-veying job at an old castle (The Rochester House) after getting a midnight phone call from a guy named Joe (Richard Crane; THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE) who they don't seem to like. They go to the castle but can't get in. Something weird is going on though as the door opens after they go away. Mr. Quinby (Dal McKennon), a real estate agent gives them the keys and a rundown on the castle including the former owner Priscilla Rochester. 

The couple settle in but it's obvious they are not alone. Especially at night when some creature shuffles in and steals the house keys. Next day the missing keys turn up but with 2 keys gone. Later Joe's wife Loy (Erika Peters) shows up looking for her husband. She decides to sunbathe and while undressing is watched by a mys-terious woman. Scott and Nancy measure the house. Joe finally shows up. He and Loy seem to be having martial problems and Loy prepares to leave but is pursued by a giant (Richard Kiel; a year after EEGAH!) and disappears. The others look for her. 

Nancy finds her headless in a chair but still moving! Of course when she brings the two men Loy isn't there. Later Joe and Scott break into a locked room and find the withered corpse of Capt. Arbuckle, another former owner. When Scott has a run-in with the giant he's saved by a circus fat lady (Ayllene Gibbons; later Mrs. Joyboy in THE LOVED ONE) because the captain was using the the castle to house circus people. It has a weird happy ending. 

Director Maury Dexter uses a large estate as the back drop similar to his THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH.

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Crazy Caper Spoof

THE MANCHU EAGLE MURDER MYSTERY CAPER-1975-Malcolm (Gabriel Dell who co-wrote the screenplay), a chicken farmer turned private investigator gets involved with something called “The Manchu Eagle” after Oscar (Dick Gautier), his milkman is killed by a bow and arrow. Malcolm talks in over serious cliched dialogue in this obvious take off on THE MALTESE FALCON. He and his assistant (Sorrell Brooke) encounter dopey Big Daddy (Vincent Gardenia) who keeps his daughter Arlevia (Anjanette Comer from THE BABY) in hiding. He has a hypochondriac wife (Joyce Van Patten) and a pill popping doctor (Will Geer). To top it all off Jackie Coogan and Huntz Hall (Dell's ex-Bowery Boys-Dead End Kids comrade)  are cops! It's not very funny. 

Director Dean Hargrove was later an executive producer of TV shows (DIAGNOSIS: MURDER, McBRIDE, JANE DOE). 

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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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Mr. BIG Again!

PICTURE MOMMY DEAD-1966-Edward Shelly (Don Ameche) brings his new wife/ex-nanny Francine (Martha Hyer) and his daughter Susan (Susan Gordon) to the house where a few years before Susan witnessed the death of her mother (Zsa Zsa Gabor) (she doesn't really remember it though). Looks like things aren't going to go so well as they first meet a scarred cousin named Tony (Maxwell Reed), then a wise ass hick executor (Wendell Corey). Susan has inherited a lot of money but can't collect until she's 25 and if she dies or is declared incompetent then the parents get the money. Almost immediately she hears voices, sees blood dripping from a portrait of mom and then actual appearances of mom going up in flames. Later Francine tries to enlist Tony's help in getting Susan's inheritance but he rejects her and she kills him with a climbing hook. She tries to blame the death on Susan but flashbacks reveal what really happened and how history goes on to repeat itself. The ending is kind of stupid. (Dad's the loony)

Bert I Gordon strikes again with this insipid little murder mystery which isn't very original.

Bud & Lou

HOLD THAT GHOST-1941-Classic Abbott & Costello haunted house comedy has Bud & Lou (sometimes referred as “the boys”) as incompetent waiters Chuck and Ferdy who are fired from their jobs. While working at a gas station they wind up in the backseat of a mobster Moose Mattson's car just as he's “bumped off”. Since his will stated that who was ever with him when he died would inherit all he had the duo inherit his rundown inn. Another gangster Smitty (Marc Lawrence; later in the duo's HIT THE ICE) believes the mobster's fortune is hidden somewhere in the place and plans to do away with Chuck and Ferdy who are accompanied by a radio actress (Joan Davis), a nerdy doctor (Richard Carlson) and a blonde waitress (Evelyn Ankers) after their driver strands them all together. Though the team does a few routines, a highlight is a kind of violent dance between Costello and Davis.

 Director Arthur Lubin made the first five Abbott and Costello comedies and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA remake with Claude Rains. Later he did several in the FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE series. Shemp Howard appears as a soda jerk and the Andrews Sisters show up to sing at the end. 

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Charlie Again!

DANGEROUS MONEY1946--Charlie Chan investigates the smuggling of counterfeit “hot” money after a treasury agent (Tris Coffin) is killed. There's many suspects plus annoying comedy bits Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) and chauffeur Chattanooga (Willie Best in his last Chan movie). The main suspects are loud mouth cotton seller Burke (Dick Elliot), knife thrower Kirk (John Harmon), American trader Tao Erickson (Rick Vallin), Brace, the ship's purser (Joseph Allen) and his girlfriend Rona (Gloria Allen), a professor (Emmett Vogan) and The Whipples, upper class twits on an ocean liner bound for Samoa. The killer uses a knife gun. 

This low budget Monogram mystery based on the character created by Earl Derr Biggers (in 1925) was the 39^th story in a series of 47 Chan movies began back in the mid-thirties by Universal Pictures. Star Toler was instrumental in getting Monogram to produce a new Chan series when it was dropped by Fox in 1942. Though still fun, they are noticably lower budget. 

Director Terry O. Morse was also an editor and had directed Karloff in BRITISH INTELLIGENCE in 1940. Later he worked on the US shot scenes in GODZILLA-KING OF MONSTERS. 

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Who Doesn't Love a Mystery?

THE DEVIL'S MASK-1946-This murder mystery is based on the radio show I LOVE A MYSTERY (created by Carlton Morse) . Two cool investigators Jack (Jim Bannon) and Doc (Barton Yarborough) help Janet Mitchell (Anita Louise), the widow of a missing explorer who thinks she has been targeted for murder by her step-daughter (Mona Barrie) and her boyfriend. A panther, a shrunken head and a crazy taxidermist are all part of the part.

This was the second of three I LOVE A MYSTERY dramas produced, based on the popular radio show. It's short and to the point and Jack and Doc are a pretty good team. Director Henry Levin was busy in 1946 (he made 5 other movies) but later when he slowed down he made JOURNEY TO THE ENTER OF THE EARTH and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM.

Barton Yarborough (Doc) also played the role on radio and in addition was featured on another radio show ONE MAN'S FAMILY for almost 20 years. He's the ill fated Dr. Kettering in THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. He died suddenly of a heart attack in the early '50's after filming a few episodes of Jack Webb's DRAGNET. 

Co-star Jim Bannon (Jack) was also a radio star who made many low budget films (some with no credit) and later went into TV. He was a regular on the series CASEY JONES in 1957 and died in 1973. Topped bill Anita Louise had been in THE GORILLA with The Ritz Brosthers and THE LITTLE PRINCESS with Shirley Temple. She made a lot more movies and in the '50's was a regular on TV's MY FRIEND FLICKA.

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