Yeah..He Knows..When He Shows...

THE MISSING LADY-1946-Mystery and murder surround "the jade lady" (a statue). Lamont Cranston (Kane Richmond) is framed for murder and only The Shadow can clear him. The police chief (James Flavin) wants to run him in but Cranston's uncle the police commissioner (Pierre Watkin) saves and defends him. Margo Lane (Barbara Read), chauffeur Shrevvie (George Chandler) and Serrvy's girlfriend (Claire Carleton) provide the annoying comedy. 

There's not much of The Shadow himself in this cheap disappointing feature from Monogram. For some reason the character of Margo is presented in these three movies as a real airhead in direct contrast to her radio persona. Phil Karlson directed again.

Thanks for reading!

He Still Knows....

BEHIND THE MASK-1946-A conniving newspaper columnist Jeff Mann (James Cardwell) is killed by The Shadow in his office on the eve of the wedding of Lamont Cranston (Kane Richmond) and Margo Lane (Barbara Read). Of course someone is actually pretending to be the crime fighter. Mann was blackmailing a mobster (Robert Shayne) and a female bookie May Bishop (Marjorie Hoshelle). There's way too much comedy in this with Shevvie, the chauffeur now played by familiar character actor George Chandler. 

Director Phil Karlson made the Charlie Chan mystery DARK ALIBI the same year.

Thanks for reading!

Cobra Chan

THE SHANGHAI COBRA-1945-Charlie Chan is called in by an old friend to help stop “The Cobra Killer” who uses snake venom. All three victims worked for the same bank. Chan relates a flashback at the bombing of Shanghai when he assisted in the arrest of a murderer named Jan Van Horn who's disfigured during the bombings. Unfortunately Van Horn escaped and has a new face. The president of the bank Fletcher (Ray Gordon) seems a likely subject because of a white streak in his hair (Van Horn had one too). Chan also checks up on a stock of radium the bank has. 

Later he investigates PI Ned Stewart (James Cardwell) who was hired by a mysterious Mr. Rodgers to shadow a woman, Paula Webb (Joan Barclay) who seems to have some connection to a bank guard (Addison Richards). Then a police detective posing as a janitor (Cyril Delavanti) disappears. Morgan (Gene Roth) and Taylor (Joe Devlin) are two suspicious characters hanging around. Tommy (Benson Fong) and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) get into some trouble in the sewer beneath the bank but do help out a bit. After almost dying in a sewer cave-in Charlie exposes the ringleader. James Flavin and George Chandler have small roles.

Director Phil Karlson made DARK ALIBI the next year and KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL and THE PHENIX CITY STORY, a TV movie ALEXANDER THE GREAT with William Shatner & Adam West, two Matt Helm-Dean Martin entries and WALKING TALL.

Next up: DARK ALIBI:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4609335177952045780/7392331601685477603?hl=en

Thanks for reading!

Charlie Chan!

DARK ALIBI-1946-Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is hired by June Hanley (Teala Loring, from BLACK MARKET BABIES the year before) to help clear her father of a robbery that has put him on death row. Most suspects reside in a local boarding house. The master detective assisted by son Tommy (Benson Fong) and chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland, who despite being the victim of some racist humor steals every scene he's in). 

Tommy and Birmingham even manage to get locked up in jail where BB meets his brother Ben (Ben Carter) and they do their “unfinished sentence” routine (Moreland and Carter had been a team in Vaudeville). A private detective helps out and forged fingerprints figure into the frame up. As usual some familiar character actors appear: Milton Parsons, Tim Ryan, John Eldredge, Russell Hicks. 

The same year director Phil Karlson made BEHIND THE MASK starring Kane Richmond as The Shadow. In 1955 he made the film noir crime drama THE PHENIX CITY STORY, did some TV then in the '60's made THE SILENCERS and THE WRECKING CREW, both starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm. Two of his last movies (he died in 1985) were the WILLARD sequel BEN and WALKING TALL.

I've read screenwriter George Callahan (who penned many CC movies) later wrote the screenplay for THIS ISLAND EARTH but that film credits George O'Callahan so it could be someone else. I could find very little about either of them....

  

DARK ALIBI was number 40 of forty-seven movies made with the clever (fake) Chinese detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. It was followed by SHADOWS OVER CHINATOWN.

Thanks for reading!