Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen (1942)

Ellery Queen returns to combat a Nazi gang after diamonds.

Free Dutch agents have smuggled diamonds into the US to keep them away from the Nazis... though a Nazi gang is hot on their heels. Ellery Queen (William Gargan) and Nikki Porter (Margaret Lindsay) are dragged into the case, at first thinking the Dutch agent Gillette (Gilbert Roland) is a criminal but soon they discover the truth. The case is a complicated one with some unexpected twists.

This was the final entry in the Ellery Queen series and the series ends on a high. A lot is packed into the war time plot and it ends with some good rough humour in the final fight scene. Of course, there is a bit of a propaganda edge to the film though this doesn't overbear the story.

Canal Zone (1942)

Although full of cliches, this is an interesting war film that approaches a somewhat neglected aspect of the conflict.

Bombers need ferrying from the US mainland out to the forces fighting in the East, this requires flying them from Panama across to Africa, a highly dangerous job. Despite this, barely trained pilots are being recruited and Hardtack Hamilton (Chester Morris) has his work cut out to get them ready. The new pilots are a collection of stereotypes, but the one which causes the biggest headache for Hardtack is the arrogant playboy Ames (John Hubbard) who takes risks in the air and is trying to muscle in on Hardtack's girlfriend Susan (Harriet Nelson)!

Ames' risk taking soon results in a disaster after a fellow pilot is killed. Ames falls into despair at what he has done. Now Hardtack and Susan must try and drag him back to the obvious redemption arc!

An enjoyable film, though fairly predictable, it is well made and has some good performances. The aerial scenes are obviously done with models and are not very realistic but it does not ruin the film.

Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (Serial) (1941)

Everything is thrown at this Dick Tracy serial, which is wonderfully over the top.

A deadly crime boss known as The Ghost has the ability to become invisible. He uses this skill for crime of course. When he wants to deal with his underlings he wears a rather creepy black mask which looks pretty cool. 

Only Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) can stop him (and reveal which of the potential suspects he is) after many cliff hangers and death defying stunts... 

This is pretty good stuff and one of the better movie serials of the 1940s. Nothing is spared and the actions is fast and frequently ridiculous. It is a comic strip bought to life on screen which is exactly how Dick Tracy should be of course.

The Iron Curtain (1948)

Another film about the notable Soviet defector Igor Gouzenko (see also 1954's Operation Manhunt), but this one details exactly how he defected in Canada.

Gouzenko (Dana Andrews) is posted to the Soviet embassy in Ottawa as a cypher clerk during the war. It is here that he learns that the Soviets are already planning for the post-war period and are sending their agents into the Canadian state and learn about the atomic bomb so they can dominate the world. 

Gouzenko's wife Anna (Gene Tierney) gives birth and Gouzenko begins to feel that he doesn't want his son to grow up in such a world of Soviet domination and seeks a way to escape the paranoid Soviet machine...

A decent film, though there is a propaganda edge to the semi-documentary style. Some good performances add to the tension especially in the final scenes.

Whispering City (1947)

An interesting Noir set in Quebec.

An actress dies in a car crash, reporter Mary (Mary Anderson) decides to do a feature on her. She discovers that the actress had complained in the past that her fiancé had been murdered. Mary interviews a patron of the arts, Albert (Paul Lukas). 

One of the artists he is funding is composer Michel (Helmut Dantine). Michel's main problem is her troubled wife, who is soon found dead, and Michel believes he was to blame, he is blackmailed by Albert. Albert wants Michel to kill Mary...

The plot is quite complicated but it all comes together and makes sense. A slow builder that ultimately rewards. Some good suspense and atmosphere help make this a very worthwhile watch.

Flight to Nowhere (1946)

A complicated film involving nuclear secrets though takes it's time to go critical.

Pilot Hobe (Alan Curtis) is hired by an apparent Countess (Micheline Cheirel) to fly her and her party (some of whom do not seem to be very happy) to a town in the desert. Things start getting interesting when one of the passengers Catherine (Evelyn Ankers) almost dies on the flight. Hobe also discovers that the passengers apparently to be holding some mysterious documents. Hobe's old commander Bob (Jack Holt), who is now involved in something hush-hush, is also sniffing around...

This isn't too bad a film, and has plenty of highlights including some good characterisation. However, the film gets bogged down in the desert and ends up being a bit dull.

Parole, Inc. (1948)

Gangsters have infiltrated a city's parole programme in order to get dangerous criminals back out on the streets.

The authorities recruit Agent Richard (Michael O'Shea), he takes on the identity of an escaped convict in order to find out who is behind the parole scam. Richard investigates Jojo (Evelyn Ankers) who owns a seedy club where various low-lives and hoodlums hang out. He discovers that her boyfriend Barney (Turhan Bey) is a crooked lawyer who is lining the pockets of corrupt members of the parole board.

A decent crime drama, though for it's good premise it could have maybe been a bit darker. The story is told in flashback by Richard who starts the film all covered in bandages like an Egyptian mummy after the beating he received from the gangsters. 

Murder by Invitation (1941)

Played light, maybe too light as it is frequently ridiculous, but this is yet another dark house murder mystery... and its pretty good!

Wealthy aunt Cassandra (Sarah Padden) sees off an attempt by her relatives to have her declared mentally incompetent so they can get their hands on her cash. She invites them to spend the night at her isolated country house. When one of them is murdered, radio reporter Bob White (Wallace Ford) comes in to investigate. 

More murders take place in a house riddled by hidden passages and tunnels. One of the relatives is suspected to be the culprit (though the field is gradually being narrowed down), while Bob and his assistant Nora (Marian Marsh) are struggling to work out what is going on amid all the nonsense and red herrings, Aunt Cassandra has a cunning plan...

This is objectively not a good film, it is a bit too chaotic and many of the actors mill around without much to do (and not doing that well). However, i loved it! It is a fun film, the goofiness makes it hard to take seriously as a crime drama, but if it is approached with an open mind then it certainly is entertaining.

That Wonderful Urge (1948)

A light if ultimately forgettable romantic comedy.

Heiress Sarah Farley (Gene Tierney) is annoyed that a reporter has been writing some gossip pieces about her. To her surprise a nice young man (Tyrone Power) she has met at a resort turns out to be the reporter Thomas Tyler. 

She aims to ruin his career by falsely claiming they got married. Much to-and-fro will follow, but you know it will end in a kiss.

Somewhat predictable but an amiable little story. There is nothing wrong with the film it just lacks any bite or a spark.

A Fig Leaf for Eve (1944)

A silly piece of fluff, that promises sleaze but doesn't really rise to the challenge (so to speak).

Eve (Jan Wiley) is an exotic dancer who is arrested after her lewd (apparently) is reported to the police. In reality her dance was pretty tame even for the day, but her arrest was arranged as a publicity stunt by her agent (Phil Warren). 

Bail bondsman Hoffman (Eddie Dunn) thinks Eve can pass herself off as a missing heiress. When she is introduced to the family she finds not everyone is delighted to see her...

After the dance at the start there isn't much else in the sleaze department to report, what you do get is a rather mediocre melodrama. The highlight of the film is a short cameo by Cheerio Meredith who plays a drunk.

The Ape Man (1943)

A cheap but perfectly reasonable horror movie, though Bela Lugosi worked better as Dracula than a half-ape man.

Scientist (mad of course) Dr Brewster (Lugosi) has gone into hiding. The reason is because he conducted experiments on himself and is now stuck as a half-man half-ape! 

Brewster tries to get his colleague Dr Randall (Henry Hall) to get him recently harvested human spinal fluid to try and cure him, Randall refuses as it would mean he has to kill. Instead, Brewster and his pet ape (Emil Van Horn) go and seeks victims for himself...

A creepy film, Lugosi plays a good role as the man driven to kill through sheer desperation. The make-up is also very well done. This isn't the best Lugosi film though by a long way but is a fun watch.

Miss V from Moscow (1942)

A ridiculous but fast moving wartime spy drama.

Top Soviet spy Vera (Lola Lane) is sent to France by her boss - who veers between a terrible Russian accent and a Brooklyn one throughout. In Paris, Vera tangled with the evil Nazi police chief Kleiss (Noel Maddison) but she uses her resemblance to a dead German agent to evade the Gestapo and help the Allies and the Resistance send radio messages to alert Allied convoys of impending German attacks...

This is quite an odd film, which at times resembles a fast moving serial. Most of the characters are stereotypes, and often hilariously so. The story doesn't make much sense and the low budget is stretched very thinly, luckily as it's a wartime film there is plenty of stock footage to pad things out. All in all this film is terrible, but it is definitely in the so bad it's good camp.

The Notorious Lone Wolf (1946)

The Lone Wolf continues, with a new face.

The Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard (now played by Gerald Mohr) has returned from the war and immediately gets drawn into a plot to steal a valuable diamond. Inspector Crane (William B Davidson) naturally thinks Lanyard and Jameson (Eric Blore) stole the gem - Crane is quite an unimaginative detective to be honest as he always thinks Lanyard is behind all gem thefts, maybe he thinks he will get it right finally. The gem was stolen from a dancer who was wearing it, the dancer being murdered. Lanyard must track down the gem and the murderer...

The Lone Wolf series was just starting to run out of steam by now. Post-war, these kinds of bright and breezy B-movies were starting to look a bit dated in the coming age of the Noir, however Mohr slightly refreshes the role. The rest of the Lone Wolf formula is there and this is a good, if unexceptional, entry in the series.

Million Dollar Weekend (1948)

A neat little crime drama with some good twists.

Nick (Gene Raymond) has run off with a million dollars worth of bonds, he is joined on his flight by Cynthia (Osa Massen) who is on the run after killing her husband (accidentally but the slimy Alan (Francis Lederer) is blackmailing her). Once they get to Honolulu, Nick is forced to join up with Cynthia after Alan discovers Nick's secret and decides those bonds are a more lucrative prize and heads off back to the mainland with them. Now Nick and Cynthia desperately try and hunt Alan down in San Francisco...

An enjoyable film that has a bit of a Noir touch but only just enough to give the film a little extra bite. The story is involving and the leads give some good performances. A modest film maybe but certainly more than the sum of it's parts. A film that is well worth checking out.

Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942)

Part of the long-running Boston Blackie series, the usual frantic goings on but this time in Tinsel town.

Blackie (Chester Morris) and the Runt (George E Stone) are about to head off to Florida when Blackie receives a call for help from a fellow ex-criminal (or is he?) Arthur (Lloyd Corrigan) asks Blackie to take $60K from his safe in New York and take it over to California. 

Somehow this is mixed up with the theft of a valuable diamond, Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) of course thinks Blackie has stolen the diamond and so follows Blackie to California and gets mixed up in a complicated tale of blackmail and stolen goods...

Still early in the series but the series is now hitting high gear. A fast-paced story with plenty of swerves and action packed into a short running time. Good humour and performances add to make this an excellent film.

The Lone Wolf in London (1947)

The penultimate film in the long running series.

Two diamonds disappear from a police vault, the police immediately suspect the former jewel thief Michael Lanyard - the Lone Wolf (Gerald Mohr) as they know he is in London, officially doing research for a book he is writing. 

Lanyard is recruited by a member of the aristocracy (Vernon Steele), who is hard up, to sell some jewels for him. Meanwhile, Lanyard is starting to suspect stage star Iris Chatham (Evelyn Ankers) is involved in the diamond robbery, though the police still stubbornly suspect him!

Mohr and Eric Blore as Jamison worked well as a team, though this was the last time they worked together in this series, and the eleventh and final time Blore played Lanyard's assistant. A decent film with the usual fast moving plot and various plot tangents and red herrings. Maybe we have seen it all before (many times) but it is still a good film.

Nazi Agent (1942)

Although heavy on propaganda and message, this is a good early wartime spy drama.

Otto (Conrad Veidt) is a respected book seller, and an emigre from the Nazi Germany he despies. However, his twin brother is very much on brand with the regime, indeed he has also come over to the USA but he is setting up a spy ring! He forces Otto to become part of his network but in a struggle Otto is forced to kill his brother. 

Otto takes the part of his brother, and now within the spy network begins his plan to bring it down from within. However, he also encounters fellow agent Kaaren (Anne Ayers) who has become disillusioned with the regime...

An enjoyable film with good performances and emotion leading to great sacrifice. The best part of the film though is definitely Veidt who plays twin brothers with dramatically different characters. Unfortunately this was one of his last films before his early untimely death.

Too Many Winners (1947)

The last Michael Shayne film, though he would return on the small screen in the 1960s. It would be great to say the character ended on a high but...

Michael Shayne (Hugh Beaumont) abandons his planned vacation with Phyllis (Trudy Marshall) to take on a case of counterfeit tickets at a race course. He begins to uncover a case involving murder and blackmail, with Detective Rafferty (Ralph Dunn) on his tail as usual...

This version of Shayne is not as hard boiled as the Lloyd Nolan version, this Michael Shayne is more easy going but maybe that robs this film of a little bite. The film is fast moving but a bit directionless and bland. 

The femme fatale character of Mayme (Claire Carleton) is one of the highlights of the film but she gets killed off too quickly! Not a bad film, watchable but pretty forgettable.

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

An exciting spy romp with this version of Sherlock Holmes transplanted into the Second World War.

An agent carrying secret plans across the US goes missing, feared captured by Nazi agents. Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) are sent across to the US capital to investigate. Holmes thinks the plans were hidden by the agent, but their whereabouts is unknown. Can Holmes find the Nazi agents, led by George Zucco, before it is too late?

An excellent entry in the Basil Rathbone Holmes series, Holmes using his deduction skills to find the agents despite the apparent absence of a trail (though to be honest he was lucky with the clue he did get). There is a bit of a wartime propaganda feel, but it does not interfere with a strong story.

The Caribbean Mystery (1945)

A fast moving crime romp in the swamp.

After the repeated disappearances of oil company prospectors in the swamps of an unnamed Caribbean island, private detective Smith (James Dunn) is bought in to find out what is going on. This is not to the liking of the authorities, who think the men just died of natural causes in the swamp (though we know thats not true). When people aligned with Smith start dying, and Smith himself has attempts on his life, it is clear that something big is going on, and involving buried treasure...

A decent little crime B-movie. Modest but well made and the plot moves swiftly enough to keep your attention. There are plenty of potential suspects and the film manages to keep some good surprises until the end, though the finale is a little rushed. 

An enjoyable film, though the plot is not anything out of the ordinary and indeed is pretty similar to a number of other films but still worth watching.