Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941)

A silly but very watchable comedy, billed as the first ever feature length comedy with an all-black cast.

Jones (Mantan Moreland) and Wallingford (F.E. Miller) are in gaol. Wallingford discovers from the newspaper that Jones may have inherited a hotel from his uncle. Jones begins to dream... and the hotel in his dream is rather odd. The guests include a man who keeps turning invisible, a magician, a man with a detachable head and a gorilla! 

Meanwhile, the mortgage owner of the hotel wants to get rid of Jones and Wallingford so he can search for the uncle's fortune which is hidden in the building somewhere...

This is a film packed full of gags, many don't work or fall fairly flat but it doesn't matter because another joke will be around in a few seconds! It is frantic and energetic and great fun.

Sign of the Wolf (1941)

A surprisingly enjoyable film about some very clever dogs and rather unscrupulous humans.

Judy (Grace Bradley) has two performing Alsatian dogs (Smokey and [Grey] Shadow). When the two dogs fight at a dog show, causing her to miss out on a prize she decides to sell Shadow much to the dismay of Ben (Mantan Moreland). He smuggles Shadow aboard the flight back to Canada. The plane crashes in bad weather. Shadow manages to bring help to Judy and Ben in the shape of Rod (Michael Whalen). 

However, where has Smoky gone? Unfortunately, Smoky has been grabbed by two thieves who want to use the dog to steal fox fur pelts...

This is a fun little film with some good heroic dog action and a growing romance in the snow bound Canadian woods. Low budget doesn't have to mean low quality (or vice versa) after all.

The Black Raven (1943)

A dark house mystery with a difference.

The Black Raven (George Zucco) - not his real name but the name he is known by due to his criminal activities - owns a hotel on the Canadian border. A number of people wanting to cross the border for various illegal reasons get trapped by a storm and a broken bridge and end up in the hotel. The people include an escaped convict (I Stanford Jolly), a man who robbed a bank (Horace Weatherby), a crime boss on the run and an eloped couple. The latter are rumbled when the girl's father, an important man, turns up.

When the father (Robert Middlemass) is found murdered, suspicion falls on the future son-in-law (Robert Livingstone) though the Black Raven turns out to be a criminal with a heart of gold and wants to prove the young man's innocence. When the stolen bank loot goes missing and the crime boss (Noel Madison) also ends up dead then the Sheriff (Charles Middleton) has a real mystery on his hands...

A fun if sometimes confusing film. The setting up takes ages with probably a few too many characters and the action takes place largely in the dark with various bumps and scrapes. Despite the heavy number of characters they all have time to establish themselves and the elaborate story makes sense in the end. It is what you would call a romp.

You're Out of Luck (1941)

The Darro-Moreland double act is back in this tale of gambling and elevators.

Frankie Darro and Jeff (Mantan Moreland) are working at an apartment block as elevator operator and janitor respectively. When they witness a murder in the car park they get involved thanks to Frankie's older brother Tom (Richard Bond) being the detective on the case. However, when the investigation falls into chaos poor Tom ends up back in uniform. Frankie (with Jeff dragged along rather unwillingly) decides to try and solve the case himself, which involves putting themselves into danger in the city's seedy gambling scene...

An enjoyable film with the usual good banter and chemistry from Darro and Moreland. The humour isn't as overt as in some of their films but the mystery is well written. The low budget doesn't detract too much. Kay Sutton plays the agreeable heroine.

Spy Smasher (Serial) (1942)

Spy Smasher battles a Nazi spy in this wartime action serial adaptation of a comic book character.

Alan Armstrong (Kane Richmond) has a costumed alter-ego known as Spy Smasher, he is well named indeed as his job is to battle Nazi spies who have come across to America to cause mayhem. 

The spies are led by The Mask (Hans Schumm) who uses a U-boat as his secret base and puts Spy Smasher in peril by the end of every episode, check out next week to see how he escapes!

This is one of the better action serials with some good perils and good use of stock footage.

Mystery in Swing (1940)

A somewhat confusing crime race movie, though has some good music in it.

Prince Ellis (Robert Webb), a band leader and trumpeter, is killed. When the police begin to investigate the case they find there is no shortage of suspects as Ellis seemed to be hated by nearly everyone! This includes his ex-wife and the father of Ellis' new squeeze Mae (Tommie Moore). Reporter Biff (Monte Hawley) also helps the detective with the confusing case...

The film is typical of race movies (black only cast and crew) in being pretty low budget and roughly made at times. The story is a bit confusing though has a pretty good and innovative way to discover and unmask the killer. But if you can't follow the story just enjoy some good blues, jazz and swing music. Highly enjoyable.

Omoo-Omoo, the Shark God (1949)

A remarkably cheap film about a Pacific Islander curse and the eyes of a god.

Sea captain Guy (Trevor Bardette) has stolen a couple of pearls from a South Sea Island people, the pearls being the eyes of their Shark God. Guy is cursed with a tabu and is sent into near madness and bad health. He is forced to return to the island. However, he still won't tell the Chief (Pedro de Cordoba) where the pearls/eyes are. Guy's crew include some disreputable members who fancy the pearls for themselves...

A fairly dreary film, short in length though padded out with plenty of stock footage (including an underwater life scene which seems to go on for ages). The story is thin, the sets basic and the acting either non-existent or awkward. Not really a lot of jungle fun.

The Missing Lady (1946)

One of a short movie series featuring the masked crime fighter, The Shadow, not that he is in costume very much.

Lamont Cranston (Kane Richmond) a.k.a. The Shadow is looking for a missing jade statuette. His investigations lead him into sleazy bars, a doss house and then into a murder scene in his own apartment block! Lamont finds himself accused of the murder though he gets off after outwitting Police Inspector Cardona (James Flavin) - to be honest a piece of cheese could probably do that.

Lamont and his assistant Shrevvie (George Chandler) investigate a complicated plot which the local hoodlum (Jack Overman), his gal (Claire Carleton) and a glamorous model (Jo-Carroll Dennison) seem to be involved in... 

It is all fine B-movie detective work and can be a bit Noir-ish at times, what does detract from the movie a bit though is the repetitive humour such as Cardona's stupidity and Lamont's and Shrevvie's jealous girlfriends (Barbara Reed and Jennie Delaney) getting involved to various degrees of non-assistance. 

Arizona Stage Coach (1942)

Another in the long-running Range Busters series, with the usual B-movie shenanigans. 

The Range Busters (Ray Corrigan, Dusty King and Max Terhune) are hanging out on their new ranch when they are visited by their friend Larry (Forrest Taylor) and his niece Dorrie (Nell O'Day). A gang of outlaws are menacing Larry's town. To make matters worse Dorrie's brother (Riley Hill) has been framed as being the outlaw where really it is Laughlin (Stanley Price) who is using Larry's ranch as cover for his banditry...

Its up to the Range Busters, assisted by the slightly sinister puppet Elmer, to save the day of course though plans do not go smoothly as usual. Nothing too out of the ordinary but this is a perfectly fine B-movie Western.

Brand of the Devil (1944)

A perfectly reasonable Western, familiar themes but well done.

Three Texas rangers Tex (Dave O'Brian), Jim (Jane Newill) and Panhandle (Guy Wilkerson) are hunting for the Devil's Brand gang of rustlers led by Varno (I Stanford Jolley). Molly (Ellen Hall) meanwhile has her horses and cattle stolen by the gang, though the Rangers are in disguise do not seem to be any help...

The film begins rather cliched with a fight in a bar but soon develops into something a little better (though still pretty familiar). An enjoyable film that has decent (if not much more) performances. The film is somewhat strange at times, like many Westerns it includes a few songs including one sung by a character tied up!

Up in the Air (1940)

A tale of murder and mystery on the wireless.

Frankie (Frankie Darro) is a page boy in a swanky radio station building. He pretends to be a big shot though to impress new receptionist Anne (Marjorie Reynolds) and try and get her a spot on air (she does have a very pleasing singing voice). He is also trying to master his comedy act with the janitor Jeff (Mantan Moreland).

However, the station's big star Rita (Lorna Grey) is shot dead during a rehearsal. Soon a singing cowboy called Tex (Gordon Jones) is also killed. How are they linked and how is Anne mixed up in it? Frankie of course wants to find out, dragging a reluctant Jeff along with him...

One of a series of films starring Darro and Moreland who worked very well together. It is a bright and breezy drama with plenty of comedy thrown in. Highly entertaining if not exactly a deep or original mystery.

Drums of the Desert (1940)

An enjoyable war film, including Mantan Moreland in a serious role for a change.

Paul Dumont (Ralph Byrd) is an officer in the French Foreign Legion heading out to his new appointment in north Africa. He meets Helene (Lorna Gray) on the boat and falls in love, however when they reach port she disappears. But when he reaches his new posting he discovers Helene is already there and is engaged to marry his commanding officer Captain Brideaux (George Lynn)!

Meanwhile, Abdullah (Willy Castello) plans revenge on the Legion after his brother is killed. Dumont and Helene soon find themselves caught up in a deadly crossfire...

Although the romantic part of the film can be a bit overly dramatic at times, the film is given depth by the military scenes. Mantan Moreland plays a Legion NCO and does really well in a non-comedic role.

The Gang's All Here (1941)

Someone is targeting a logistics company's trucks. Two friends take a job driving those trucks unaware they are being put in danger.

Frankie (Frankie Darro) and Jeff (Mantan Moreland) take on the job with Pop's (Robert Homans) company. after being hired by the mechanic Chick (Jackie Moran) and Pop's daughter Patsy (Marcia Mae Jones). Frankie and Jeff manage to escape the first attempt to run them off the road but on the second attempt they are not so lucky and end up prisoners of the gang. Meanwhile, Lee (Keye Luke) is an agent for the insurance company investigating quite why Pop is sending so many claims. He discovers a plot hatched with insurance broker Saunders (Irving Mitchell) to defraud the company...

This is a fun film with a good cast which gels very well. The story is packed into a short film (as is usual with a B movie) but the fast pace and generally light feel and tone make this a highly enjoyable little film. Though with Luke and Moreland involved in the film you do half expect a certain well known Chinese detective to make an appearance!

Phantom Killer (1943)

A superb crime mystery with plenty of suspense.

When an industrialist is murdered, there is a prime suspect seen and heard at the crime scene by the janitor (Mantan Moreland). However, the fingering of philanthropist Harrison (John Hamilton) has a snag: he is deaf and dumb and was also seen at a society event at the same time. Assistant DA Clark (Dick Purcell) is convinced Harrison is the man though, especially when other murders occur. But how does he do it? Finding out could spell danger for Clark's reporter girlfriend Barbara (Joan Woodbury)... 

Well if you have seen enough crime stories you'll have a good idea how someone can appear in be in two places at once. This is an excellent crime film with plenty of suspense and danger. Low budget doesn't have to been low thrills after all.

The story is largely a remake of the 1930s film The Sphinx.

Freckles Comes Home (1942)

Played light, this is an enjoyable crime drama that doesn't take itself very seriously.

Freckles (Johnny Downs) has returned to his small town from college, unbeknownst to him the guy (Walter Sande) sat next to him on the bus and who he persuaded to also stay in town is a gangster called Dolan on the run! Freckles discovers that his father (Irving Mitchell) has financial troubles but is too proud to end his feud with the town banker (John Ince) to enable a new road to be built to boost the town's (and Freckles' family's fortunes).

Dolan offers to help Freckles by bringing in his financier friend (Bradley Page). However, this friend Quigley is really here to plan how to rob the bank! Meanwhile, the family servant Jeff (Mantan Moreland) has a scam involving a machine that can apparently detect gold and he tries to trick Quigley's chauffeur Roxbury B Brown the Third (Laurence Criner)! While all this is going on can the romance between Freckles and old flame Jane (Gale Storm) blossom?

An enjoyable film with plenty of storyline packed in (maybe a little too much to be honest). The film can be a little confusing at times with so many plot elements clashing, some of the characters are also a bit one dimensional. It's well worth a watch though, the comedy scenes with Moreland and Criner are superb.

Crime Smasher (1943)

Fast moving comedy crime fighting antics.

Cosmo Jones (Frank Graham) has done a correspondence course in criminology and now he thinks the police will find his expertise invaluable, the head of the police Murphy (Edgar Kennedy) does not seem very keen though! Meanwhile, socialite Phyllis Blake (Gwen Kenyon) is hanging out with a gang leader but a rival gang kidnap her. Can Cosmo Jones save the woman before he annoys Murphy too much and gets arrested himself?

A fun film with Mantan Moreland helping out with the comedy. The film moves along fairly swiftly and has an enjoyable if not overly taxing story. 

Cosmo Jones was a popular radio character (also portrayed by Frank Graham) and it's likely a long-running movie series was hoped starring this quirky character, but as it turned out only this film was made.

Charlie Chan in Panama (1940)

One of the best Charlie Chan films as he uncovers an enemy plot to sabotage the Panama Canal...

Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is working undercover in Panama (selling hats of course). When a group of travellers arrive in town, one of them visits Charlie (his contact) but dies soon after, poisoned by his own cigarettes. Charlie and Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) investigate the other travellers, one of whom is thought to be a mysterious foreign agent and who plans to attack the Panama Canal while a US Navy fleet is sailing through it...

This is a great film that keeps you guessing until the end (though seasoned watchers / readers of whodunnits from this period will probably guess who the agent is!) The high stakes (the world was at war, though America was not yet involved but probably knew they would soon), intricate plot and good performances (including by Jack La Rue, who always plays a good villain) make this a highly enjoyable film.

Gang War (1940)

A low budget "race movie" starring, made by and aimed at black Americans, and a fast moving snappy crime tale.

Killer Meade (Ralph Cooper) takes over a Harlem gang and then enters a war with a rival gang leader (Laurence Criner). Meanwhile, he is wooing Maizie (Gladys Snyder) though she is engaged to another man. Maizie doesn't want Killer to end up... er... killed. When Killer goes to finally finish off his rival, Maizie calls Lieutenant Holmes (Jess Lee Brooks). Killer ain't going to be taken alive though...

A breezy and cool film, much of the plot is detailed via newspaper front pages displayed in the screen. This gives more of the limited run time to more interesting things like shooting, and a lengthy scene at the club with various acts. The film is exciting though suffers at times from the low budget and limited acting abilities of some of the cast, though not the leads who all do a decent job. In fact this is a surprisingly good film.

The Panther's Claw (1942)

An excellent crime drama that makes heavy use of red herrings.

Wig maker Digberry (Byron Foulger) is arrested acting suspiciously by a graveyard. He claims he is the victim not the crime and he was paying a blackmailer called the Panther. However, the police in the form of Commissioner Colt (Sidney Blackmer) soon unravel the blackmail plot and find it was fake, set up by Digberry himself to cover the use of money for another reason...

Then opera singer Nina (Gerta Rozan) is found dead and the evidence points to Digberry. The DA (Herbert Rawlinson) wants Digberry arrested by Colt, but the Commissioner isn't so sure...

A great crime drama with some solid police detective work, including typewriter forensic analysis which i particularly enjoyed. Everything points to Digberry but it is fairly obvious that that would be too easy, the question is just who is the real culprit and this film very cleverly shows us. Not many films have the creator and owner of a wig as a vital plot point.

Hold That Woman! (1940)

The complicated life of the repo man, especially when he gets involved in a criminal plot.

Jimmy (James Dunn) is a skip tracer or repo man who is told he needs to get results or he will be looking for alternative employment. This is an annoyance as he wants to marry his sweetheart Mary (Frances Gifford). He combines a date with Mary with repossessing a radio from Lulu (Lita La Roy), unbeknownst to Jimmy Lulu is involved in a crime to steal jewellery from a movie star and has stashed the gems in the radio!

Jimmy's attempts to get the radio result in he and Mary spending the night in jail, however he is undaunted though unaware of the plot surrounding Lulu and the gems. When he finally does get them he finds himself in a car chase and shoot out with the gangster Steve (George Douglas)...

A great little film, a nicely involving story and some decent comedy moments but kept straight enough to take the crime element seriously. Great performances mean this film is well worth your time.