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.

The Third Visitor (1951)

A nice little, if sometimes a bit static, murder mystery.

After Richard Carling (Karel Stepanek) is found dead in his fancy house, Inspector Mallory (Guy Middleton) begins his investigation. There are a number of suspects as Carling was visited by a few people that night, but who was the last person to see him alive. And what is the dark secret behind who Carling really is?

The film can be a bit confusing at times, and also can get bogged down now and then. The story is good though and rewards the viewer's patience at some of the meandering early on as the dark secrets are gradually revealed. Everything comes together in the final act.

Some good performances, especially from Sonia Dresdel, add to the richness of the film. Not perfect but worth watching.

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)

A great example of the bank robbery film, maybe the ultimate attempted heist!

It is 1901 and the IRA needs money, so they decide the best way is to steal the British gold reserves held in the vault of the Bank of England! They employ Irish-American Norgate (Aldo Ray) to plan and carry out this audacious plan. 

Norgate befriends the captain of the guard at the bank Fitch (Peter O'Toole) to gain access (luckily Fitch is rather naive) to the bank and begins to formulate a plan to access disused drain tunnels under London and then break into the vault from underneath!

Although not an overly thrilling film, without that much action apart from the final act, it is very interesting film to watch. The gathering of information and forming the plan is very well portrayed and thought out.

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.

A Tattered Web (1971)

A superb TV movie about a good cop's downfall.

Detective Ed Stagg (Lloyd Bridges) dotes on his daughter Tina (Sallie Shockley), and is perturbed when he catches his son-in-law Steve (Frank Converse) messing about with a floozy.

Stagg goes to warn the woman Louise (Anne Helm) off but a fight ensues and he accidentally kills her. Stagg is now desperate to cover things up and not just to protect himself but also Tina as he knows Steve, whom Tina loves deeply, is a prime suspect. How far is he prepared to go?

Quite far indeed, and this is a very enjoyable film with some great performances especially by Bridges. Stagg's downfall from trusted veteran cop is swift and continuous as he tries to make things right, but continually makes it worse. One thing which more could have been made of was the dark past which had given Stagg his demons, it seems a bit bolted on too far into the story to have much impact.

Special Inspector (1938)

An inoffensive quota quickie, though unfortunately a lot of it takes place in the dark.

Someone is hijacking Canadian trucks carrying furs and selling the loot down in the US. US Agent Tom Evans (Charles Quigley) goes undercover as a driver and is soon the victim of another robbery, though somehow Patricia (Rita Hayworth) is involved - but on whose side? 

Tom continues undercover though when his identity is unveiled he, and Patricia, are in big trouble with the mob...

A reasonable film that plods along though not without much purpose or that much excitement. It isn't helped by a lot of the scenes taking place at night and indifferently lit. 

The film is not bad but not much more.

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.

The Voice of the City (1929)

An uneven early talkie.

Convicted cop killer Bobby Doyle (Robert Ames) escapes prison and goes on the run. He protests that he was framed by the mob. He was helped by Johnny (Clark Marshall) and is hidden by his girlfriend (Sylvia Field) and sister (Duane Thompson) Detective Myers (Willard Mack) is tasked with catching Bobby and putting him back in the nick...

Not a bad film with some enjoyable scenes, though the film is also padded out with some awkward extended dialogues scenes and the staging is pretty static most of the time. Some of the actors also struggle a bit with the change from silent movie style movement and physical emoting to dialogue, but that is the fun of transitional films.

One interesting thing to note is that this was the film Al Capone was watching when he was arrested in Philadelphia in 1929!

Trapped by Boston Blackie (1948)

Another bright and breezy Boston Blackie entry, though padded out a bit.

After a private investigator friend dies in a car crash, Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) and The Runt (George E Stone) help out his widow to provide discreet protection of valuables at a fancy costume party (which gives Blackie yet another opportunity to don a disguise, though unfortunately he decides to black up!) 

Of course, valuable pearls are stolen at the party and Boston Blackie gets the blame when Farraday (Richard Lane) turns up to investigate... On the run, Blackie and the Runt seek to discover the real thief, and of course there are a number of suspects.

A fine entry in the series, the penultimate film. Boston Blackie's ability to disguise himself is bought to the fore here, though how good these disguises are is another question though they certainly seems to fool everyone he meets! By now though we have seen the Boston Blackie set-up sufficient times that everything is a little too familiar but this is still an enjoyable film.

Homicide Bureau (1939)

An enjoyable police drama, though one with a bit of a missed opportunity.

Crime is out of control in the city, but the police are held back by the annoying fact they need to obey the law. Detective Jim Logan (Bruce Cabot) is tasked to investigate a murder which is mixed up with the scrap metal trade. Jim is foiled by the pesky need to get actual evidence, especially after the mob set him up for humiliation with fake evidence which is shown up by the new forensic scientist Bliss (Rita Hayworth). Under a cloud, Jim continues his investigation unofficially...

This is a good example of a 1930s crime B-movie. A complicated and involving plot is packed into a short film with some good performances and a good action set piece to finish proceedings. The one drawback is the fact Rita Hayworth is not used that much in the film, and lacks much in the way of chemistry with Bruce Cabot. However, that does not ruin the enjoyment too much.

Motor Patrol (1950)

A tale of motorcycle cops in Los Angeles. 

Motorbike cop Larry (William Henry) is killed while investigating a hit-and-run murder case, which may have been deliberate. Trainee cop Ken (Don Castle), who is engaged to Larry's sister, goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of car thieves in the city...

A reasonable, competent if not overly exciting crime B-movie. There is nothing much wrong with this film though it does lack a bit of a bite. Sid Melton provides a bit of comic relief which helps the film become a little too worthy for it's own good.

Exposed (1947)

An uneven but still enjoyable crime B-movie.

Private investigator Belinda (Adele Mara) is hired by a businessman to check on his step-son (Mark Roberts) who is acting suspiciously including making a number of large money withdrawals. 

However, when Belinda arrives at the businessman's home she finds the businessman dead! Belinda begins to investigate the case, much to the annoyance of her police inspector Dad (Robert Armstrong)!

This is not a bad film though maybe a bit generic. A lot of plot is squeezed in as well as plenty of suspects and red herrings. The leads do not have much chemistry together though and Belinda herself can be a bit too annoying at times. Still, this is a decent watch.

Suddenly! (1954)

The highest of stakes as a sleepy small town becomes the scene of a planned assassination of the President of the United States!

Not a lot happens in Suddenly but all that changes when the President is due to leave his train there. Federal agents swarm over the place including one team which goes to a house overlooking the railway station owned by former agent Pop Benson (James Gleason) and his daughter Ellen (Nancy Gates). 

However, the team led by Baron (Frank Sinatra) are not federal agents after all but assassins who want to use the house to commit their crime!

This is a great film, tense and gripping as the ruthless and brutal Baron will stop at nothing to commit their mission, being willing to hurt or even kill anyone, men, women and children! 

Strange People (1933)

The premise of this murder mystery is good but unfortunately the execution lets it down.

Twelve people turn up at a dark house on a stormy night one by one, let in by a butler (who has tied up the real one!) We discover that these twelve people know each other, they were the jurors on a trial which apparently sent an innocent man to the gallows. They have been gathered together by Hale Hamilton to demonstrate how someone can be wrongly convicted on circumstantial evidence, a murder is staged but is everything actually fake?

The idea of this film is good but it can be a hard going watch at times. Most of the characters have less dimensions than a piece of string and the dialogue is pretty weak at times. However, this does have all the tropes of a Golden Age dark house mystery including hidden passages and female screams on cue! Not the worst film but it could have been a lot better.

One of My Wives is Missing (1976)

A highly enjoyable TV movie with a delicious twist.

Newly wed Daniel Corban's (James Franciscus) wife has gone missing, the local cop Inspector Levine (Jack Klugman) isn't that interested at what he thinks is just a lover's tiff. 

Then Corban's wife turns up... but Corban says it isn't her! This Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ashley) seems genuine though, she knows the answers to all the questions but Corban is insistent it isn't her. There is something darker going on but maybe not quite what you may expect...

This is a terrific film with a very surprising twist. When you think back at earlier events in the film, the twist just about remains plausible. A well-paced drama, with a great cast, that has layer upon layer. 

Invisible Avenger (1958)

The Shadow returns, and this time he can become invisible again...

The Shadow, Lamont Cranston (Richard Derr) goes to New Orleans to investigate the death of a jazz man. Somehow, the death is mixed up with a Latin American country's exiled leader and a possible revolution. To combat the bad guys, The Shadow can make himself invisible (though the effect is somewhat ruined by the evil laughter he has to do at the same time for some reason) and control men's minds...

This actually was the pilot for a TV series about The Shadow who last appeared in films in the 1940s (though without any special powers). The pilot wasn't taken up so it was turned into a rather uneven film. 

It is a decent enough B movie, well paced and with plenty of action, the story delving more into the mystic than earlier films where The Shadow was basically a bloke with a hat! Mark Daniels plays Cranston's spiritual guide Jogendra.

Fear in the Night (1946)

A modest but thrilling psychological thriller with a Noir edge.

Vince (DeForest Kelley in his first film role) wakes from a horrible dream where he killed someone. However, he doesn't think it was a dream when traces of blood are found on his clothes and he also had a strange key, which he thinks it to a cupboard he put the body! Vince is highly troubled by it all and goes to his police detective brother-in-law Cliff (Paul Kelly) for help. When they find the house which Vince saw in his dream and discover there was a murder that took place there a few days ago it looks like Vince is in a jam but what really happened?

This is a superb film, often quite dark and chilling. As the story progresses it does look Vince may be doomed though an unexpected twist later on leads to something even darker going on.

Get Christie Love! (1974)

A sassy cop drama with a blaxploitation feel which led to a TV series.

Christie Love (Teresa Graves) is a copy sent undercover to find the evidence to break up a drug gang led by Paul Stevens. According to intelligence, the crime boss' squeeze Helena (Louise Sorel) knows where the ledger is to provide the needed evidence. Christie discovers though that Helena with her photographic memory is the ledger. She finds a way to get Helena to play ball by tracking down her long-lost son...

This is an enjoyable film with some good early 1970s soul and cool. Being a TV movie it is pretty restrained compared to the usual blaxploitation film but this helps with some intelligence in the plot which means Christie does some good detective work in the film instead of just beating people up with her dubious martial arts skills (though there is still some of that!) 

A good watch.

Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939)

A fun Mr Moto adventure where he unlocks a complicated crime plot with the help of a professional wrestler.

Mr Moto (Peter Lorre) heads to Puerto Rico to uncover a diamond smuggling gang, on the way he befriends a pro wrestler Twister (Warren Hymer) who ends up assisting Moto. 

Someone high up on the island is behind the diamond smuggling plot and tries to get rid of Moto even more he can begin his investigation. Moto disguises himself as a Japanese criminal in order to try and infiltrate the gang and uncover the mastermind...

A good crime B-move with the usual fast moving action, well structured plot and red herrings. Interestingly, this was originally to be a Charlie Chan film set in Trinidad but changed to become a Moto story after the death of Warner Oland.

The Silent Passenger (1935)

An enjoyable crime drama with some heavy use of the London North Eastern Railway.

Blackmailer Windermere (Leslie Perrins) is murdered by one of his enemies Camberley (Donald Wolfit) and stuffed into a trunk. Also looking for Windermere is Ryder (John Loder) who wants to stop his wife Mollie (Lilian Oldland) running off with Windermere! However, when he confronts "Windermere" whom he has never met he instead tangles with Camberley. 

Later on, the trunk and the body inside is discovered and Ryder is accused of murder, Camberley having framed him. Amateur detective Lord Peter Whimsey (Peter Haddon) is on hand to try and sort things out...

The film is mostly formulaic though has decent performances, including Haddon who plays Whimsey slightly irrelevantly. The final show down at a railway depot provides just enough peril to bring the film to a satisfying end.