The Echo Murders (1945)

A rip roaring Sexton Blake adventure, don't expect half measures!

An explosion at a mine causes the owner (Julien Mitchell) to sack the manager (Dennis Price), his daughter's (Pamela Stirling) beau. The owner is being blackmailed by his secretary. The owner is murdered, suspicion falls on the ex-manager but Sexton Blake (David Farrar) is called in to investigate. He begins to unravel a complicated plot which eventually leads to Nazi fifth columnists in their underground lair.

This isn't a subtle film but Sexton Blake adventures were very much Boy's Own adventures which were all about daring do and death defying action rather than careful investigation. There is probably a little too much adventure packed into this film, at times it is hard to follow what is going on though it all leads up to the expected final battle. It is nonsense of course but i loved it, Sexton Blake adventures were my great-grandfather's favourite so i guess it's in the blood!

The Phantom of Crestwood (1932)

An awkward mixture of common 1930s genres which somehow kind of works.

Jenny Wren (Karen Morley) gets Priam Andes (H.B. Warner) to invite three other men to his fancy coastal estate (which is very Dark House). There she reveals that she has had affairs with all four men and blackmails them all! However, soon Jenny is found dead but the culprit is a mystery. Could it be one of the four men? Could it even be Jenny's sister Esther (Anita Louise) or her fiancé?

Luckily Gary Curtis (Ricardo Cortez) is on hand to take over the investigation in lieu of the police. Who is Curtis? Well he is after some letters and has a suspect reputation but everyone seems happy to let him take over...

This film can be a bit hard going at times, the acting and dialogue at times being a bit stilted. The Dark House mystery with women's screams on cue are almost beyond parody. Of course there are some hidden passages, mysterious appearances and a big twist. There is no kitchen sink though, but everything else. Despite everything it is worth watching. Just about.

Some context may help. The film's origins was in a popular radio drama serial. This film was the only way to discover the ending of the tale!

Meet Boston Blackie (1941)

The first of fourteen Boston Blackie films made in the 1940s starring Chester Morris.

Boston Blackie (Morris), the famous former jewel thief, has arrived back in New York on the trans-Atlantic ocean liner. He tries to strike up a conversation with fellow passenger Marilyn (Constance Worth) but is rebuffed, but soon he discovers the dead body of a man who had been hassling her in his cabin! With Inspector Faraday (Richard Lane) keen to question him for some jewel thefts, Blackie gives the law the slip in order to pursue Marilyn.

He tracks her to Coney Island amusement park, amid the freak shows Marilyn is killed by some men. Boston Blackie now has to clear his name and unravel a complicated plot involving enemy agents and US Navy technology... and a man who pretends to be a robot.

The first in the series, not everything is as smooth as some of the other entries in the series, there is a bit less humour and charm by Blackie. The Runt is also played by a different actor (Charles Wagenheim). Rochelle Hudson plays Blackie's charming female assistant. This is an enjoyable B-movie crime romp though and you can see why it led to a lengthy series.

The Shadow on the Window (1957)

An excellent Noir with some tasty detective work.

Little Petey (Jerry Mathers) witnesses something terrible happen to his mother Linda (Betty Garrett) and goes into a shocked trance. He is found wandering the roads when he is picked up. Now Petey is the son of Detective Tony Atlas (Philip Carey) and he tries to work out what has happened. Unfortunately no one knows where Linda is or what she was doing. In fact she is the prisoner of a group of thugs. As Tony begins a complicated investigation, the thugs begin to fall out putting Linda into even greater danger...

This is a good crime film with rising tension and a clever police procedural plot. The only flaw is the utter dopiness of the criminals but as we have seen in many films, if criminals were clever then they would probably never get caught!

Panic on the Air (1936)

A perfectly decent crime drama involving frantic amateur detective adventures.

Radio sport commentator Jerry (Lew Ayres) becomes involved in a complicated criminal case involving a $5 bill with a code on it. This case involves a much larger sum of money and also murder! Jerry continues to investigate the case with Mary (Florence Rice) despite the annoyance of his show's sponsor, a garter company!

The criminal case is a little too complicated to make this film truly enjoyable though the speed and energy of the cast helps drive things along (though doesn't help much with following the case at times). The case itself is fairly standard though the code on the money is an interesting touch. Not a brilliant film but a perfectly decent B-movie.

The Falcon Strikes Back (1943)

The Falcon died in the previous film in the series but his brother now takes over the name and role...

An amount of war bonds are stolen. The (new) Falcon (Tom Conway), who has been employed by a mysterious woman, is framed for the theft. The Falcon manages to escape the law and seeks to clear his name. After a bit of sleuthing he heads to a hotel at a rural retreat and uncovers a nefarious plot involving stolen bonds, murder and ..er.. puppets.

This is a fine enough film with the usual romp of red herrings and antics. The Falcon is assisted by perky reporter Marcia (Jane Randolph) and his butler Jerry (Richard Loo). The film has a nicely unexpected ultimate villain.

Spaceways (1953)

This may appear at first glance to be an early 1950s science fiction film but really it is quite a good murder mystery!

Tensions are high at a top secret and high security British research base as Britain attempts to be the first to send a rocket into orbit in efforts led by Dr Mitchell (Howard Duff). However, there are other tensions too as Mitchell's wife Vanessa (Cecile Chevreau) dislikes the restricted life on base and is having an affair with Dr Crenshaw (Andrew Osborn). Vanessa and Crenshaw go missing on the day of a new rocket test, the rocket failing to reach the correct orbit for some reason.

Ministry investigator Dr Smith (Alan Wheatley) comes in looking into why the two disappeared. He knows of the affair and logically deduces that Mitchell killed the pair and then stuffed their bodies into the rocket which is now in orbit! Mitchell volunteers to pilot another rocket into space to prove his innocence but Smith has a new lead and the pair might not be dead after all...

If you wanted a 1950s science fiction film you might find this a bit limited (though there are some orbital thrills at the end) but the crime investigation part of the film is pretty good and makes the film a perfectly reasonable watch.

Boston Blackie and the Law (1946)

Boston Blackie has to clear his name and catch the real criminal (as usual).

Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) is in a woman's prison doing a magic show. One of the inmates Dinah Moran (Constance Dowling) manages to escape during one of the tricks! Blackie is of course accused of helping her escape by Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane). Boston has to prove his innocence, he thinks Dinah is after the stolen money from her crime which had never been recovered. Blackie tracks down Dinah's ex-husband (Warren Ashe) who is a magician too! Blackie takes his identity knowing that Dinah will not be far behind and maybe will lead him to the stolen money. However, Blackie has to deal with another unexpected foe too...

Another decent entry in the Boston Blackie series though the comedy antics and stupidity of Farraday and Matthews (Frank Sully) are maybe dialed up a little too high. Some nice twists and crime fighting antics, even if credibility is stretched a bit at times.

The Crime Nobody Saw (1937)

This might be one of the worst films ever made, honestly what is going on here?

Three apparently useless and very annoying playwrights (including Lew Ayres) are failing miserably at creating a new play against the clock. A drunk man gets into their apartment and promptly collapses. The playwrights find thousands of dollars on him and naturally assume he is a blackmailer. They do what anyone would do, start to use him as a character in their play. But then he is murdered...

The problem with this film is, is it a murder mystery or not? No one really seems to care about the crime, random characters instead romp about and we have a good dose of comedy (some of it isn't bad admittedly). 

Personally i like my crime taken seriously so didn't really enjoy this film, the only good thing about this film is a prominent role for a black actress in a film from this period, that being the maid Ambrosia (Hattie McDaniel).

The Trans-Atlantic Mystery (1932)

A rather baffling short crime feature, the last in the Carr & Crabtree series.

In England Miller has stolen the famous Stanhope diamonds, he takes them over to New York on an ocean liner where he plans to sell them. His partner in crime Waite (Ray Collins) double-crosses Miller and kills him, aided by the valet Dodge (Walter Kingsford). Waite then assumes Miller's identity. However, there is a woman (Betty Pierce) aboard the liner who has a grudge against Miller...

When a body is found aboard the liner in Miller's cabin, Inspector Carr (John Hamliton) and his friend Dr Crabtree (Donald Meeks) come aboard. The body is found to be neither Miller or Waite! A baffling mystery therefore, though Dr Crabtree soon unearths some clues...

There is a lot of storyline here packed into just over twenty minutes, which is all the more impressive when you consider the rather slow and ponderous pace of the film. Unfortunately due to the short length it can be confusing at times. It is a decent enough mystery though could have been a lot better.

Dangerous Lady (1941)

A sometimes confusing but pretty competent crime drama.

Private detective Dick (Neil Hamilton) and his wife Phyllis (June Storey), a lawyer, are employed to help prove the innocence of Hester (Evelyn Brent) who has been accused of murdering a judge. Some people know the truth but they are killed by the real murderer! Dick also finds himself under fire as a dangerous game for Dick and Phyllis begins...

This film is fine and has a lot to enjoy about it though is like many films of the period in that it tries to pack in two hours of plot into a film half the length. This doesn't always work that well but isn't too bad here. The film has some good interplay between the mains, some mystery and a car chase so should satisfy.

Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)

The karate cops are back, fighting crime with martial arts and huge shoulder pads.

After his friend and fellow cop dies mysteriously, Detective Thompson (Jeff Wincott) begins to investigate a criminal group based in a bar (which he quickly gets thrown out of). Fellow martial arts expert and cop Blake (Cynthia Rothrock) gets a job at the club as a bar maid. She discovers that the owner Spencer (Paul Johansson) is using sexual blackmail and deadly martial arts to enrich himself. Spencer also has police on his payroll and is about to steal a huge amount of money from under the noses of the police...

This is a fun film though very much of it's time. It is violent and cheesy and most people should have been arrested by the fashion police. Like the first film it isn't high art and doesn't have much of a plot but it is a perfectly enjoyable action film.

Star of Midnight (1935)

A complicated and at times dramatic crime mystery drama.

Tim's (Leslie Fenton) girlfriend Alice disappears mysteriously. Tim heads to New York to ask his amateur detective friend Clay (William Powell) for help. Clay and Tim go to the theatre, Tim recognises the star as Alice but she vanishes again! As Clay tries to unravel why Alice has vanishes again, a number of murders take place indicating that there is a criminal connection. Clay is helped throughout by the perky Donna (Ginger Rogers).

A complicated plot though much of Clay's amateur sleuthing seems to consist of low level bickering with Donna and moving from one sumptuous Art Deco room to the other. 

This is a great fun film though the plot can be a little hard to follow at times. Powell and Rogers work well together.

When the Clock Strikes (1961)

A tasty Noir crime drama that builds and builds.

Sam Morgan (James Brown) is driving in a storm when he meets Ellie (Merry Anders) with a broken down car. They reach a hotel owned by Cady (Henry Corden) which is near a prison where a condemned man is about to hang. Sam reveals that he thinks that it was his evidence that convinced the jury, Ellie reveals she is the condemned wife!

After the execution has taken place, Sam's guilt is dampened somewhat by Ellie's plan to discover where her now ex-husband hid his loot from his last job. Sam enters the dark and paranoid world of crime, but there are more surprises to come... especially when the real wife of the condemned turns up!

This is a highly enjoyable film that draws you in deeper and deeper as the surprises and twists and turns continue. 

The Last Crooked Mile (1946)

An interesting variation on the armed robbery story.

The Jarvis gang steal money from a bank, the gang are eventually hunted down and killed by the police but the loot is not recovered. Insurance investigator Tom (Don Red Barry) is on the case, he thinks the key to finding the cash is the getaway car which the criminals used, this is now a sideshow at a carnival! Tom discovers that Jarvis' ex-girlfriend Sheila (Ann Savage) is a singer at the very same carnival, well that must be a coincidence of course!

Tom gets involved in a dangerous game as various gangster thugs are also after the loot and are not choosy about who they have to kill first. Tom has some help from Bonnie (Adele Mara) though also seems sweet on Sheila...

This is an enjoyable film, though the idea that the getaway car would be sold by the police to a carnival while the loot was still missing does seem a bit strange. A complicated plot with a good twist.

Escape from El Diablo (1983)

A terrible film really though a useful guide at what not to do when you visit a rough bar next to a brutal Mexican prison.

A group of young Americans, tired of getting into fights they somehow win in California, instead decide to head over the border to a notorious bar. Daniel (Jimmy McNichol) and Pauli (Timothy Van Patten) arrive in town, already heading into trouble, given dire warnings by the sinister looking Patrick Mower and a fight with a prison guard. 

Despite this the two lads are happy to stay, ending up in a brawl after stealing Mower's (who turns out to be a senior guard at the prison) girlfriend. Naturally Pauli ends up stuck in prison, Daniel hunted by the guards (though at the same time as Mower is trying to extort money from him which obviously makes sense)...

Yes the film makes no sense what so ever. The sheer stupidity of the mains makes it hard to care about them. They are the kind of idiots who would fire guns at a nuclear reactor for the laughs. The early 1980s cheese factor may entertain you some what but the film can't really be recommended.

The Mystery Man (1935)

A little slow to start but this turns into an excellent little crime / newspaper man drama.

Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) is a newspaper man, and thus as this is a 1930s movie he is cocky and always wise cracking! After a drunken exchange with his editor he finds himself out of a job and on a train to St Louis with a lack of cash. There he meets Anne (Maxine Doyle) who is also very hard-up and a friendship blossoms. In need of money Larry gets a job with the local paper to try and discover the identity of the notorious criminal the Eel (LeRoy Mason)...

Larry is present when the Eel commits another crime and kills a policeman. Unfortunately for Larry, the Eel used a gun which Larry himself had pawned, and which has Larry's prints all over...

This is a fun film in the usual bright and breezy style when the story involves members of the press. Larry and Anne get into a number of dangerous scrapes, you know they will manage to escape in the end but the journey to get there is very entertaining.

White Light (1991)

Part crime drama part supernatural romance. Somehow it works.

Sean Craig (Martin Kove) is an undercover cop who has spent years embedded in the mob, finally he reveals his hand and helps bring down a mobster. Not long after Sean is gunned down. He is declared dead but somehow comes back from the brink, while "dead" he saw a young woman called Rachel (Allison Hossack) who he had never met before. 

Back in the land of the living Sean begins to search for Rachel. Could it be the case of Rachel (a missing person) has something to do with his own situation?

This is an interesting film with a good story. It is more a romance than a crime film but the balance is just about right and works quite well. 

The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)

An excellent edition in the Boston Blackie series, as he battles Nailz (probably not the former WWE wrestler).

Blackie (Chester Morris) has arranged for a number of convicts to be released into his charge so they can work on the war effort. However, if any of the convicts re-offends then everyone returns to gaol. Dooley (Erik Rolf) immediately goes missing. He retrieves the loot he had hidden from his crime, but he plans to return it to the authorities. Unfortunately, the gangster Nailz (Douglas Fowley) is after the loot for himself and frames Dooley for murder. 

With Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) circling, hoping to finally arrest Blackie, Boston Blackie and the Runt (George E Stone) must clear Dooley, retrieve the loot and capture Nailz. Many shenanigans including a scene in a dumb waiter and a bit of cross dressing ensues...

A good film that packs a lot of storyline into a modest running time. It may be a little confusing at times, and Blackie's decisions sometimes are rather strange, but an enjoyable film.

240-Robert (1979)

A feature length pilot for a series about the Los Angeles rescue team (which ran for two seasons).

Deputies Trap (John Perry) and Thib (Mark Harmon) work with the LA sheriff department's rescue team of highly skilled officers who can rescue people underwater, down mountains, perform emergency medical treatment and even arrest people! 

A new helicopter pilot (Joanna Cassidy) joins the team, Trap doesn't seem to like her because she's a girl (and apparently an ex). However, she proves herself and earns Trap's respect by the end of the film, and they all go home happily for tea.

It is all pretty predictable, but well made and enjoyable. We see a series of rescues which do not have much in the way of suspense and tension until the final act when the team are called upon to rescue two people who crashed their car down some cliffs. There isn't a great deal of back story for the characters, the film concentrating on their professionalism and skills instead of any dark secrets or hidden demons they may have. That is fine with me to be honest!