Wednesday, June 12, 2024

The Jury's Secret (1938)

An enjoyable courtroom drama with a good twist.


After a deadly flood, the local top businessman (Samuel S Hinds) is accused of profiting on people's sorrows by his reluctant employee Walter Russell (Kent Taylor) who is threatened with being ruined if he tries to quit. Russell kills the businessman and escapes town. However, local agitator Bill Sheldon (Larry J Blake) ends up being accused of the murder and Russell returns to town. 

He meets his old flame reporter Linda Ware (Fay Wray) but then before he can elope with her he is called into jury service for Sheldon's murder trial. Wracked with guilt Russell must ensure Sheldon isn't found guilty...

A good courtroom drama, we know who the real culprit is and it is interesting to see his conflict as he tries to save Sheldon without putting himself at risk! The somewhat cynical look at small town law and justice is also entertaining.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Tobor the Great (1954)

A large robot foils enemy spies, terrific 1950s science-fiction fun!

Professor Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes) and Dr Harrison (Charles Drake) develop a robot to pilot the first rocket into space so they can find out if it's safe for mankind. The large robot can read human minds and enthrals Nordstrom's grandson Brian (Billy Chaplin). 

Unfortunately, enemy agents want the secrets of the robot, which Nordstrom has called Tobor (that is robot backwards). They kidnap Nordstrom and Brian and, in a rather brutal scene for movies of the period, threaten Brian's tender flesh with a blow torch! Luckily Tobor is on the way...

Although it does come with a large side helping of cheese, this is a great little 1950s science-fiction film. Tobor looks suitably ridiculous and the film is not overly padded out with stock footage as some of the genre suffered from.

Monday, June 10, 2024

The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date (1940)

The Lone Wolf in action again, with a somewhat overly complicated plot.

The Lone Wolf Michael Lanyard (Warren William) is in Cuba buying rare stamps. He encounters Patricia Lawrence (Frances Robinson) who needs help, which the Lone Wolf agrees to give of course! 

Patricia's brother has been kidnapped by a criminal gang, though the gang steal the Lone Wolf's stamp album thinking it is the money! The Lone Wolf begins to hunt down the gang, but of course the police are trying to hunt him down instead!

The film has a complicated plot, like so many B-movies about three movies' worth of storyline is squeezed into one! The light hearted feel to the film with plenty of banter between the Lone Wolf and his butler Jamison (Eric Blore) keeps things moving at a good pace and adds to the high entertainment value.

Friday, June 7, 2024

The Circus Show-Up (1932)

The Phantom (Frank Readick), an early DC character, narrates another short crime drama.


A circus trapeze artist (Polly Ann Young) is preparing to perform her highly dangerous triple somersault in the big top. However, someone flips the light switch at the most dangerous moment, she falls to her death. The circus manager (Paul Nicholson) quickly works out who flipped the switch, even though two other people admit to it.

While other entries in this series were well formed little crime dramas, this film is pretty poor unfortunately. So much is unexplained and makes little sense.

Thursday, June 6, 2024

The Return of Boston Blackie (1927)

Before the highly successful Chester Morris series of Boston Blackie films in the 1940s there were a number of other adaptations of the character in the silent movie era, this was the last "silent" Boston Blackie film before the series returned with sound in the 1940s.

Boston Blackie (Raymond Glenn) has just spent two years in jail, He makes a vow to go straight but ends up involved with Sylvia (Corliss Palmer) who has stolen a necklace from a dancer. 

It turns out the jewels belong to Sylvia's father (who was having a bit on the side with the dancer). Blackie agrees to break into the father's safe to put the jewel's back.

The star of the film though is Blackie's dog Strongheart who gets top billing! The film is fine enough, nothing at all like the later talkies. A pleasant if not exceptional watch.