Modern-day western with reporter Speed Morgan (Rex Bell) after gangsters who’ve headed west after a diamond shipment. Serviceable but unmemorable. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 247 for 2021.
Dangerous Millions (Twentieth Century Fox, 1946)
Heirs of a shipping magnate are summoned to Shanghai with the prospect of splitting the old man’s fortune, but they’ll face some challenges along the way, including being abducted by the magnate’s erstwhile partner, who wants a share himself. Twists keep this one fairly interesting, and Kent Taylor does fine as the lead. Mildly recommended. …
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One Mysterious Night (Columbia, 1944)
In a change of pace for the Boston Blackie series, this time around Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) expressly recruits Blackie (Chester Morris) to help recover the missing Blue Star of the Nile gemstone, which crooks have lifted despite police protection. The usual fun ensues, with the crime-fighting mixed with comedy. Janis Carter has a good …
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Murders in the Zoo (Paramount, 1933)
A jealous husband (Lionel Atwill) who captures wild animals for a zoo makes use of the creatures to punish his wife’s lover and others…can he be stopped? Atmospheric thriller with a creepy opening and a suitably menacing villain, with Charlie Ruggles on hand to provide comic relief as the zoo’s new public relations man. Recommended. …
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Amateur Crook (Victory, 1937)
Merry mix-ups as a daughter (Joan Barclay) tries to keep crooks from stealing a diamond pledged by her father for a loan. She is hampered and aided by an artist (Herman Brix, better known as Bruce Bennett) who thinks that she is a crook herself. There’s not a lot here, but the leads are personable …
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The Adventures of P.C. 49: Investigating the Case of the Guardian Angel (Hammer / Exclusive, 1949)
An earnest young police constable (Hugh Latimer) goes undercover to try to track down and capture a gang of violent thieves targeting trucks. He’s helped by his fiancée, Joan (Patricia Cutts), who proves able to hold her own in the investigation … but what will happen when the mysterious leader of the gang learns they’re …
City of Missing Girls (1941)
Low-budget crime drama centers on a talent school that is a front for more nefarious activities, perhaps including responsibility for the disappearance of several young women, and the efforts of the police, led by Captain McVeigh (H. B. Warner), an assistant district attorney (John Archer), and a crusading reporter (Astrid Allwyn) to put an end …
Catacombs (1965)
In Catacombs (aka The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die), the husband of a wealthy and domineering wife becomes enamored of her grown-up niece, newly returned from school in Paris, and he eventually plots his wife’s demise, encouraged by a partner, his wife’s secretary. The deed is done ahead of schedule, however, upsetting their original plans. Moreover, …
Il ladro della Gioconda (1966)
A dashing and clever young man (George Chakiris) gets a job as a framer’s apprentice as part of a scheme to steal the Mona Lisa. Along the way, he finds romance with a money-hungry young woman (Marina Vlady) who regretfully opts to join another man’s magic act. Events culminate in an extended, and amusing, chase …
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Nightmare in New York, by Don Pendleton
The seventh installment in Mack Bolan’s war against the Mafia finds the Executioner returning stateside after his devastating dealings with the Mob in London. He barely escapes the trap set for him at the airport and only does so through the assistance of folks unconnected with the battles … though soon they will be heavily …
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