Comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson (best known for their wild show Hellzapoppin’) help out when the family that has taken the mansion next door to their nightclub experiences spooky goings-on. The viewer gets a taste of their zany antics, particularly in the nightclub scenes, but there’s humor aplenty while they investigate, too. Kirby Grant …
Read the full post →“<em>Ghost Catchers</em> (Universal, 1944)”
Someone is murdering people associated with the estate of a wealthy philanthropist who died in an aviation accident (or was it an accident?). The killer seems to have a skull for a head, and he uses a nifty scorpion ring to poison his victims. The dead man’s brother is convinced his sibling has returned from …
Read the full post →“<em>Im Banne des Unheimlichen</em> (1968)”
A radio mystery show writer (Ruth Terry) and her friend, the show’s Foley artist (Mary Treen), investigate after the writer promises to solve a real-life cold case on the next broadcast. She is aided in her inquiry by the detective on a competing program (Frank Albertson), but finds she may have gotten more than she …
Read the full post →“<em>Mystery Broadcast</em> (Republic, 1943)”
After a king is assassinated, Sherlock Holmes undertakes to safeguard the new monarch until he can reach the protection of his own people in Algiers. Although a flight has been arranged, Holmes instead shows up with the young man aboard the ship on which Watson was sailing. A game of move and countermove follows, as …
Read the full post →“<em>Pursuit to Algiers</em> (Universal, 1945)”
When movie star Mona Harrison (Adele Jergens) opens a packing crate from the studio, she finds more than just the fabrics she was expecting: She finds the body of the designer with whom she was fighting just the day before. Rather than calling the police, she summons enamored newspaperman Joe Medford (George Brent), who is …
Read the full post →“<em>The Corpse Came C.O.D.</em> (Columbia, 1947)”
While visiting Paris for a convention and a vacation, Dr. Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter) is drawn into the case of a mentally unstable young man who may have killed his father in an argument over the young man’s marriage. Among the oddities of the situation is the fact that the family lawyer, though no criminal …
Read the full post →“<em>The Crime Doctor’s Gamble</em> (Columbia, 1947)”
In this, the sixteenth entry in the long-running series of Mr. & Mrs. North mysteries penned by husband and wife writing team Richard and Frances Lockridge, a noted palaeontologist published by Jerry North’s firm is being harassed by means of fake ads in newspapers claiming he wishes to hire, e.g., tree surgeons, the ads resulting …
Read the full post →“<em>Dead as a Dinosaur</em>, by Frances & Richard Lockridge”
Just before his execution, a convicted killer gets ready to reveal the man who hired him, but he is struck down by a poison dart. Who committed the crime right in front of witnesses, including the assistant district attorney (Ricardo Cortez)? When a search of all present turns up no weapon, the assistant DA makes …
Read the full post →“<em>I Killed That Man</em> (Monogram, 1941)”
James Gleason gets top billing in this Hildegarde Withers movie, the fifth in RKO’s series, in which Zasu Pitts takes over the role of the spinster detective, and it’s easy to see why. His performance as Inspector Oscar Piper is polished and fun, and this time around, he’s the one who brings the investigation to …
Read the full post →“<em>The Plot Thickens</em> (RKO, 1936)”
Inspector Trent (Ralph Bellamy) returns in the third of four movies in the short series, and once again, though called in ahead of time by someone worried about a possible crime, he proves unable to prevent a murder. Gail Patrick does a fine turn as the title character, though the character’s viciousness leaves ample scope …
Read the full post →“<em>The Crime of Helen Stanley</em> (Columbia, 1934)”
