This Gothic-styled giallo, originally titled La morte negli occhi del gatto, features a series of killings around a visit by a young woman (Jane Birkin) to her weird family. It’s reasonably engaging, despite some tedious elements (a rebellious cousin, for example) and some oddities (e.g., the cousin has a gorilla). The titular cat is indeed …
Read the full post →“<em>Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eyes</em> (1973)”
Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) is present, albeit in disguise, at the discovery of the crown of the Queen of Sheba, and he later exerts himself to thwart the many crooks — including the master criminal called Metaxa, whose identity is unknown — who wish to steal the crown from the museum where it has been …
Read the full post →“<em>Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)”
A killer stalks the heirs of an eccentric man who requires them to stay for a week together at his mansion in order to inherit — and their greed proves fatal for some, as the titular scarf makes its appearance in the hands of a murderer. This is a pleasing if rather unoriginal Edgar Wallace …
Killings take place at an old castle in this slow-paced Italian thriller: Could the troubled heiress of the house be to blame? What’s going on is fairly obvious in broad outline, and the details aren’t particularly compelling. Lawrence Tierney has a small role but doesn’t contribute much. Not particularly recommended. Otto thinks you should avoid …
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 …
Read the full post →“<em>One Mysterious Night</em> (Columbia, 1944)”
Entertaining low-budget thriller features a strange society of black-robed figures whose secret ceremonies include an officiating priestess … the object of the protagonist’s affections! There’s a lot going on here to maintain the viewer’s interest. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 224 for 2021.
Hildegarde Withers (Zasu Pitts) and Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) investigate murders during a Broadway play they are attending. This is a weak entry in the series, with lots of comedy; Gleason is fine as always, but Pitts again fails to impress as the schoolteacher detective. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, …
Read the full post →“<em>Forty Naughty Girls</em> (RKO, 1937)”
Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) investigates when a boxer is killed in the ring … but from poison rather than a blow. Originally planned as a Charlie Chan film and rewritten for the Mr. Moto series, but still with Charlie’s Number One Son Lee Chan (Keye Luke) on hand to help with the investigation, the mystery …
Read the full post →“<em>Mr. Moto’s Gamble</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)”
A newspaper columnist (Ralph Forbes) whose friend is implicated in the killing of a nightclub singer uses his society column to needle the real murderer as he works to clear his friend, eventually promising his readers that he will identify that party in his next column. A reasonably entertaining low-budget mystery. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously …
Read the full post →“<em>I’ll Name the Murderer</em> (Puritan, 1936)”
Newspaper editor (Grant Withers) gives suicidal young woman (Lois Wilson) a job on his paper, and she and another reporter both investigate the smuggling of illegal aliens into San Francisco, an investigation that brings danger and that may hit rather close to home for the editor. Decent performances from both leads and supporting characters add …
Read the full post →“<em>The Secrets of Wu Sin</em> (Chesterfield, 1932)”
