Lightweight entertainment in which Barry Gilbert and Doc Norton (Louis Hayward and J. C. Nugent), two guys down on their luck, take shelter in an empty home, only to awaken to the arrival of servants, who take Barry to be the rightful owner, John Clark Reitter, Jr. (Eric Linden), who is estranged from his newspaper-owning …
Read the full post →“<em>Midnight Intruder</em> (Universal, 1938)”
After two years touring with a circus, former silent star Tom Mix returned to movies to star in several for Universal in 1932 and 1933. The first of these was Destry Rides Again, based on the novel by Max Brand but rather different from the later film versions. Here, daredevil cowboy Tom Destry (Mix) is …
Read the full post →“<em>Destry Rides Again</em> (Universal, 1932)”
Stalwart Ralph Byrd and comic pal Eddie Quillan are archaeologists caught up in an investigation into a jewel robbery, for which a missing man is blamed, though Ralph has reason to hope it isn’t true, as he has fallen for the man’s daughter (Sigrid Gurie). Decent atmosphere is provided by the sets and photography, and …
Read the full post →“<em>Dark Streets of Cairo</em> (Universal, 1940)”
When crooks murder a man who has discovered a gold mine, rancher Tom Rigby (Tom Mix) steps in to ensure that the man’s young daughter will inherit. The arrival of the girl’s aunt (Lois Wilson) gives the crooks an opportunity to make their play, leading to a desert trek that strands the party — Tom, …
Read the full post →“<em>The Rider of Death Valley</em> (Universal, 1932)”
The Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes series draws to a close with this thriller, in which the great detective and his chronicler race to beat three ruthless criminals to the secret held by three seemingly ordinary music boxes produced in a prison workshop, facing trickery and traps along the way. The final entry in the series is …
Read the full post →“<em>Dressed To Kill</em> (Universal, 1946)”
Sherlock Holmes is hired to protect the famous gem the Star of Rhodesia, and he and Watson travel with its owner on a Scotland-bound train. When a murderer strikes and the stone disappears, Holmes must sort through a car-full of suspects to unravel the mystery. The pacing is good on this one, and there’s a …
Read the full post →“<em>Terror by Night</em> (Universal, 1946)”
Creepy happenings ensue when a producer plans to reopen a theater, closed since the killing of the star performer in the middle of a performance five years before, and put on the same play with the surviving members of the original cast. An atmospheric and fast-paced late silent. Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough …
Read the full post →“<em>The Last Warning</em> (Universal, 1928)”
A surgeon with scandalous secrets is murdered in the middle of an operation. Which of those with a motive in the room could have done it? And just how did the killer manage to have the lights go out to facilitate the crime? Bruce Cabot is the lead as a doctor who is one of …
Read the full post →“<em>Mystery of the White Room</em> (Universal, 1939)”
The last of three movies based on mysteries by Jonathan Latimer and starring Preston Foster and Frank Jenks is another disappointment. Here the duo is called upon to protect a young man who reports receiving threatening letters. When murder strikes at a gambling den the young man frequents, and a kidnapping follows, there’s plenty for …
Read the full post →“<em>The Last Warning</em> (Universal, 1938)”
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)”
