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| Tom Helmore as Lamont Cranston |
THE SHADOW (1954 TV pilot). Director: Charles F. Haas. "The Case of the Cotton Kimono."
Lamont Cranston (Tom Helmore of
Let's Do It Again) and his girlfriend and assistant Margo Lane (Paula Raymond of
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms) investigate when Commissioner Weston (Frank M. Thomas of
Arkansas Judge) asks them to look into the shooting murder of a young woman, Cissy Chadwick (Peggy Lobbin). Detective Harris (Norman Shelly) is convinced that the killer is Cissy's boyfriend, Alex (William Smithers), and even goes so far as to frame him. Another suspect is Cissy's vocal coach. Rollo Grimbauer (Alexander Scourby), who refuses to let Cranston ask him any questions. Then there are more murders ...
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| Norman Shelly |
This failed pilot had the potential to become an interesting series. Although Helmore's British accent is at first disconcerting, he doesn't make a bad Lamont Cranston. He doesn't run around in a mask and cape, but he can "cloud men's minds," possibly seeming to become invisible, and throw his evil laugh around a room in true Shadow fashion. Paula Raymond makes an elegant and adept Margo Lane, far more suitable than the character as portrayed by Barbara Read in the dreadful Monogram features. This half hour program doesn't have a bad script, although there are a few holes in its plot. Smithers, Scourby and Shelly all give very good performances, and Leona Powers also scores as a talkative landlady. Charles F. Haas also directed
Girls Town.
Verdict: Interesting curiosity found on youtube. **1/2.
One British actor whose visage was a pretty good match for the pulp Shadow was Michael Rennie, though it's unlikely the role would've appealed to Rennie (or even offered to him!) in his prime.
ReplyDeleteProbably not, although he did have those high-cheekbones, hawk-like aspect to his face. He would have been an interesting choice, that's for certain!
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