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| Sylvia Pascal and George Nader |
THE VIOLIN CASE MURDERS (aka
Schüsse aus dem Geigenkasten/1965). Director: Fritz Umgelter.
FBI agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) is called in, along with his partner, Phil Decker (Heinz Weiss), by their boss, Mr. High (Richard Munch) to investigate what becomes known as the "Bowling Gang,' due to the location of their hide-out. The gang seems to be run by Christallo (Hands E. Schons) but he takes his orders from the nasty Dr. Kilborne (Franz Rudnick). These fellows, including a man named Percy (Helmut Fornbacher), carry weapons in violin cases (like something out of the forties) and think nothing of murdering without mercy anyone who gets in their way. Pretending to be a drunk who witnessed the group's activities and wants to join up, Jerry infiltrates the gang and discovers that they plan to blow up a school to create a distraction for their latest caper.
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| Jerry and Percy (Helmut Fornbacher) after a fight |
"Jerry Cotton" was a character as popular in Germany and Finland as James Bond was in the US or UK. He appeared in a huge series of novels over many decades, written by a variety of authors. When it was decided to make a film of his exploits, an American actor was chosen to play the U.S. agent, and many sequences were filmed on American locations, such as New York City, where that bowling alley HQ is located. George Nader, who had previously played the insurance investigator on the TV show
Shannon, is fine as Jerry, and there are a host of excellent German supporting actors. Sylvia Pascal is cast as Christallo's girlfriend, and Heidi Luplot is her ill-fated sister, Mary. Nader uses his real voice in this English version while the other actors are dubbed.
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| Nader with Heinz Weiss |
The Violin Case Murders is a treat, a fast-paced, very well-directed, and skillfully edited action-suspense film with some taut and beautifully choreographed fight scenes. There's also a clever bit with the bad guys using rolling oil cans, set on fire, to try and trap Phil Decker. One problem with the movie, however, is the music with its martial Jerry Cotton theme (which Jerry even whistles at one point) and jazzy carnival-like rifts that threaten to dissipate the exciting atmosphere at any moment. One can imagine how good this might have been with a different, more suspenseful score. Nader appeared in several more Jerry Cotton movies.
Verdict: Despite the music, this
plays. ***.
Still have yet to see one George Nader performance - at least that I remember. Have read about him extensively regarding the 50s gay down-low scene, Henry Willson, Rock Hudson and company - and he was very good looking but did he ever break out and become a star himself? I seem to remember reading he was the star of a TV series but one that never went into reruns? Maybe that is why I can't place him...
ReplyDelete-Chris
Yes, in "Shannon" he played an insurance investigator. He was very good and it was not a bad show but it only lasted one season. I managed to track it down -- don't even remember how -- but I don't think it ever had an official DVD release.
ReplyDeleteHe did star in several movies and his leading ladies were the likes of Hedy Lamarr and Esther Williams, among others. He did excellent work on an Alfred Hitchcock episode whose title I can't recall.
Someone recently posted a piece on him, the theme being that he'll always be remembered for the terrible "Robot Monster" when he was better than that. There was a somewhat patronizing, if admiring, tone to the piece, however, as I thought he was a better actor than the piece suggested.
But to each his own!