KILLER LEOPARD

Donald Murphy, Johnny Sheffield, Beverly Garland

KILLER LEOPARD (1954). Written, produced, and directed by Ford Beebe.

Fred Winters (Donald Murphy) makes a deal with Charlie Pulham (Barry Bernard of Charlie Chan in the Secret Service) to guide him to a certain diamond mine overseen by Superintendent Saunders (Harry Cording). Fred is unaware that his wife, movie star Linda Winters (Beverly Garland), is on his trail and hoping to catch up with him before he gets in serious trouble due to events back in the states. Rather than enjoying the fact that his wife is famous and wealthy, he is bitter that he's only a $100 a week bookmaker. Bomba (Johnny Sheffield) agrees to help Linda track down Fred, even as a lithe black leopard, that has already killed people, is running loose in the background where it periodically comes forward to attack. Killer Leopard has a more interesting story and cast than the usual Bomba movie, and the presence of talented Garland [The Steel Jungle], although her material is limiting, dresses up the picture. Donald Murphy [Frankenstein's Daughter] is typically nasty and effective. Sheffield can by no stretch of the imagination be called a boy any longer, and he had only one more Bomba movie to go. "You'd be something of a sensation in Hollywood yourself," Linda says to Bomba, rather ironically, as Sheffield's next picture was his last.

Verdict: One of the better Bomba programmers even without a Venusian carrot monster. **1/2.

CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE

Benson Fong, Mantan Moreland and Marianne Quon

CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE (1944). Director: Phil Rosen.

In Washington D.C. the inventor of a new weapon holds a cocktail party but stupidly refuses body guards. Naturally, said scientist winds up dead, the torpedo plans stolen. Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) arrives to find those plans and arrest the guilty party. But is it gruff Luis Vega (Gene Roth of Earth vs. the Spider); wheelchair-bound Paul Arranto (George J. Lewis of Ghost of Zorro); David Blake (Barry Bernard), of the Department of Political Economy; the housekeeper Mrs. Hargue (Sarah Edwards); or the dithery Mrs. Winters (Lelah Tyler); among others. Surely it can't be Inspector Jones (Arthur Loft) or Sergeant Billings (Davison Clark)? This is the first Charlie Chan picture for Monogram studios, and it's a typically cheap production, but it has its moments. Nobody ever seems to give a damn about the dead man, even though he was an important scientist and everyone's host! Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) is gone, replaced by his less interesting brother, Tommy (Benson Fong), as well as his sister, number two daughter, Iris (Marianne Quon), who is cute if little else. This movie introduces the popular character of Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland, whose name leads the list of supporting players in bigger letters), who appeared in the later Chan films. Phil Rosen directed many Charlie Chan pictures as well as such stuff as Spooks Run Wild.

Verdict: Serviceable Chan film with some clever moments. **1/2.