THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER

Richard Dix

THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER (1945). Director: Lew Landers.

Jean Lang (Janis Carter of Slightly French) spies a stranger (Richard Dix of Lovin' the Ladies) in a bar and decides to read his fortune from across the room with playing cards. When the cards say that he faces death within 48 hours, she  decides to see if she can help him, and discovers that he has lost his memory in an accident. Along with her sister, Francie (Jeff Donnell of The Fuller Brush Girl), Jean and the stranger, whom she calls George, hunt down every clue they can to his identity. But will smitten-but-stupid Jean eventually get an unpleasant surprise when she finds out who the man really is ... ? This is the third in the Columbia mystery series based on the radio show The Whistler, and, as usual, the unseen narrator pipes in now and then to push the story along and to, alas, minimize the suspense that's been built up in the first half of the film. Too much information is given away too early so that the final quarter just plods along on a predictable path. This is too bad, because the basic premise is fine, and there are many opportunities for tense sequences (especially one involving a poisoned birthday cake) that are just frittered away by routine direction and not enough taut music. Hitchcock might have done something with this. Dix is pretty good in the lead, the two ladies are fine, and Loren Tindall makes a pleasant impression as Francie's fiance, Charlie. Tala Birell plays a ballet dancer who was once involved with "George."

Verdict: This is one you will probably watch and quickly forget. **1/4. 

ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT

Richard Lane as Inspector Farraday

ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944). Director: Budd Boetticher.

When the famous Blue Star of the Nile diamond is stolen, Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) becomes a suspect. In an unexpected development considering their past relationship, Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) deputizes Boston because he thinks he can solve the crime. He even says " From now on, no matter what happens, I'll never misjudge you again." Unfortunately, this is the only unusual or interesting thing that happens in the movie, which is saved primarily by the acting. Morris [Pursuit]  makes an excellent Blackie, and does a few impersonations, and the supporting cast includes Janis Carter [Slightly French] as reporter Dorothy Anderson; Mark Roberts (aka Robert E. Scott) as store employee George Daley; an utterly unrecognizable Dorothy Malone (in her brunette phase) as George's sister, Eileen; and William Wright, who would later play the Lone Wolf in one picture, as bad guy Paul Martens. The best performances seem to come from bit players: (Ms.) Early Cantrell as a switchboard operator; Anne Loos as a newsstand clerk; and Minerva Urecal [Gobs and Gals] as a clerk at a women's hotel. There's a quick laugh involving a Murphy bed in which Boston and the Runt (George E. Stone) are secreted. Like many of these programmers, this one has no real suspense or surprises.

Verdict: Not nearly "mysterious" enough. **.

SLIGHTLY FRENCH

Don Ameche and Dorothy Lamour

SLIGHTLY FRENCH (1949). Director: Douglas Sirk.

"Goodbye, John. It's been weird knowing you." -- Mary.

French star Yvonne La Tour (Adele Jergens) proves difficult to handle and there seems to be no way to salvage her film after she's been dismissed, a major problem for borderline has-been director John Gayle (Don Ameche) and his boss Douglas Hyde (Willard Parker of What a Woman). But along comes carnival performer Mary (Dorothy Lamour), who can do a fairly convincing French accent. Mary moves in with John and his sister, Louisa (Janis Carter) and is given lessons in being French by Nicolette (Jeanne Manet). Will she be able to pull it off and star in the movie, saving the careers of John and Douglas, and which man will she ultimately fall for? Slightly French is a trifle with decent performances, but it's ironic that Adele Jergens -- as one fan put it, she was the eternal starlet -- is so much prettier and sexier than Lamour, and does her few scenes with that certain scintillating oomph. Jergens [The Fuller Brush Man] was never really given a chance at genuine stardom. The other cast stand-out is Janis Carter [I Love Trouble], who is very snappy and attractive as Louisa. At one point she says, "the only way I'd be happily married is if I were a widow." I believe the song "Let's Fall in Love" was introduced in this picture. This seems an unusual assignment for Douglas Sirk.

Verdict: Pleasant enough. **1/2.

I LOVE TROUBLE

I LOVE TROUBLE (1948). Director: S. Sylvan Simon.

Private eye Stuart Bailey (Franchot Tone) is hired by a man named Johnston (Tom Powers, the victim in Double Indemnity) to investigate his wife, who has been getting a series of letters threatening to expose her "past," and eventually disappears. Bailey discovers that Mrs. Johnston (Lynn Merrick) was once an entertainer known as Janie Joy, so he pursues that angle via some of her old associates, then gets warned off by a thug, Martin (Donald Curtis) in the employ of John Caprillo (Eduardo Ciannelli). Bailey encounters a young lady, Norma (Janet Blair), who claims that the woman he's after is her sister, even though she doesn't recognize a photograph of her. Then there's sexy "Boots" (Adele Jergens) who sometimes drinks too much; Reno (John Ireland), who runs a nightclub; and his boss, Keller (Steven Geray), all of whom may know more about the missing woman than they're saying. There are a couple of twists, a couple of murders, and a final confrontation in Bailey's apartment. I Love Trouble may not get high marks as a mystery nor film noir, but it's smooth and entertaining, and Tone is excellent, and has a highly adept supporting cast. Raymond Burr and Arthur Space have small roles (as muscle and cop, respectively), and an unrecognizable (perhaps slightly more subdued and older) Glenda Farrell is snappy as Bailey's very efficient secretary. Janis Carter [Night Editor] also is vivid in a pivotal role whose exact nature I won't reveal here. Simon also directed The Fuller Brush Man (which also had Blair and Jergens) and many others.

Verdict: Pleasant time-passer with some good scenes and a modicum of suspense. ***.

NIGHT EDITOR

William Gargan [second from left] confronts a suspect

NIGHT EDITOR (1946). Director: Henry Levin.

"You're like me -- there's a meanness inside you that has to hurt or be hurt!"

A veteran editor of the New York Star tells a cautionary tale to a troubled young reporter (Coulter Irwin) which is illustrated in the long flashback scenes that comprise most of the movie. During prohibition days, married cop Tony Cochrane (William Gargan) is having an affair with a cold-hearted, married blonde named Jill (Janis Carter). While the two are parked on the outskirts of town, they witness a woman being brutally murdered. Afraid of losing his wife and son, Cochrane doesn't report the murder, leading to the expected complications. While Hitchcock might have done a lot with this very workable premise, Night Editor does little more than hold the attention, although Gargan's performance is quite good. The oddly-named Jeff Donnell is also good as his wife, Martha, while the supporting cast is at the very least competent. This was based on a radio series that later became a television program. Gargan also played a cop in Who Done It? and many other movies. Janis Carter also played a nasty lady in Framed when her leading man was Glenn Ford.

Verdict: Standard crime drama probably churned out in two days. **1/2.

THE MISSING JUROR

THE MISSING JUROR (1944). Director: Budd Boetticher. 

"A man named 'Apple?' Funny name, Apple. Bet he's a peach!" 

Reporter Joe Keats (Jim Bannon) gets on the trail of a mad killer when he discovers that several jurors on a notorious murder trial have been killed in mysterious "accidents." Harry Wharton (George Macready) was convicted of murdering a woman he loved, but it was discovered that he'd been framed. Although the truth came out before Wharton could be executed, the experience unhinges him and he commits suicide in a sanitarium. Now someone is executing all the jurors. Keats tries to protect the other jurists, and especially bonds with a pretty gal named Alice (Janis Carter). Jean Stevens is Alice's sexy gal pal, Tex Tuttle; Mike Mazurki is Cullie, the masseur; and Trevor Bardette certainly scores as Pierson, who confesses to the murders at one point. The Missing Juror is a snappy, well-acted, and entertaining programmer, but the main problem is that the solution is apparent almost from the first. Macready gives a terrific performance as the haunted Wharton in flashbacks. Joseph Crehan is Willard Apple, editor of the Record-Herald that Keats works for. Macready had one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood. Jim Bannon was also in Unknown World. Trevor Bardette appeared in about a thousand movies. 

Verdict: Another reason to get out of jury duty. **1/2.

FRAMED (1947)

FRAMED (1947). Director: Richard Wallace. 

Unemployed mining engineer Mike Lambert (Glenn Ford) encounters a duplicitous female named Paula (Janis Carter), and is unaware -- as we learn almost from the start -- that she hopes to use him in a deadly plot involving her boyfriend, Steve, a married bank executive (Barry Sullivan). Edgar Buchanan plays Jeff, a man who wants to hire Mike for his mine but can't get the capital he needs from Steve (because it will interfere with his dastardly plot). This is an entertaining melodrama with some interesting twists and turns and good performances. Carter is certainly fun as one of the most sociopathic femme fatales you've ever seen. She also had a small role in Miss Grant Takes Richmond and appeared in various "Whistler" movies. A problem with the movie is that all of the characters, even Ford's, are unlikable. 

Verdict: Nasty, nasty ... **1/2.