UNMASKED

Raymond Burr may need Perry Mason 

UNMASKED (1950). Director: George Blair. 

Roger Lewis (Raymond Burr of Abandoned) is a ruthless man who publishes a rag exposing the peccadilloes of prominent citizens. His main backer is actress Doris King (Hillary Brooke of Confidence Girl), a barracuda who wants to divorce her husband -- down on his luck producer Harry Jackson (Paul Harvey) -- and marry Roger, although he's much more interested in his secretary, Mona (Grace Albertson). Early in the film Roger gets rid of the annoyingly insistent Doris and manages to pin the murder on her estranged husband. As detective Jim Webster (Robert Rockwell) tracks down Jackson, his devoted daughter, Linda (Barbra Fuller), tries to get him to turn himself in. Meanwhile both Jim and Linda are determined to prove that the reptilian Roger Lewis is actually behind the murder, but Lewis may be too clever for them ... 

Barbra Fuller

Unmasked is a minor suspense film that is bolstered by a terrific lead performance by Raymond Burr, who seemed to specialize in bad guys (a la Rear Window) before landing the plum assignment of Perry Mason. Rockwell, most famous as the principal on Our Miss Brooks, is pleasant but unexciting as the detective, Brooke is snappy in her customary fashion, Harvey is suitably desperate, and Fuller offers a good, intense performance as Linda. Norman Budd also makes an impression as "Biggie," a character who unwittingly and unwisely pits Lewis against his main enemy, the mobster Johnny Rocco (John Eldredge, who is also excellent). Barbra Fuller figured that taking an "a" out of her first name would be more distinctive, and she did it years before Barbra Streisand did the same thing. George Blair also directed Insurance Investigator with Eldredge and Brooke.

Verdict: Despite several good performances, this doesn't really make the grade. **.