THE MYSTERIOUS MR. VALENTINE

William Henry

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. VALENTINE (1946). Director: Philip Ford. Colorized.  

Janet Spencer (Linda Stirling of The Crimson Ghost) runs into trouble when a corpse is thrown in front of the car she's driving and she's accused of a hit and run. Private detective Steve Morgan (William Henry of Nearly Eighteen) comes to Janet's assistance, but he actually gets hired by Rita Armstrong (Barbara Wooddell) to find out who her husband's (Tristram Coffin) girlfriend (Virginia Christine) is. Then the husband, who was the dead man's business partner, is also murdered, and Lt. Milo Jones (Thomas E. Jackson) tells Steve to stick to divorce cases and insurance fraud. But Steve is determined to find out who is pretending to be the "Mysterious Mr. Valentine" who keeps phoning Janet and making blackmail demands no matter how often he gets hit on the head and knocked unconscious. 

Linda Stirling with Henry

The Mysterious Mr. Valentine comes off at first like an especially complicated episode of Perry Mason without the courtroom scenes. Things are a bit convoluted at first with characters and incidents being thrown at you in rapid succession. Henry makes a likable private dick, and although she looks a little odd in this (as if she overdid the dieting) Stirling is spirited and energetic, giving a breezier performance than usual. Tristram Coffin (of King of the Rocket Men) is as interesting as ever, and Virginia Christine makes a sexy and conniving mistress. Thomas E. Jackson is especially notable as the lieutenant, who -- thankfully -- doesn't play it gruff and nasty as actors playing cops often do in these roles. This is perhaps the only private eye film I've seen in which the hero actually has to go to the hospital for stitches after he gets conked on the head, although it happens again to him and others later in the film and apparently no one gets a concussion. Virginia Brissac, who was the realtor Mrs. Hammond on the "Sublease" episode of I Love Lucy, plays Janet's housekeeper. Arthur Space also appears in this, albeit briefly. This was Henry's one and only appearance as Steve Morgan; the actor amassed over 250 credits!

Verdict: Minor mystery film from Republic studios with an interesting plotline and some clever touches. **1/2. 

G. I. HONEYMOON

Peter Cookson and Gale Storm

G. I. HONEYMOON (1945). Director: Phil Karlstein (Phil Karlson). 

Ann (Gale Storm of Gambling Daughters) and Lt. Bob Gordon (Peter Cookson) get married but things keep conspiring to keep them apart. They wind up renting an apartment in a place that was once a gambling casino -- leading to further complications -- and Ann incurs the wrath of the owner, Ace Renaldo (Jerome Cowan), when she manages to get a train compartment away from him via a little flirting and subterfuge. Renaldo makes certain the Military Police are informed that the place is off limits when Bob has a whole bunch of superior officers over for a cocktail party. Alleged pandemonium results. 

Gale Storm and Frank Jenks

The main strength of G.I. Honeymoon is the acting from the entire cast. Even in these early days Storm was an old pro, and Cookson displays his usual charm and adeptness. Cowan gives another excellent performance, and Frank Jenks (of The She Creature) scores a bullseye as Cowan's associate, "Blubber" Malloy. Arline Judge, Virginia Brissac (of The Mysterious Mr. M), and Jonathan Hale are also on hand and are also good, along with an uncredited actor who plays the love-smitten "Casanova." Although there are a few laughs in the film, there just aren't enough of them, with the picture coming off more as busy and frenetic than hilarious. From Monogram studios, of course.

Verdict: Just misses being a really funny movie. **1/4. 

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. M

Dennis Moore

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. M (13 chapter Universal serial/1946). Directed by Lewis D. Collins and Vernon Keays. 

Criminal Anthony Waldron (Edmund MacDonald) is presumed dead by the authorities but is actually living in a hide-out in the basement of his grandmother, Cornelia (Virginia Brissac), who is also unaware of his presence. Cornelia has two supposed relatives -- Marina (Jane Randolph of Railroaded) and her brother Derek (Danny Morton) -- who are associates of Waldron's and who hope to get her money. Waldron is hoping to get his hands on a new invention, an engine that "could move submarines as big as ocean liners." To that end he uses a serum called Hypnodrene that turns people into his mind slaves. 

Jane Randolph and Edmund MacDonald

Waldron has used the fake identity of "Mr. M' to carry out assorted murders and the like, but to his surprise discovers that someone else, some unknown person, has appropriated the pseudonym of "the Mysterious Mr. M" and is blackmailing him and his confederates to do what he wants. One of the earliest victims of both Hypnodrene and Waldron is Jim Farrell (William Ching), whose brother, agent Grant Farrell (Dennis Moore of The Purple Monster Strikes), is determined to bring his killer to justice. Grant is aided by insurance investigator Shirley Clinton (Pamela Blake) as well as Lt. Kirby Walsh (Richard Martin). Other characters caught up in this intrigue include lawyer Wetherby (Byron Foulger), gunsel Schrag (Jack Ingram), Professor Parker (Cyril Delevanti), Waldron's assistant Barron (Douglas Carter), and others. 

Richard Martin, Dennis Moore, Byron Foulger

The Mysterious Mr. M was Universal Studio's last serial, and also one of its best. The serial is not only a flavorful crime action-drama with good performances from the large cast, but has several exciting cliffhangers: Grant's car falls into a shaft in a parking garage (the logistics of this are rather confusing, however); a fiery explosion at an oil field -- and later a laboratory -- traps Grant and Shirley; Grant and Kirby are menaced by falling electric towers; and Shirley is forced to land a plane by herself after Kirby is knocked out and his assailant leaves by parachute. The best cliffhanger has Grant and Waldron clinging to one parachute (in a different sequence) whereupon Grant falls onto the tracks just ahead of a speeding train! Dennis Moore had one of the best and butchest voices in Hollywood!

Verdict: No mystery that this is a very exciting and suspenseful serial. ***. 

LADY GANGSTER

LADY GANGSTER (1942). Director: Robert Florey. 

A failed actress, Dot Burton ( Faye Emerson), gets in with a gang of hoods and becomes embroiled in a bank robbery scheme. She winds up doing time with an interesting bunch of lady inmates, and then things get really complicated. This fast-paced, lively and very entertaining "B" movie is so unpredictable for the most part that it would be criminal to give away any more of the plot elements. It has the very casual immorality of most of these kind of movies. Emerson gives a vivid and adept performance as Dot, as does Ruth Ford as "stool pigeon" Lucy, Julie Bishop as inmate Myrtle, Dorothy Adams as "Deaf Annie," and Virginia Brissac as the warden Mrs. Stoner. Hedda Hopper's son William, herein billed as "DeWolf Hopper," has a small role, as does "The Great One" -- Jackie Gleason (billed as Jackie C. Gleason). Hopper is as stiff as ever (except when he was on Perry Mason), but Gleason makes a nice impression as a pleasant member of the robbery gang who has a soft touch for Dot. Roland Drew as gang leader Carey looks surprisingly good in drag. Frank Wilcox is only adequate as Kenneth, the old friend of Dot's who turns her in and then tries to help her. Robert Florey also directed The Beast with Five Fingers. Bishop, Ford, Drew, and Wilcox were all in The Hidden Hand. 

Verdict: A pleasant surprise. ***.