“Bowery at Midnight” (1942)

Bowery at Midnight

Brief Description:

Kindly soup kitchen operator and professor of criminology Brenner uses his soup kitchen as a front for a criminal gang who commit a series of daring robberies and murders.

Date: 1942

Genre: American horror film

Running time: 1 hour

Cast: 

Bela Lugosi (Professor Brenner)

John Archer (Richard Dennison)

Wanda McKay (Judy Malvern)

Tom Neal (Frankie Mills)

Vince Barnett (Charley)

Anna Hope (Mrs. Brenner)

John Berkes (Fingers)

Dolan J. Farrell MacDonald (Capt. Mitchell)

Dave O'Brien (Peter Crawford)

Lucille Vance (Mrs. Malvern)

Lew Kelly (Doc Brooks)

Wheeler Oakman (Stratton)

Ray Miller (Big Man)

Bernard Gorcey (Clothing Shop Proprietor)

Director: Wallace Fox

Production/Distribution Company: Banner Productions & Monogram Pictures

Wikipedia Page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 3/5

No notes, really. Felt very 1940s. I enjoyed the secret staircases and sliding doors. 

Characters: 3/5

The only likeable person throughout was Judy, and my favourite—Peter Crawford, the detective who wants to settle down and get a family. 💙 I felt sorry for Mrs. Brenner though, of course. And Fingers was fascinating, if awful. 

Plot: 2/5

Tubi, which seems to have a thing of really bad blurbs, completely confused me by listing this as, "A seemingly kindly criminology professor secretly runs gang operations out of a soup kitchen. Anyone who gets in his way winds up dead—and zombified." The zombification barely figures. It's never explained. And it's extremely confusing. Brenner's double life and criminal activity was interesting, anyways, and Dennison's sociology experiments. 

Romance: 3/5

Cute little romance between Dennison & Judy, though I wasn't his biggest fan sometimes. 

Content: 3/5

1 kiss. 

Violence: 2/5

Mild violence & death. 

Overall: 2.5/3

Just kinda dumb? I feel like I wasted my time. 

“Fog Island” (1945)

Fog Island 

Brief Description:

An investor recently released from prison invites a group of former business associates to a holiday in his island home, intending to exact revenge on them.

Date: 1945

Genre: American mystery-suspense film

Running time: 1 hour 12 minutes

Cast: 

Lionel Atwill (Alec Ritchfield)

George Zucco (Leo Grainer)

Jerome Cowan (Kavanaugh)

Sharon Douglas (Gail)

Veda Ann Borg (Sylvia)

John Whitney (Jeff)

Jacqueline deWit (Emiline Bronson)

Ian Keith (Dr. Lake)

George Lloyd (Allerton)

Director: Terry O. Morse

Production/Distribution Company: Producers Releasing Corporation

Based On: Angel Island by Bernadine Angus

Wikipedia Page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 3/5

I watched this years ago and rewatched it the other day to review it. I wasn't much more impressed this time than I was the first time. The island setting is interesting, though. Though the film can get really dark and hard to see.  

Characters: 3/5

Leo was the one I watched this for, because I love George Zucco. He didn't hang around long enough, though. I liked Gail & Jeff, but everyone else was, of course, hateful. 

Plot: 3/5

I was really confused by 75% of the plot. Maybe even 80%. I just feel like there wasn't enough information given, and either the scenes were too dark or I'm stupid at picking up context clues by watching things. Possibly both. The ending reminded me of Ten Little Indians/And Then There Were None, though.

Romance: 3/5

Like I said, Gail & Jeff were cute. 

Content: 2/5

A séance. 

Violence: 2/5

Onscreen death & violence. 

Overall: 2.5/3

Meh. Not worth rewatching in my opinion. And feels more like a 30s film than a 40s. 

“The Black Book” (1949)

The Black Book 

Also known as: Reign of Terror

Brief Description:

A powerful figure in the French Revolution desperately seeks his book listing those marked for death, thereby guaranteeing his rise to dictatorship.

Date: 1949

Genre: American historical adventure thriller film noir

Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes 

Cast: 

Robert Cummings as Charles d’Aubigny

Richard Basehart as Maximilien Robespierre

Richard Hart as François Barras

Arlene Dahl as Madelon

Arnold Moss as Fouché

Norman Lloyd as Tallien

Charles McGraw as Sergeant

Beulah Bondi as Grandma Blanchard

Jess Barker as Louis Antoine de Saint-Just

Wade Crosby as Danton

Wilton Graff as the Marquis de Lafayette

Mary Currier as Mme Duval

John Doucette as Pierre Blanchard

Russ Tamblyn as the Blanchards’ oldest son

Ellen Lowe as Marie Blanchard

Anthony Sydes as the Blanchards’ youngest son

Georgette Windsor as Cecile

Shepperd Strudwick as Napoleon Bonaparte (voice) 

Director: Anthony Mann

Production company: Eagle-Lion Films

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 3/5

Honestly, when I started this, I was emphatically not a fan. It's so extremely American. Everyone has the strongest American accents and pronounces all the French names in English. It's excessively jarring. It felt like a play about France, not a movie set in France. 

Characters: 3.5/5

I like d'Aubigny and Madelon... sort of. At least I didn't actively dislike them. I hated Robespierre, of course, and Fouché; and St. Juste, who completely baffled me because I kept thinking he was Armand St. Juste from The Scarlet Pimpernel. (Since Louis Antoine de St. Juste actually existed, I wonder why Baroness Orczy named her heroine's family the St. Justes???) The Blanchards were all nice people, and everyone else I was heartily indifferent towards.  

Plot: 3.5/5

So, first off, the film is so dark I had the hardest time figuring out what was happening 50% of the time. The dialogue, though I had captions, didn't help much. The basic premise, though—the loyal d'Aubigny taking the place of a famous executioner Robespierre called in from Stratsbourg, and trying to help stop him from being dictator by finding the little black book for Barras—was interesting, and by the mid-point I was invested. There were four specific points in the film that made me go from "meh" to "hm": the whole part about Madelon in Robespierre's power, which I felt had great potential as a storyline (I feel like it was underused in the film, though); the scene where St. Juste tries to convince the littlest Blanchard boy to spill the beans but kicks the cat and gets scorned for his pains; the scene where Robespierre almost talks himself out of trouble (reminded me of Mark Antony in Julius Caesar); and the ending with the Napoleon cameo. Also, the scene at the bridge did worry me, so I guess I was more invested than I thought. 

Romance: 3/5

The most passionate kisses I've seen in a black and white movie, lol. I didn't particularly care for d'Aubigny & Madelon's romance, especially since it's never explained why they quarrelled and broke up in the first place. 

Content: 2/5 (low)

Possibly language; drinking; low-necked dresses.

Violence: 3/5 (medium)

2 scenes of torture (a bare-chested man hung by his arms in Robespierre's room & screaming when he's hurt; Madelon hung in the same place & also screaming when hurt); someone is shot in the face; someone is choked out on screen; lots of fighting. 

Overall: 3.5/5

Though emphatically not the best—I'd call it "fluff" entertainment, but it's too grim to be fluff, so maybe just "shallow"?—it has potential and reminded me of some elements of the The Scarlet Pimpernel. I'm not sorry I watched it and I may even rewatch it sometime. 

“Dick Tracy vs. Cueball” (1946)

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball

Brief Description:

When bad guy Cueball realizes he's been betrayed by his crew of criminals, he starts hunting them down, along with his arch nemesis Dick Tracy. 

Date: 1946

Genre: American action film

Running time: 1 hour 3 minutes 

Cast: 

 Morgan Conway (Dick Tracy)

Anne Jeffreys (Tess Trueheart)

Lyle Latell (Pat Patton)

Rita Corday (Mona Clyde)

Ian Keith (Vitamin Flintheart)

Dick Wessel (Harry "Cueball" Lake)

Douglas Walton (Percival Priceless)

Esther Howard (Filthy Flora)

Joseph Crehan (Chief Brandon)

Byron Foulger (Simon Little)

Jimmy Crane (Junior)

Milton Parsons (Higby)

Skelton Knaggs (Rudolph)

Ralph Dunn (Policeman)

Director: Gordon M. Douglas & James Anderson

Production company: RKO Radio Pictures

Based on: the comic strip about Dick Tracy by Chester Gould

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 4/5

I watched this years ago but didn't remember any of it, so I just rewatched it. Once I got past the atrocious comics in the opening (I don’t know why they bother me so much, but they just feel violent??? idk) and realized that the ridiculous names (Filthy Flora? Percival Priceless? Mr. Sparkles, the jeweller?) are probably from the comic strip, I still didn't enjoy it much 😆 The setting is okay, though. Feels like NYC or something. The train part vaguely reminds me of another period film I watched (must hunt it down) and I enjoyed seeing the neon lights of the Dripping Dagger, and all the hidden rooms—and the scenes in Tracy's house. 

Characters: 3/5

I hated Cueball. He's terrifying, not because he's smart, but because he's so terribly ruthless and powerful. However, there wasn't much of anyone else to like except Tess, Junior, and the other kid—oh, and Vitamin, who's hilarious. Tracy's okay, but I didn't particularly care for him; and Patton is the stereotypical dumb sidekick but not funny enough to actually be interesting 😆 

Plot: 3.5/5

Archive's very succinct description for this film is "A police detective uses his girlfriend to track down a homicidal maniac," and while there's a lot more that happens, I do think that's kind of the sticking point, because what idiot lets his girlfriend fill in the place of a policewoman when the guy you're hunting has already killed at least three people, if not four?? Apart from Cueball's murder spree, the whole diamond saga was interesting, but there wasn't enough humour to balance out the violence in my opinion. 

Romance: 4/5

Vitamin jokingly tries to make Tess jealous when they find a queue of policewomen going into Dick's office. When only one girl is left with him Tess does get jealous and barges in. 

Content: 3.5/5 (medium)

Lots of drinking in the Dripping Dagger. 

Violence: 3/5 (medium)

Cueball strangles four people onscreen; someone gets run over by a train. 

Overall: 3.5/5

Not the worst film ever, but Cueball ruined it for me. I just couldn't stomach him. 

“The Mystery of the Thirteenth Guest” (1943)

The Mystery of the Thirteenth Guest

Brief Description:

Thirteen years after a dinner party in which the thirteenth guest failed to arrive, the remaining guests are being murdered one by one, and their bodies being placed at the same dinner table in the appropriate seats they occupied thirteen years prior.

(from Archive)

Date: 1943

Genre: American crime/mystery comedy thriller

Running time: 1 hour 1 minute

Cast: 

Helen Parrish (Marie Morgan)

Dick Purcell (Johnny Smith)

Tim Ryan (Lt. Burke)

Frank Faylen (Speed DuGan aka McGinis)

Jacqueline Dalya (Marjory Morgan)

Paul McVey (Adam Morgan)

John Duncan (Harold Morgan)

John Dawson (Tom Jackson)

Cyril Ring (John Barksdale)

Addison Richards (D.A.)

Lloyd Ingraham (Grandfather Morgan)

Robert J. Anderson (young Harold)

Shirley Jean Anderson (young Marie)

Mike Donovan (Desk Sergeant)

Lester Dorr (Carter)

Dick Gordon (Uncle John)

Herbert Heyes (Dr. Sherwood)

Donald Kerr (Photographer)

Wilbur Mack (Coroner)

Richard Neill (Uncle Wayne)

Dick Rush (Cop)

Fred Toones (Valet)

Director: William Beaudine

Production company: Monogram Pictures

Based on: The Thirteenth Guest by Armitage Trail

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

I watched this years ago and remembered really liking it, so when I watched it again I allowed my little sisters to watch over my shoulder. 😉 The setting is creepy and dusty and reminds me of Great Expectations, which is fun. 

Characters: 4/5

The only really likeable characters in this whole thing are Marie, Johnny, and Harold, who's an adorable little brother. Burke, though the typical 1930s/1940s American cop in his loudness and rudeness, isn't over the top (especially in comparison to Bill Street) and I enjoyed his banter with Johnny, as well as Speed's comedic relief. Everyone else is pretty nasty, as Grandfather Morgan stated... 

Plot: 4.5/5

Honestly I feel like this should be creepy, but it's got too much comedy to be very creepy. Mostly it's just baffling. I enjoy the whole hidden room aspect, and the murder system itself is very interesting. 

Romance: 4/5

Tiny but cute thread of romance between Johnny & Marie. 

Content: 4/5 (low)

1 kiss. 

Violence: 4/5 (low)

A masked killer; attempted strangling; people die onscreen (very staged).  

Overall: 4.5/5

Overall, I'm still a fan. It's fun! Apparently there's a 1930s version, so I want to watch that too at some point.

“The Woman in Green” (1945)

The Woman in Green 

Brief Description:

When several young women turn up dead, each with a missing finger, the trail leads Holmes to a society of hypnotists and a mysterious temptress.

Date: 1945

Genre: American horror mystery film

Running time: 1 hour 8 minutes 

Cast: 

Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes)

Nigel Bruce (Dr. Watson)

Hillary Brooke (Lydia Marlowe)

Henry Daniell (Prof. Moriarty)

Paul Cavanagh (Sir George Fenwick)

Matthew Boulton (Insp. Gregson)

Eve Amber (Maude Fenwick)

Frederick Worlock (Dr. Onslow)

Tom Bryson (Cpl. Williams)

Sally Shepherd (Crandon)

Mary Gordon (Mrs. Hudson)

Percival Vivian (Dr. Simnell)

Fred Aldrich (detective)

Leslie Denison (barman)

Olaf Hytten (butler)

Boyd Irwin  (detective)

Harold De Becker (shoelace seller)

Alec Harford (Commissioner of the CID)

Director: Roy William Neill

Production company: Universal Pictures

Inspired by: The Final Problem & The Adventure of the Cardboard Box by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 4/5

I believe this is a pattern with the Basil Rathbone SH films, though I've only seen four; but anyways, these are set in the then-contemporary world of the 1940s—an interesting and enjoyable change. It actually reminded me somewhat of “Lured” (1947) in the setting. 

Characters: 4/5

Basil Rathbone does the cool, efficient, somewhat brusque side of Holmes so well. I'm not a fan of Nigel Bruce as Watson—the doctor isn't stupid, fat, or old. And Henry Daniell is a most un-frightening Moriarty. The Fenwicks, and Lydia Marlowe, are interesting characters, however. I would have liked to see Crandon have a storyline; it almost seemed to me at times as if the dialogue was building up to that. 

Plot: 4/5

It's an intense beginning (once again reminding me of “Lured”) as random girls are found murdered throughout London, minus a digit. The hypnotism angle honestly feels a bit cliché, and I don't like Nigel Bruce's humiliation at the Mesmer Club, but the ending is pretty dramatic, there was some good humour, and I enjoyed the elements from The Final Problem.  Holmes has a spectacular quote at the end, too... 

Holmes: I'm thinking of all the women who can come and go in safety in the streets of London tonight. Stars keep watch in their heavens, and in our own little way, we too, old friend, are privileged to watch over our city. 

Content: 4/5 (low)

Smoking, drinking. 

Violence: 4/5 (low)

Off-screen murder & death. 

Overall: 4/5

Overall, it's not the best SH film I ever saw, but it's entertaining. 

“Dragonwyck” (1946)

Dragonwyck

Brief Description:

A simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative, an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion. 

(from IMDb)

Date: 1946

Genre: American period drama adaptation 

Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Cast: 

Gene Tierney as Miranda Wells

Vincent Price as Nicholas van Ryn

Walter Huston as Ephraim Wells

Glenn Langan as Dr. Jeff Turner

Anne Revere as Abigail Wells

Spring Byington as Magda

Connie Marshall as Katrine Van Ryn

Harry Morgan as Bleecker

Jessica Tandy as Peggy

Vivienne Osborne as Johanna Van Ryn

Trudy Marshall as Elizabeth Van Borden

Larry Steers as Servant

Grady Sutton as Hotel Clerk

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Production company: 20th Century-Fox

Based on: Dragonwyck by Anya Seton

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

I originally watched this just after watching Rebecca and totally fell in love because it was very similar in vibe/aesthetic. I've never heard of the Hudson River patroons before, so I enjoyed that part of the setting immensely. Of course I also really enjoyed the luxurious setting of Dragonwyck and the gorgeous period dresses 😉 

Characters: 4/5

Miranda was a sweet, brave girl and I appreciated her faith. (Also, Gene Tierney reminds me insanely of Katherine Hepburn somehow?!) Nicholas reminded me of Max DeWinter from Rebecca at first, but he quickly disintegrated. Jeff was a much nicer fellow, naturally, and Katrine was cute, though I wasn't a fan of Johanna. Ephraim Wells frustrated me terribly at the beginning of the film, but towards the end I understood and appreciated him and his wife a little (little) bit more, though I still did not like his high-handed ways and roughshod Christianity.  

Plot: 4/5

I watched this film twice, and didn't remember much of it the second time I did. It's very romantic, with a backwoods country girl moving into the rich aristocrats' world and finding herself well out of her depth, while two handsome men interested in her. The story quickly progresses into drama, then tragedy, but ends with a note of hope. I liked it so much the first time—I was rather indifferent this time—so I think I need to try it a third time lol. 

Romance: 4/5

Obviously Nicolas' and Miranda's love is dangerous in the sense that he's clearly a terrible fellow for her to marry, but Miranda handles it well and I think that whole storyline does well as a message. I also wasn't a fan of the one or two insinuations that he fell in love with her while still married, but nothing happened and she certainly did not encourage him or even seem to realize what was happening. 

Theme/Message/Topics: /5

The storyline of Nicolas' passion of remaining in his ancestral land, and refusing to sell it to the tenants who farmed it for generations and more than paid for it, was very interesting. For a while I was on his side, because I couldn't see why they were any more right than he was... it gave me a lot to think of. It also reminded me a lot of the French Revolution... 

Anyways, I was a huge fan of the pro-life message as Miranda fights for her crippled maid and then her son.

Content: 4/5 (low)

A few kisses; a few low-necked dresses; a main character is revealed to be a drug addict; a ghost ancestor haunts the Van Ryn house and sings when a death comes to the household. Also Ephraim Wells is borderline verbally/spiritually abusive in a few scenes. 

Violence: 4/5 (low)

Attempted stabbing; murder; attempted murder; a man is shot + killed in self-defence. 

Overall: 4/5

It's a melodrama, but I like it. Again, it reminds me of Rebecca, though not as good, and I'd like to try the novel. 

“Wanted for Murder” (1946)

Wanted for Murder

Brief Description:

A classic Gothic thriller about the psychotic grandson of a Victorian-era hangman who copies him by strangling women and tries not to kill his new girlfriend.

(from Tubi)

Date: 1946

Genre: British crime film

Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes 

Cast: 

Eric Portman (Victor)

Dulcie Gray (Anne)

Derek Farr (Jack)

Roland Culver (Conway)

Stanley Holloway (Sullivan)

Barbara Everest (Mrs. Colebrooke)

Bonar Colleano (Mappolo)

Jenny Laird (Jeannie)

Kathleen Harrison (Florrie)

Bill Shine (Ellis)

Viola Lyel (Mabel)

John Salew (Walters)

John Ruddock (Glover)

Edna Wood (Miss Kemp)

George Carney (Boat Rental Agent)

Wilfrid Hyde-White (Guide in Madame Tussaud’s)

Director: Lawrence Huntington

Production company: Excelsior Productions

Based on: Wanted for Murder by Terence De Marney & Percy Robinson

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 4/5

Another classic 1940s films. I love that setting so much. And of course it’s London, and during the war, which is referenced slightly through things like soldiers everywhere, some of them foreign; or rationing, which causes people to finish unattended food, drink, and smokes. 

Characters: 4/5

Victor is… complex. I feel very sorry for him and like it’s not quite his fault. But I also think he refused to get any help, and he knew he was getting deeper into it. So I don’t know. I think it’s acted out quite well though. I quite liked Anne, and she was very fair and nice and honest, which is a huge relief! Jack is a great guy too, and was understanding of Anne’s wishes (something Victor wasn’t!). Conway was a great portrayal of the dry, clever inspector, and Sullivan was an amusing sidekick that wasn’t too dumb—Ellis, too. And I liked Mabel and Mrs. Colebrook, too… they were also well done. 

Plot: 4/5

You find out pretty early on who the bad guy is, but it’s very fun to see the cat-and-mouse game the Inspector and villain play—specially the coat scene. I enjoy the bits of humour scattered throughout, but it’s a more serious, sad film… the ending is pretty perfect in my opinion, but I do feel so sorry for Mrs. C! 

Romance: 4/5

Jack & Anne are the cutest! :) 

Content: 4/5 (low)

Smoking, drinking.

Violence: 4/5 (low)

Brief attempted onscreen murder. Partly onscreen murder (non-graphic, only choking heard). Mention by a guide at Mme Tussaud’s that someone “murdered her rival and the poor little baby.” 

Overall: 4/5

It’s rather a long film, but I haven’t much more to say that that… I like it, but it’s too saddening to rewatch often. It’s fascinating, though, hearing about the villain’s father and how they were both so heavily affected by their predecessor…