What whodunits did you see/hear/read?

[kjrwe]

Finally...I've gotten around to hearing some radio plays! I started with my faves, which I've heard a number of times already:

From Suspense: Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickson Carr, starring Peter Lorre. In this brilliant radio play, an evil math prof explains to his wife what exactly he has in store for her, and it ain't pretty.

From Suspense: The Devil's Saint by John Dickson Carr, starring Peter Lorre. A young man wants to marry a woman he's just met at a party, but first he has to deal with her eccentric/creepy uncle by following certain instructions which he has for the young man. This involves spending the night in a rather creepy room...

From Suspense: Will You Make a Bet With Death? by John Dickson Carr. A rather terrified man is on a slow boat ride at a carnival with a woman he meets at the carnival, and he is explaining to her a bet which he made with his nasty stepfather...a bet about death.

From Suspense: Want Ad, starring Robert Cummings. Brilliant inverted whodunit about a thief-murderer who gets exactly what's coming to him. Of all the inverted whodunits I've come across, this one I'm sure has the best ending. Highly recommended.

From Suspense: The Doctor Prescribed Death, starring Bela Lugosi. A doctor has an unusual psychological theory: someone who is suicidal can be convinced to murder another human being (instead of committing suicide), and he decides to find someone suicidal to prove his theory.

From Suspense: The Fountain Plays, by Dorothy Sayers, starring Edmund Gwenn. A excellent example of the kinds of skeletons which can exist in the closet of a fancy British mansion. All that comes with blackmail, of course! One of her best, for sure.

From Campbell's Playhouse: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie. Orson Welles plays both Poirot and Doctor Sheppard. Edna May Oliver plays Caroline Sheppard. I really like Orson Welles' introduction: he has some kind words to say about murder mysteries! The Citizen Kane crowd might want to take note.

From The Weird Circle: A Terrible Night. Here's an example of what can happen to people who get lost in the Canadian wilderness. Moral of the story: don't get lost in the Canadian wilderness.

From Inner Sanctum: The Voice on the Wire. A widow on an island is being terrorized by mysterious phone calls where the same mysterious person keeps telling her that she only has a few hours to live.

[kjrwe]

The Fat Man (1951) P.I. crime film directed by William Castle. Based on a radio drama of the same name, with J. Scott Smart. It's sort of a rip off of Nero Wolfe but it has a nice cast.  Julie London, Rock Hudson, Jayne Meadows, John Russell, and Emmett Kelly. 6-7/10.

That is a nice cast, for sure. Maybe I'll head the radio play first. Thanks for posting!

[cigar joe]

That is a nice cast, for sure. Maybe I'll head the radio play first. Thanks for posting!

It's on Youtube.

[kjrwe]

It's on Youtube.

These days, I'm watching some old film noir faves. I haven't been reviewing them because I have reviewed them in the past on IMDb, and I'm just bored of reviewing them.

(By the way, cigar joe, regarding the tcm messages boards: when the threads get too big there, they take forever to open. That's why I had to unsubscribe from your film noir thread and from a few other threads there. Frankly, I don't see why threads have to get so big anyway.)

[kjrwe]

Okay, I took a bit of a break from my beloved whodunits to watch film noirs and even some Christmas films (all of which I'm too lazy to review).

Tonight I want to watch a couple of old fave whodunits:

The Verdict (1940s)....a very underrated Peter Lorre-Sydney Greenstreet collaboration, and an underrated film in general. A high-ranking officer of Scotland Yard realizes that he sent the wrong man to be hanged for the murder of an elderly lady. He's dismissed as a result of the slip-up which lead to this and he decides to watch with some amusement as a younger man takes over his job...and this new officer has the tough task of trying to solve the murder of the elderly lady's nephew. Lovely gothic locked-room mystery which also works as film noir. This movie really needs to be better known! One of my favourite conclusions ever, too.

Green for Danger (1940s)....two murders take place at a hospital in war-torn Britain, and it's up to Inspector Cockrill (the great Alastair Sim) to figure out whodunit and how the crime was committed. I especially like the final 15 minutes of this film, and in particular, the final minute of the movie.

[greenbudgie]

Okay, I took a bit of a break from my beloved whodunits to watch film noirs and even some Christmas films (all of which I'm too lazy to review).

Tonight I want to watch a couple of old fave whodunits:

Green for Danger (1940s)....two murders take place at a hospital in war-torn Britain, and it's up to Inspector Cockrill (the great Alastair Sim) to figure out whodunit and how the crime was committed. I especially like the final 15 minutes of this film, and in particular, the final minute of the movie.

I've just watched Alastair Sim in his debut film for the first time. 'The Riverside Murders' (1935). He uses a really broad Scottish accent in that one. He sounds very different from that genteel accent that we all know him for.

[kjrwe]

I've just watched Alastair Sim in his debut film for the first time. 'The Riverside Murders' (1935). He uses a really broad Scottish accent in that one. He sounds very different from that genteel accent that we all know him for.

I've never heard of that one, but I'd love to see it! Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Tonight, it's The Spiral Staircase which I've seen many times. I love that film, but I wish that I could see The Riverside Murders.....

[greenbudgie]

Tonight, it's The Spiral Staircase which I've seen many times. I love that film, but I wish that I could see The Riverside Murders.....

I watched 'The Spiral Staircase' last week and something occurred to me for the first time. Spoilers following for any other readers:-

When Helen goes to make that final telephone call, after the shooting on the stairs, she descends the staircase. Surely she is going the wrong way down into the cellar. And yet she ends up in the living quarters with the telephone in the hallway. I hadn't noticed any telephone down there or any furniture when I've seen the film before. Just where they keep the wine and spirits and lumber space.

Have I got it wrong? Or has the film goofed at that point?

[kjrwe]

I watched 'The Spiral Staircase' last week and something occurred to me for the first time. Spoilers following for any other readers:-

When Helen goes to make that final telephone call, after the shooting on the stairs, she descends the staircase. Surely she is going the wrong way down into the cellar. And yet she ends up in the living quarters with the telephone in the hallway. I hadn't noticed any telephone down there or any furniture when I've seen the film before. Just where they keep the wine and spirits and lumber space.

Have I got it wrong? Or has the film goofed at that point?

Hmmm...I never noticed! I'll be on the lookout for that next time I watch that film.

Hey, have you heard the radio play The Spiral Staircase? Dorothy McGuire also stars in it. When I heard it a few years ago, it was interesting to see how they handled a mute character on radio. Very well done!

[kjrwe]

I watched two 1930s whodunits tonight, both of which I've seen at least a couple times before.

The Crime Nobody Saw: three writers have been hired to write a whodunit play, and they're out of ideas. Their boss is pissed. Then, an attractive neighbor shows up and certain other events happen, events which might provide these three authors with some ideas for their play. I really like the ending of this film. By the way, this movie is based on an Ellery Queen play which I haven't read (but would like to). This film doesn't feature Ellery Queen's most famous detective. (Most of their literature does.)

The Murder Man: a big-shot fellow (in finance or something) is murdered and his partner is charged with the murder. This mystery is quite different from other 1930s whodunits because the stars are mostly big-name actors: Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce. That was unusual in those days.  Another star is Robert Barrat, who always gave terrific performances in 1930s mysteries. I was especially impressed with Spencer Tracy's acting here, especially with his work  in the last 15 minutes of the movie. The only problem I have with this film is that it's too predictable. Still, it's a fine mystery-drama set in a newspaper office environment. It's probably best to view this movie as a thriller rather than as a whodunit.

I recommend both of these films.

[greenbudgie]

Hey, have you heard the radio play The Spiral Staircase? Dorothy McGuire also stars in it. When I heard it a few years ago, it was interesting to see how they handled a mute character on radio. Very well done!

I haven't heard that radio version yet. My mind is boggling on the thought of a mute character in an audio-only production.

[greenbudgie]

I've just been pleased to se Boris Karloff in a detective role other Mr Wong who I do enjoy watching also. In 'Colonel March Investigates' (1953) he solves bizarre crimes for the police. He gets surrounded by quirky characters in quirky situations. It's a pity that this was just a one-off film for the character. It's actually 3 episodes strung together by Eros Films from a short-lived TV series.

[cigar joe]

Zero Effect (1998)



A sort of riff on Sherlock Holmes/Nero Wolf type eccentric detectives where their sidekicks do a lot of the legwork. Daryl Zero (Bill Pullman) is the "worlds greatest detective" his assistant is Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller), Arlo functions as the Dr. Watson/Archie Goodwin partner in sleuthing. 

Daryl Zero is a bit of a recluse with no social skills and similar to Sherlock Holmes and his fiddle plays the electric guitar badly. In this case Daryl actually becomes emotionally involved with a woman. entertaining 8/10.

[kjrwe]

Nice to be back. I haven't been posting these past few days because I've been watching 1930s isolated mansion mysteries:

Midnight Mystery 1930

Murder at Midnight 1931

The Wayne Murder Case 1932

The Riverside Murder 1935....thanks to another poster on this thread for the recommendation! 

Night of Terror 1933

The Ghost Walks 1934

The Moonstone 1934

One Frightened Night 1935

The Rogues Tavern 1936

[greenbudgie]

I'm starting to watch the crime films on 'Talking Pictures' channel. I'll pick out the whodunits that I watch on there and give you a few notes on them on here. I've just created a 'Talking Pictures' crime list on IMDb. To view what I shall be watching in the near future please click on below:-

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls027351985/