Tonight's Movie: Meet Boston Blackie (1941)

I just watched MEET BOSTON BLACKIE, the very first film in the long-running BOSTON BLACKIE series, and thought it was delightful.

Chester Morris plays Boston Blackie, a reformed safecracker and thief. Police Inspector Faraday (Richard Lane) is always on Blackie's tail, refusing to believe Blackie is now on the straight and narrow. Naturally, Blackie becomes mixed up with murder and international espionage and Inspector Faraday thinks Blackie is responsible for all sorts of mayhem before Blackie solves the case.

What sets this film apart is the excellent dialogue and a really good performance by Chester Morris, who would play Boston Blackie 14 times between 1941 and 1949. Watching MEET BOSTON BLACKIE it's easy to see why the series was such a success. It has a well-written, interesting mystery which mixes some dark mood -- there's a very creepy murder in a boardwalk house of horrors ride -- with a light touch. One of my favorite lines occurs when Boston Blackie is on the run for his life and someone asks "Who are you?" to which he replies "A fugitive from an autopsy!" The movie is filled with little gems like that.

I'm a Chester Morris fan although I would be the first to admit he comes off better in some films than others; for instance he was excellent in FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937) but SOCIETY DOCTOR (1935) was stolen out from under him by Robert Taylor. Morris is simply wonderful as Boston Blackie, with exactly the right mix of fun and seriousness, capturing someone who thrives on what might be called "interesting" situations but is at heart a good person. His performance had something of a modern feel to it; someone who likes a lighthearted detective series such as CASTLE would probably be right at home watching Morris as Boston Blackie.

The leading lady of this entry is lovely Rochelle Hudson, a very busy actress throughout the '30s and into the early '40s. Her character, Cecilia Bradley, has a "cute meet" with Blackie when he jumps into her car; it reminded me a bit of Don Lockwood jumping into Kathy Selden's car over a decade later in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Cecilia is no shrinking violet and is immediately intrigued by Blackie and determined to help him figure out why several people want him dead. I thought Hudson was excellent and will be looking for more of her films; she costars with Glenn Ford in BABIES FOR SALE (1940) this month on TCM.

Richard Lane plays Inspector Faraday, with Charles Wagenheim as Blackie's sidekick, the Runt, the same sort of character as Goldie in RKO's FALCON series. The cast also includes Constance Worth, Jack O'Malley, Michael Rand (later known as James Seay), George Magrill, Byron Foulger, and Walter Sande.

MEET BOSTON BLACKIE was directed by Robert Florey and shot in black and white by Franz Planer. The movie runs one hour.

MEET BOSTON BLACKIE was a Columbia release. It does not appear to have been released on DVD or VHS. Some of the other films in the series have been released in the Sony Choice MOD line or on Region 2 DVDs in Europe.

MEET BOSTON BLACKIE can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Previous reviews of Chester Morris movies: THE DIVORCEE (1930), RED-HEADED WOMAN (1932), SOCIETY DOCTOR (1935), MOONLIGHT MURDER (1936), FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937), SKY GIANT (1938), SMASHING THE RACKETS (1938), NO HANDS ON THE CLOCK (1941), and DOUBLE EXPOSURE (1944).

Tonight's Movie: After Midnight With Boston Blackie (1943)

AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE is the solid fifth entry in the long-running series, directed at a fast clip by Lew Landers.

Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) and his sidekick the Runt (George E. Stone) are on a train headed for New York when Blackie receives a telegram from Betty Burnaby (Ann Savage) asking for his help. Seems sweet Betty's father (Walter Baldwin) just got out of jail but is missing.

Blackie is soon mixed up with diamonds and murder...and needless to say, Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) and Det. Sgt. Mathews (Walter Sande) are hot on Blackie's trail, and Blackie's wealthy friend Arthur (Lloyd Corrigan) is mixed up in the events as well.

It's all over and done with in 65 minutes, but Chester Morris fans will have a good time. My favorite bit was Inspector Farraday putting handcuffs on Blackie, saying they're a new type he won't be able to get out of -- well, Boston Blackie fans know how that will end! One of these days the Inspector will learn... Blackie's playful confidence in this situation is most appealing. I also enjoyed the clever way Blackie hides the diamonds.

I was interested that the film has quite a bit of wartime atmosphere, with repeated references to rubber shortages and gas rationing; there's even a poster prominently advising to "Save Rubber - Check Your Tires Now." A blackout practice provides a key plot element late in the movie.

Ann Savage, who has a relatively small role as lovely young Betty, would go on to noir fame as the wicked, wicked lead character of the 1945 film DETOUR.

Here's a nice rundown on the movie from Jay Steinberg at the TCM site: "[Morris's]...most lasting legacy, though, came from the fourteen Columbia mystery programmers of the '40s in which he starred as Jack Boyle's dapper, insouciant ex-jewel thief/amateur sleuth Horatio Black, known to his circle as Boston Blackie. By the time of the series' fifth entry...the formula had been well established, and the film is exemplary. It boasts plenty of plot convolutions to fill an hour's running time, and plenty of opportunity for Morris and the series' other regulars to provide the witty performances that gave the Blackie films their charm."

This film is not yet on DVD and does not appear to have had a release on VHS. It can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Previous BOSTON BLACKIE reviews: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), and BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942).

Films directed by Lew Landers which have previously been reviewed at this site: NIGHT WAITRESS (1936), WITHOUT ORDERS (1936), FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937), THEY WANTED TO MARRY (1937), THE MAN WHO FOUND HIMSELF (1937), DANGER PATROL (1937), BORDER CAFE (1937), DOUBLE DANGER (1938), CRASHING HOLLYWOOD (1938), SKY GIANT (1938), SMASHING THE RACKETS (1938), TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (1939), CONSPIRACY (1939), STAND BY ALL NETWORKS (1942), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), THUNDER MOUNTAIN (1947), DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950), and MAN IN THE DARK (1952).

Tonight's Movie: Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion (1945)

BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945), the eighth film in the long-running mystery series, is an especially strong entry.

Chester Morris again stars as ex-con Boston Blackie, magician and master of disguise, who this time around inadvertently becomes involved in the sale of a counterfeit rare book. Before too long, there's also been a murder...

Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) should know better by now than to accuse Blackie of a crime, but if he had common sense the movies would be a lot shorter! Blackie must evade being arrested by the inspector while solving the crime on his own; suspects include a crook on the lam, Jack Higgins (Steve Cochran, in his first movie), whose wife Gloria (Lynn Merrick) works in the bookstore.

I continue to very much enjoy this series, chiefly because Chester Morris is so much fun as the title character. His Blackie is charming and eminently capable, in control of any situation, even when the chips don't seem to be falling his way.

Merrick is very good as the seemingly sweet Gloria, who turns out to have a lethal streak. Cochran as her husband seems a bit wary of his wife, and rightfully so!

Lloyd Corrigan returned to the recurring role of Blackie's friend, businessman Arthur Manleder, which had been played by Harrison Greene in the previous film, ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944). BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION was the last of Corrigan's half dozen appearances in the series.

George E. Stone, who plays Blackie's righthand man, the Runt, would continue on for another five films, until the next-to-last BOSTON BLACKIE entry in 1948.

BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION was directed by Arthur Dreifuss and filmed by George Meehan. It runs 66 minutes.

This movie is not available on VHS or DVD, but it's been shown from time to time on Turner Classic Movies.

Previous BOSTON BLACKIE reviews: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942), AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (1943), and ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944).

Tonight's Movie: Alias Boston Blackie (1942)

ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE is the third film in the long-running series starring Chester Morris as a reformed safecracker. It's an enjoyable mystery set during the yuletide season.

This time around Blackie takes a group of performers to entertain at a prison on Christmas Eve. The movie's off to a fun start when it becomes apparent that the bus driver is none other than Lloyd Bridges in a nonspeaking bit part -- one of 25 films Bridges appeared in which were released in 1942!

Having seen Lloyd Bridges this year in a very memorable role in TRY AND GET ME (1950), it's fun to see him when he was just starting out. It's also fun if the viewer knows that Larry Parks, who plays a prison inmate who escapes on the bus, was Bridges' closest friend. Bridges was best man when Parks married Betty Garrett, and she later became the godmother of Beau Bridges.

But enough trivia and back to the story! Parks plays Joe, who was sent up the river for a murder he didn't commit. Joe's sister Eve (Adele Mara) is one of the chorus girls Blackie takes to entertain at the prison. Needless to say, it's up to Boston Blackie to find the real murderer and clear Joe's name.

The movie is a well-paced 67 minutes, and the Christmas touches here and there make it a bit different from the usual series mystery. This would be a fun "outside the box" title for TCM to show at Christmastime. Jacqueline looked further at the Christmas angle in a post last December at Another Old Movie Blog.

Chester Morris gives another assured performance as Boston Blackie. Morris enjoyed doing magic tricks off the screen, and his abilities in that regard surely add an extra-smooth touch to Blackie's expertise removing handcuffs and pulling other sleight-of-hand tricks.

The usual series regulars are along for the adventure, including Richard Lane as Inspector Farraday, Walter Sande as Detective Matthews, Lloyd Corrigan as Blackie's friend Arthur, and George E. Stone as Blackie's sidekick, the runt.

Adele Mara appeared as Rita Hayworth's sister in YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942) the same year ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE was released; as a matter of fact, Larry Parks had a small role in that film too.  Mara is seen here at the right in a YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER still along with Hayworth, Leslie Brooks, and Catherine Craig. Mara later married TV writer-producer Roy Huggins of MAVERICK and THE ROCKFORD FILES. Her brother, Luis Delgado, was James Garner's longtime stand-in and assistant.

This is the first of three Boston Blackie films directed by "B" movie specialist Lew Landers. I've been enjoying catching up with Landers' films in recent months; a complete list of Landers reviews can be found at the end of this post. Landers keeps the story moving along, including an entertaining chase scene with cars careening around the city streets of the Columbia backlot.

A small number of BOSTON BLACKIE films have been released on MOD DVD-Rs from Sony/Columbia, but this does not appear to be one of them.

Previous BOSTON BLACKIE reviews: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941) and CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941).

Films directed by Lew Landers which have previously been reviewed at this site: NIGHT WAITRESS (1936), WITHOUT ORDERS (1936), FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937), THEY WANTED TO MARRY (1937), THE MAN WHO FOUND HIMSELF (1937), DANGER PATROL (1937), DOUBLE DANGER (1938), CRASHING HOLLYWOOD (1938), SKY GIANT (1938), SMASHING THE RACKETS (1938), TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (1939), CONSPIRACY (1939), STAND BY ALL NETWORKS (1942), THUNDER MOUNTAIN (1947), DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950), and MAN IN THE DARK (1952).

Tonight's Movie: One Mysterious Night (1944)

One of the fun things about "B" movie series of the classic film era is that they served as a training ground for up-and-coming filmmakers.

A case in point is ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT, the seventh title in the 14-film BOSTON BLACKIE mystery series starring Chester Morris. ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT was directed by one Oscar Boetticher, who today is much better known as Budd Boetticher, the name he began using for billing starting in 1950. That was right around the same time his career really began to take off, with BULLFIGHTER AND THE LADY (1951) followed by a series of Universal Westerns and eventually his famed seven-film collaboration with Randolph Scott.

ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT was also the biggest role to date for future Oscar winner Dorothy Malone, who'd begun toiling in bit parts in 1943. She plays the innocent sister of a man who collaborates in a diamond theft. Shortly thereafter she would have a small but flashy role as the bookstore clerk who memorably flirts with Humphrey Bogart in THE BIG SLEEP (1946), which was largely filmed the same year ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT was released; she continued onward and upward from there.

In ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT Boston Blackie and his sidekick the Runt (George E. Stone) work to help Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) recover a famous stolen diamond.

Blackie and the Runt go from one scrape to the next in this 61-minute film, trailed by elegantly dressed reporter Dorothy Anderson (Janis Carter), who reports on their every move.

The film is nothing particularly special but, like the other films in the series, it's pleasant company, and Chester Morris is always a fun and even reassuring film presence.

Blonde beauty Janis Carter would go on to play a pair of riveting femme fatales in NIGHT EDITOR (1946) and FRAMED (1947). She deserves to be better remembered today.

Blackie's wealthy friend Arthur Manleder is played by Harrison Greene in this entry, but the actor who had previously played Arthur, Lloyd Corrigan, would return to the role in the next film, BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945).

The cast also includes William Martens, Robert Williams, Pat O'Malley, Minerva Urecal, and Robert E. Scott (later known as Mark Roberts).

This Columbia film is one of a handful of titles in the Boston Blackie series which have been released on DVD in the Sony Choice/Columbia "MOD" line. It can be rented from ClassicFlix.

Previous BOSTON BLACKIE reviews: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942), AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), and THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (1943).

2021 Update: This film is now also available in a three-film Boston Blackie DVD set from Mill Creek and Critics' Choice.  (2026 Update: The disc is no longer for sale from Critics' Choice so I've removed the link.)

Tonight's Movie: The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)

THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME is an average entry in the long-running Boston Blackie series, notable as the feature film debut of future horror master William Castle.

The sixth Boston Blackie film finds Blackie sponsoring a group of parolees. The men have been let out of prison early in a pilot program giving ex-cons factory work to support the war effort.

Blackie gets involved in clearing one of the men (Erik Rolf) who kills a former associate in self-defense hours after being released from prison.

During the course of the film Blackie and his sidekick Runt (George E. Stone) masquerade as both cops and cleaning ladies, and in a particularly amusing sequence they attempt to escape from Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) and Sergeant Matthews (Walter Sande) in a dumbwaiter.

It's an entertaining enough 65 minutes, with a lively climax, but it's not one of the stronger efforts in the series. The following year Castle directed a Robert Mitchum programmer, WHEN STRANGERS MARRY (1944), with quite a bit more flair than is seen here.

The supporting cast includes Lloyd Corrigan as Blackie's friend Arthur, plus Ray Teal, Jeanne Bates, Maude Eburne, Arthur Hunnicutt, and Cy Kendall.

This film isn't out on DVD or VHS, but it can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

The TCM website, incidentally, indicates this film has also been shown under the title THE GAMBLE OF BOSTON BLACKIE.

Earlier this year Ivan wrote about THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear as part of a William Castle blogathon. Ivan points out how many good directors did early career work on films in the Boston Blackie series, including not only Castle but Budd Boetticher and Edward Dmytryk.

Previous BOSTON BLACKIE reviews: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942), and AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943).

Tonight's Movie: Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942)

BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD is a strong entry in the long-running series of films starring Chester Morris. The movie has some very funny dialogue and well-staged action sequences.

Blackie (Morris) is called upon to help out his friend wealthy Arthur (series regular Lloyd Corrigan) who is being swindled by jewel thieves for $60,000. As usual, Police Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) thinks reformed safecracker Blackie is up to no good, going so far as to follow Blackie cross-country to Hollywood, where Blackie plans to meet Arthur.

There aren't many names in the cast, other than a young Forrest Tucker, nor is there any Hollywood atmosphere to speak of, but the film succeeds thanks to a very good script (by Paul Yawitz) and a nimble performance by Morris, who seems to be having a grand time.

By now those who are familiar with the series can really appreciate some of the jokes, such as Farraday not even bothering to put handcuffs on Blackie, as he can get out of any pair ever invented! Morris as Blackie has a great way with comedy, and he also has some very smooth moves in the nicely done climactic action sequences. It's easy to see why this series continued for so long, as Morris is terrific in the title role.

One of my favorite bits has Blackie and other characters involved in a chase entering a befuddled older couple's apartment as they are listening to a radio show. It's a cute moment which is a good example of the movie's sense of humor.

This was the first movie directed by Michael Gordon, who would later direct films such as THE SECRET OF CONVICT LAKE (1951), PILLOW TALK (1959), and BOYS' NIGHT OUT (1962).

This 68-minute film also features Constance Worth, William Wright, and Shirley Patterson, with George E. Stone returning as the Runt and Walter Sande again playing Detective Sgt. Mathews. Lloyd Bridges has a bit role.

BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD has not had a release on DVD or video. It can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Previous BOSTON BLACKIE reviews: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), and ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942).

Tonight's Movie: Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941)

CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE is the second film in the long-running series which began with MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941). While not as good as its predecessor, CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE provides pleasant entertainment.

This time around reformed safecracker Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) is involved in a case involving murder and a stolen statue. The valuable statue belongs to Diane Parrish (Harriet Hilliard, later known as Harriet Nelson), who plans to auction it off as she needs the money. However, she realizes at the auction that the real statue has disappeared and the one up for auction is a fake.

Meanwhile, someone at the auction is shot and Blackie is unjustly accused of murder; then the body disappears...

I didn't find the dialogue as sharp as it was in the first film, and while Harriet Hilliard's character is sweet and pretty, she doesn't have the fun relationship with Blackie that he enjoyed with Rochelle Hudson's Celia in the earlier movie.

Still, Morris continues to be engaging as the quick-witted Blackie, and the film moves along briskly with a 65-minute running time. Like the Falcon series I've watched over the last year and a half, it's the equivalent of "movie comfort food," and just the ticket if the viewer is pressed for time or not up to watching something a little more emotionally demanding. I'll definitely be back for more of this series.

George E. Stone takes over the role of Blackie's sidekick "The Runt" from Charles Wagenheim in this film; Stone would play the role 11 more times, out of a 14-film series. Richard Lane returns as Inspector Farraday; same role, but a different spelling of the character's name, as it was Faraday in the first film. Later in the series it appears his first name will change from John to William!

The cast also includes Joan Woodbury, Lloyd Corrigan, and Walter Sande.

CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE was one of a number of series and "B" films directed by Edward Dmytryk early on in his career. Movies such as MURDER, MY SWEET (1944) and TILL THE END OF TIME (1946) weren't too many more years off at the time he made this movie.

There's an interesting Boston Blackie website which has lots of links about the movie series.

Tonight's Movie: Wrecking Crew (1942)

Chester Morris had a great run playing safecracker-turned-detective Boston Blackie for Columbia Pictures from 1941 to 1949.

For many of those years, Morris was also putting out films for Pine-Thomas Productions, which made "B" movies released by Paramount. Morris alternated making one or two Pine-Thomas movies for every Boston Blackie film. WRECKING CREW was one of Morris's early Pine-Thomas movies, released between BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942) and AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943).

The Pine-Thomas films generally starred mix-and-match combinations of Morris, Richard Arlen, Jean Parker, and Nancy Kelly; in the case of WRECKING CREW, the stars are Morris, Arlen, and Parker.

Arlen plays Matt Carney, the head of a wrecking crew demolishing an old hotel. Morris is Duke, a wrecking ball expert. Matt and Duke wrangle over Peggy (Parker), a despondent woman Duke pulls out of the river and gets a job with the company. Peggy is strongly attracted to Duke, but feels she should commit to the more reliable Matt.

Morris and Parker are appealing, and the cast has some solid pros, including Esther Dale as the company owner and Joe Sawyer as a crew member. The movie is reasonably entertaining, but it's very clearly low-budget stuff.

WRECKING CREW is not a film for people who don't like heights -- even with obvious back projections, some of the scenes made me shudder. It's the perfect film to go on a double bill with STEEL AGAINST THE SKY (1941), a Warner Bros. programmer with Lloyd Nolan, Alexis Smith, and Craig Stevens. Modern-day OSHA inspectors would be horrified by the conditions depicted in both movies, as well as the devil-may-care attitudes of some of the workers.

Evelyn Brent plays the widow of a crew member (Alexander Granach) killed in an accident. Brent was a silent film star whose roles in the '30s and '40s ranged from appearing as William Powell's leading lady in HIGH PRESSURE (1942) to starring in Westerns with Kermit Maynard and Hopalong Cassidy to playing leads and supporting roles in a variety of "B" movies, as well as the Jack Holt serial HOLT OF THE SECRET SERVICE (1941).

WRECKING CREW was directed by Frank McDonald. It runs 72 minutes.

Like other Pine-Thomas Productions, WRECKING CREW fell into the public domain. It's available on DVD in a soft, fuzzy print with variable sound from Alpha Video. As a fan of Parker and especially Morris, I was glad to have the chance to see the film at all, but only those interested in the cast are likely to want to see the movie in this condition.

The DVD can be rented from ClassicFlix.

WRECKING CREW is also available on YouTube.

Previous Pine-Thomas films reviewed here are POWER DIVE (1941), which starred Arlen and Parker, NO HANDS ON THE CLOCK (1941) starring Morris and Parker, and DOUBLE EXPOSURE (1944), teaming Morris with Nancy Kelly.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Best wishes for a very happy Valentine's Day!

Here's lovely Lynn Merrick celebrating the holiday in a studio publicity still.

Merrick was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 19, 1919. Initially billed as Marilyn Merrick, she appeared in over 40 films throughout the '40s, mostly at Republic and Columbia.

She was the leading lady in many "B" Westerns and towards the end of her career she was the leading lady in two films in the Boston Blackie series, BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1944) (reviewed by me here) and A CLOSE CALL FOR BOSTON BLACKIE (1946).

She was also the leading lady in VOICE OF THE WHISTLER (1945), opposite Richard Dix, and starred in minor films such as A GUY, A GAL AND A PAL (1945) with future producer Ross Hunter and THE BLONDE FROM BROOKLYN (1945) with Dick Haymes' brother Bob (billed as Robert Stanton).

She left films after I LOVE TROUBLE (1948), returning for one more film in 1955.

Merrick's first husband was actor Conrad Nagel; after they divorced she married again, but that marriage also came to an end.

Lynn Merrick passed on March 25, 2007, in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Los Angeles Times published a nice obituary which included a quote from Western movie historian Boyd Magers.

Previous Valentine's Day Tributes: Dorothy Hart (2015) and Anne Gwynne (2014).

TCM in May: Highlights

April has flown past and it's time to turn the calendar to May!

The online May schedule is titled Now Playing. (As I write this, the May schedule is confusingly labeled April at the top; hopefully that will change once May is here. May 1st Update: It's now fixed!) This is in keeping with the recent news that TCM is discontinuing the print version of the Now Playing guide as of this summer; in the future the network will only provide an online schedule.

Clark Gable is the May Star of the Month. Well over 50 Gable films will be shown on Tuesday evenings in May. I'll have a separate post showcasing the Gable lineup posted here Monday or Tuesday. (Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: Clark Gable.)

The TCM Spotlight will focus on "Creature Features" every Thursday evening, with two dozen "monstrous" films shown this month.

TCM's traditional Memorial Day Weekend marathon will take place from Friday, May 26th, through Monday, May 29th.

Below are just a handful of this month's many highlights; click on any hyperlinked title to read the related review.

...TCM celebrates the centennial birthday of Danielle Darrieux on Monday, May 1st, with a six-film prime time tribute. I recommend THE RAGE OF PARIS (1938), a charming romantic comedy with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The supporting cast is filled with wonderful names like Helen Broderick, Mischa Auer, Louis Hayward, Charles Coleman, and Harry Davenport.

...A prime time tribute to James Whitmore on May 3rd includes the crime film MRS. O'MALLEY AND MR. MALONE (1950). It's lightweight but enjoyable fun, with some good William Bowers dialogue and a deep cast which includes Marjorie Main, Ann Dvorak, Dorothy Malone, Phyllis Kirk, and Fred Clark, not to mention top supporting players like Clinton Sundberg, Regis Toomey, Douglas Fowley, and Frank Cady. Those are plenty of reasons to give the film a look.

..The first night of "Creature Features" on May 4th includes the TCM premiere of REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1955), starring John Agar and Lori Nelson. Also on the schedule to kick off the series is the classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), starring Julie Adams and Richard Carlson.

...Cinco de Mayo features several films with a Mexican setting. It may not be Esther Williams' best film, but I'm quite fond of FIESTA (1947), which has an excellent cast, including Mary Astor, and some fantastic dancing by Cyd Charisse and Ricardo Montalban, seen at right.

...I haven't seen a majority of this month's Noir Alley titles! Eddie Muller kicks off the month on May 7th with Edmond O'Brien in SHIELD FOR MURDER (1954). John Agar and Carolyn Jones costar.

...The prime time theme on May 8th is "Cattle Drives," leading off with the wonderful James Stewart film THE FAR COUNTRY (1954), one of my favorite films Stewart made with director Anthony Mann. You won't forget that jingling bell on the saddle! THE FAR COUNTRY is Caftan Woman's "One for May" pick; read her thoughts here.

...It's Margaret O'Brien day on May 9th, with a run of eight of her films, including the all-time classic MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944). I also particularly recommend the very fine JOURNEY FOR MARGARET (1942), in which she's an orphan of the London Blitz adopted by Robert Young and Laraine Day; LOST ANGEL (1943) in which she's a child genius, costarring James Craig and Marsha Hunt (seen here with O'Brien); and THE SECRET GARDEN (1949), an excellent filming of the Burnett classic with Dean Stockwell and Herbert Marshall.

...A Margaret Rutherford birthday tribute on May 11th includes the very funny mermaid comedy MIRANDA (1948), starring Glynis Johns, and its sequel from several years later, MAD ABOUT MEN (1954). In MIRANDA Rutherford plays an eccentric nurse engaged to look after Johns as the mermaid, and her reaction to meeting a real mermaid is great fun.

...Tim Holt stars in THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD (1957) on May 11th. It's part of the second evening of "Creature Features." As a Holt fan I need to see this one!

...James Stewart, Janet Leigh, and Robert Ryan star in Anthony Mann's THE NAKED SPUR (1953) on May 13th. A classic. It's also being shown on May 23rd.

...On the 14th Noir Alley features another new-to-me crime film, THE PROWLER (1951), starring Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes.

...George Brent and Jean Arthur star in the romantic comedy MORE THAN A SECRETARY (1936) on May 15th. Some of the film is quite outdated, while at the same time some of it seems very modern. It has a terrific supporting cast including Reginald Denny, Ruth Donnelly, and Lionel Stander. Check it out for lighthearted fun.

...On May 17th TCM pays tribute to the lovely and talented Frances Dee with a seven-film prime time tribute. The tribute includes the TCM premieres of three films: HAPPY LAND (1943) with Don Ameche, AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY (1931) with Phillips Holmes, and FOUR FACES WEST (1948) with Dee's husband, Joel McCrea. FOUR FACES WEST, costarring Charles Bickford and Joseph Calleia, is a superb, unusual Western which I recommend most highly; in fact, I'd go so far as to say if you try just one movie on TCM this month, let it be this one. The other Dee films showing on the 17th are I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943), OF HUMAN BONDAGE (1934), FINISHING SCHOOL (1934), and LOVE IS A RACKET (1932).

...There's a terrific evening of "Creature Features" on May 18th, including two real favorites of mine, THEM! (1954), featuring giant ants, and IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955), in which a giant octopus attacks San Francisco! Seen at right, the cast of IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, Donald Curtis, Kenneth Tobey, and Faith Domergue. Also on that night: THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953), starring Richard Carlson.

...There's an amazing day of mysteries on May 19th, including five Richard Dix "Whistler" mysteries, I LOVE A MYSTERY (1945) with Jim Bannon and Nina Foch, and THE UNKNOWN (1946) with Bannon and Jeff Donnell. I saw the latter two films at UCLA last year as part of a series titled Out of the Ether: Radio Mysteries and Thrillers On Screen.

...The Boston Blackie series will be featured as the Saturday morning "series" movie beginning May 20th, starting off with MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941). There won't be a Saturday morning series film later in the month due to Memorial Day Weekend, but look for Boston Blackie films to resume airing on TCM Saturday mornings in June.

...May 20th: Fred Astaire. Rita Hayworth. Jerome Kern. YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942). Be there.

...Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, and Raymond Burr star in CRIME OF PASSION (1957), the Noir Alley film airing on May 21st.

...Tyrone Power and Kim Novak star in THE EDDIE DUCHIN STORY (1958) on May 24th.

...The last evening of "Creature Features" on May 25th includes TARANTULA (1955), starring John Agar and Mara Corday.

...DANCING CO-ED (1939), airing May 26th, is terrific MGM fun. Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Richard Carlson, and Artie Shaw star.

...Titles I especially recommend in the Memorial Day Weekend marathon are ABOVE AND BEYOND (1952) with Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker, showing on May 26th, and ONE MINUTE TO ZERO (1952) with Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth (seen at right). The latter film will air May 27th.

...The final Noir Alley title for May, JOURNEY INTO FEAR (1943), is the only one this month I've previously seen! Joseph Cotten, Dolores Del Rio, and Ruth Warrick star along with an interesting supporting cast. Norman Foster directed, perhaps with some help from Orson Welles, who cowrote the screenplay with Cotten. This film is one of several "spy movie classics" being shown May 28th as part of the Memorial Day Weekend marathon.

...The Memorial Day Weekend marathon concludes Monday evening, May 29th, with several submarine films, including THE ENEMY BELOW (1957) with Robert Mitchum (left) and Curt Jurgens, directed by Dick Powell.

...There's a fantastic Howard Hawks birthday tribute on May 30th, including TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944), THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), and RIO BRAVO (1959). Each of these films is a top-drawer classic in the war, sci-fi, and Western genres, and all three are most highly recommended.

For more on TCM in May, please visit the complete schedule. Additionally, the May promo video reel may be found on Twitter.

Tonight's Movie: The Big Gusher (1951)

Tonight I continued to work my way through the long filmography of "B" movie director Lew Landers, watching THE BIG GUSHER (1951) which was recommended to me last year by readers John Knight and Blake Lucas.

THE BIG GUSHER reunited Landers with Preston Foster, who starred in Landers' very appealing DOUBLE DANGER (1938) a dozen or so years before. Foster teams with Wayne Morris playing Hank and Kenny, partners who get a bonus for bringing in an oil well; they plan to use the bonus money to go into business drilling for themselves.

They're not counting on Hank losing his head over some drinks and a pretty girl (Dorothy Patrick) who earns some needed money on the side manipulating Hank to buy a probably worthless oil lease from Jim Tolman (Emmett Vogan). It looks like Hank and Kenny's money is down the drain, until an old oil man (Paul E. Burns) convinces the partners there's oil on the property...

The plot device of having seemingly responsible Hank get drunk and lose money not once but twice is tiresome, especially as I like Foster and was disappointed in his character. I also wasn't expecting Betsy (Patrick) to be quite so calculating!

That said, this is, as Blake said, "fast and breezy," clocking in at just 68 minutes, and I had a good time watching it. As usual, Landers squeezes the most entertainment value possible out of the script he was handed to work with, and it's a nice way to spend an hour or so.

Foster and Morris have a good relationship, managing to stay on solid footing with each other despite financial and romantic problems, and since I'm a Foster fan I enjoyed that Betsy went for him rather than the younger Morris, who might have been the more conventional matchup. There are even a couple cute jokes about the age issue, and all in all I thought Hank and Betsy's sparring romance was well-handled and a nice change from the usual.

In addition to particularly being a Foster fan, I also like Dorothy Patrick, who starred in films such as BOYS' RANCH (1946) and FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949), to name just a couple.  I'm always glad to have her turn up in a good-sized role, as she does in this film. And how cool is it that Blake knew her when he was a kid?

Stock footage of oil drilling is smoothly mixed in with shots of the actors, and while the film must have had a shoestring budget it's nicely put together and edited. There's even a couple minutes for Cappy (Burns) to give Betsy, and by extension the audience, a brief lesson on oil drilling.

THE BIG GUSHER was written by Daniel Ullman, who also wrote a couple of Westerns I've really liked in the past year, WICHITA (1955) and CANYON RIVER (1956). He also wrote the Wayne Morris Western THE FIGHTING LAWMAN (1953), which unfortunately was a disappointment.

THE BIG GUSHER is out on a nice-looking DVD in the Sony Choice line.

Films directed by Lew Landers which have previously been reviewed at this site: NIGHT WAITRESS (1936), WITHOUT ORDERS (1936), FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937), THEY WANTED TO MARRY (1937), THE MAN WHO FOUND HIMSELF (1937), DANGER PATROL (1937), BORDER CAFE (1937), DOUBLE DANGER (1938), CRASHING HOLLYWOOD (1938), CONDEMNED WOMEN (1938), SKY GIANT (1938), SMASHING THE RACKETS (1938), TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (1939), PACIFIC LINER (1939), CONSPIRACY (1939), STAND BY ALL NETWORKS (1942), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), THUNDER MOUNTAIN (1947), DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950), and MAN IN THE DARK (1952).