Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about “B” films, the first film shown on a double bill.
During the Golden Age of Radio, the Shadow was a crusading crime fighter named Lamont Cranston. In this 1933 English film produced by Real Arts Productions, the Shadow is a villainous murderer and blackmailer. The film opens up with the Shadow demanding payment from a famous lawyer. The Shadow promises to expose the lawyer who can’t pay. Facing exposure and
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940) starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan is my favorite Charlie Chan film. Charlie Chan is searching for a murderer in a wax museum. The wax museum is a front for a plastic surgeon, who changes the appearance of wanted criminals for a price. The surgeon Dr. Cream, played by C. Henry Gordon, also
The Gorilla (1939) is a comedy-mystery “B” film starring the Ritz Brothers, Joseph Calleia, Bela Lugosi and Lionell Atwill. The film was produced by Twentieth-Century Fox before they quit making “B” films, the first film on a double bill. The Ritz Brothers were active between 1925 and the 1960s, when Al Ritz the oldest brother passed away. The brothers made
The Vampire Bat (1933) is a genre bending film starring Lionel Atwill. Ostensibly, it is a horror film but is actually more of a mystery. It would fall into the “B” movie category, a short film meant to be the appetizer for the main film on a double bill. Majestic Pictures produced the film, which was directed by Frank R.
The Woman in Green (1945) is the ninth of twelve Sherlock Holmes produced by Universal Pictures. Basil Rathbone returns as Holmes in the eleventh of fourteen turns as the English sleuth. The film is one of the few “B” series films, which could have been an “A” film. Sherlock Holmes investigates the murder of several young London women. After they
On March 16, 1945, Universal Pictures released The House of Fear (1945), the eighth of twelve Sherlock Holmes films produced by the studio. Basil Rathbone returned as Holmes for the tenth time. Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes twice for Twentieth Century – Fox before Universal started producing the series. Despite its late entry into the series, the film (affiliate link) stands
Universal Pictures released the thirteenth of fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes on February 1, 1946. Twentieth Century-Fox produced the first two films. Universal produced the final 12 films. Terror By Night (1946) finds Holmes hired to protect the Star of Rhodesia diamond on a train bound for Scotland. Rodney Carstairs hires Holmes to protect the
On May 20, 1947, Ralph Byrd returned to the Dick Tracy franchise in Dick Tracy’s Dilemma (1947). It was welcome news for fans of the franchise although Chester Gould was a notable exception. Gould created the Tracy character for the comic page of the Detroit Mirror. After the Chicago Tribune picked up the comic for syndication, it’s popularity exploded. Gould
The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935) is an adaptation of one of the Ellery Queen novels. Two cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee, who wrote a number of detective novels under the pseudonym of the title character. In this film, Ellery Queen is taking a vacation to California with his friend Judge Macklin. Of course, they are not long into their
Chester Gould created the Dick Tracy comic strip in 1931. Originally published through the Detroit Metro, the strip moved to the Chicago Tribune where it made the paper and Gould rich through syndication. It was only a matter of time before Dick Tracy made his debut on the silver screen. Ralph Byrd played Dick Tracy in four 15 chapter serials