The Black Raven (1943)

A group of strangers are brought together in an old, dark house and must contend with two murders and $50,000 in stolen money.

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writer:

Fred Myton (original screenplay)

Stars:

George Zucco, Wanda McKay, Noel Madison

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Zucco	...	Amos Bradford aka The Raven
Wanda McKay	...	Lee Winfield
Noel Madison	...	Mike Bardoni
Robert Livingston	...	Allen Bentley (as Bob Randall, Robt. Randall)
Byron Foulger	...	Horace Weatherby
Charles Middleton	...	Sheriff (as Charlie Middleton)
Robert Middlemass	...	Tim Winfield
Glenn Strange	...	Andy
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Whitey Cole

Storyline

A group of strangers are brought together in an old, dark house and must contend with two murders and $50,000 in stolen money.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | stolen money | old dark house | backhand slap | punched in the face | 

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Genres:

Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le corbeau noir

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Began shooting February 9 1943, and completed by late February.

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Quotes

Horace Weatherby: Help! Help! Someone tried to break into my room!
Tim Winfield: A man or a woman?
Horace Weatherby: A man, I suppose. Why would a woman want to break into my room?
Tim Winfield: Yeah, I guess you're right.

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Connections

Remake of The Rogues' Tavern (1936)

User Reviews

Surprisingly good considering its lousy pedigree.

This is a cheap B-movie made by a very small studio, PRC. It stars George Zucco--the King of low-budget suspense and horror films of the 1940s. While most every film he starred in for PRC and other poverty row studios were terribly written and had cheap sets and actors, he managed good performances. Plus, while often silly, these films really were a lot of fun.

"Black Raven" is one of his PRC films and once again his performance was pretty good. Apparently old George is a criminal known to the forces of the underworld as "The Raven". You'd think with such a cool name he'd be sort of like Blofeld or Dr. Evil, but this is a kinder, gentler sort of villain (to paraphrase George W.). While a crook, he's a decent sort of crook--with a strong sense of justice.

The weather is awful and bridges have washed away, so several travelers seek refuge George's inn (his legitimate cover). Some of them are crooks themselves (such as an embezzler who just happens to come there on his way across the border to Canada), a couple are running off to Canada to marry because her father is a jerk who won't give consent and, finally, the father arrives. Now talk about a coincidence--this father ALSO happens to be a judge AND George (among others) hates the guy. Eventually, there is a murder and the nice man who is running away with the lady is accused. Here's where it gets odd. The Raven KNOWS that the man is innocent and decides to try to help! Like I said, he's a kindler, gentler sort of crook! Overall, this is a very good film despite its poor pedigree. The plot is tight, the acting (in addition to Zucco) is very nice and it's a surprisingly good B-movie. Well worth seeing--even with a very unusual characterization by the Zucc-Meister!