The Whistler (1944)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Eric Taylor (writer)
J. Donald Wilson (story)

Release Date:

30 March 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Radio's Master of Mystery... NOW on the Screen!

Plot:

A man, despondent over the death of his wife, wants to commit suicide but can't bring himself to do it...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Suicide | Murder Contract | Car Crash | Cult Director

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Earl C. Conrad
Gloria Stuart	...	Alice Walker
J. Carrol Naish	...	The Killer
Alan Dinehart	...	Gorman

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9992)

Company:

Larry Darmour Productions

Trivia:

A series of seven "The Whistler" movies appeared. Richard Dix appeared in 6 of them - all but the last. Unusually, he played a different character in each.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in You're Never Too Young (1955)

Faithful to the Radio Series

Fans of the radio series will not be dissapointed by this little gem of a thriller. Richard Dix gives a great performance as a man who puts a contract out on his own life. He is upset because he has not gotten over his wife drowning in the Pacific Ocean on a vacation three years ago. He then gets a wire saying his wife is alive, will be home soon, and now has to hurry and stop the contract. The only thing this was missing that was common in the radio play was a suprise ending. Very often in the radio series, it was never a question of whodunit, as it was often told through the killer's point of view, but it was how they were going to trip themselves up or get caught. And it was always with a twist.