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The Whistler (1944)
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Overview
User Rating:
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Director:
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Release Date:
30 March 1944 (USA)
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Tagline:
Radio's Master of Mystery... NOW on the Screen!
Plot:
A depressed man hires an assassin to kill him when he least expects it, but when his life takes an upward turn, he finds he now wishes to live. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
William Castle's Daughter Terry Castle Talks Her Dad, His Movies, His Gimmicks, and His Resurrection!
(From Dread Central. 31 August 2010, 4:11 PM, PDT)
In or Around New York City? Then You Can Experience The Return of William Castle!
(From Dread Central. 26 August 2010, 12:37 AM, PDT)
Shadows of Film Noir: The Mark of the Whistler
(From Cinematical. 4 June 2010, 6:45 PM, PDT)
(From Dread Central. 31 August 2010, 4:11 PM, PDT)
In or Around New York City? Then You Can Experience The Return of William Castle!
(From Dread Central. 26 August 2010, 12:37 AM, PDT)
Shadows of Film Noir: The Mark of the Whistler
(From Cinematical. 4 June 2010, 6:45 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Good little B-movie
See more (21 total) »
Cast
(in credits order) | Richard Dix | ... | Earl C. Conrad |
 | Gloria Stuart | ... | Alice Walker |
 | J. Carrol Naish | ... | The Killer |
| Alan Dinehart | ... | Gorman |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Trevor Bardette | ... | The Bum in the Next Bed (uncredited) |
| William 'Billy' Benedict | ... | The Deafmute (uncredited) |
| Charles Coleman | ... | Jennings the Butler (uncredited) |
| Clancy Cooper | ... | Telephone Repairman (uncredited) |
| Don Costello | ... | Lefty Vigran aka Gorss (uncredited) |
| Ralph Dunn | ... | Cop at Car Accident (uncredited) |
| Otto Forrest | ... | The Whistler (uncredited) |
| Byron Foulger | ... | Flophouse Desk Clerk (uncredited) |
| Dick Gordon | ... | Tomley's Assistant (uncredited) |
| Robert Homans | ... | Dock Watchman (uncredited) |
| Jack Ingram | ... | Police Detective in Alley (uncredited) |
| Robert Emmett Keane | ... | Charles 'Charlie' McNear (uncredited) |
| Cy Kendall | ... | Gus (uncredited) |
| George Lloyd | ... | Bill Tomley (uncredited) |
| Kermit Maynard | ... | Detective at Dock (uncredited) |
| Pat O'Malley | ... | Police Detective in Alley (uncredited) |
| Walter Soderling | ... | Man at Flophouse (uncredited) |
| Charles Wagenheim | ... | Man at Flophouse (uncredited) |
 | Joan Woodbury | ... | Antoinette 'Toni' Vigran (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| William Castle | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Eric Taylor | ||
| J. Donald Wilson | story | |
Produced by | |||
| Rudolph C. Flothow | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| René Garriguenc | (uncredited) | ||
| Lucien Moraweck | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| James S. Brown Jr. | (as James S. Brown) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Jerome Thoms | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| George Van Marter | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Sidney Clifford | |||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Richard Monroe | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Hugh McDowell Jr. | .... | sound (as Hugh McDowell) | |
Music Department | |||
| Wilbur Hatch | .... | composer: theme music "The Whistler" | |
Production Companies
- Larry Darmour Productions (as Darmour Inc.)
- Columbia Pictures (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
- Stokey Video (2004) (USA) (VHS)
Additional Details
Also Known As:
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
59 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #9992)
Company:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
There were six entries in the "Whistler" series, and Richard Dix appeared in all but the last one. Unusually, he played a different character in each.See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)See more »
FAQ
List: "The Whistler" radio episodesSee more »
See more (21 total) »
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Whistler (1944)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Series to air on TCM starting 9/1/2012 | michaelhelwick |
| The Whistler series | Rtk725 |
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The "Whistler" was very odd for a B-movie series and so much unlike its contemporaries (such as Charlie Chan or The Falcon). Richard Dix starred in 8 of the 9 films. though he played a totally different character in each--sometimes a good guy and other times a bad one. In many ways, this is reminiscent of Universal's INNER SANCTUM series in that the same actor often played different roles in each film AND the series was NOT the standard detective film but an anthology series--much like TV's TWILIGHT ZONE. The "Whistler" in the titles of most of the films is an unseen guy in the shadows that narrates the film and occasionally makes comments during the film. This format was apparently created for the radio version of "The Whistler".
In this first of the series, Dix plays a depressed man who, instead of suicide, pays an unknown assassin to kill him!! While the whole idea is ridiculous and contrived, it is pretty entertaining--especially when Dix changes his mind and truly wants to live but he isn't sure who is coming to kill him or how to stop the contract! The biggest negative, other than the silliness of the story, was the narration by The Whistler. This narrator talks too much--sometimes making comments or saying things that were obvious to the viewer. I haven't seen the rest of the series, but surely hope this was corrected.