The Hat Box Mystery (1947)

Susan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the ... See full summary »

Director:

Lambert Hillyer

Writers:

Carl K. Hittleman (screenplay), Carl K. Hittleman (story),

Stars:

Tom Neal, Pamela Blake, Allen Jenkins

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Neal	...	Russ Ashton
Pamela Blake	...	Susan Hart
Allen Jenkins	...	'Harvard'
Virginia Sale	...	Veronica Hoopler
Leonard Penn	...	Stevens, aka John Moreland
Olga Andre	...	Marie Moreland
Tom Kennedy	...	Patrolman Outside Embassy Apartments
Al Hill	...	Flint, the Boss
Edward Keane	...	District Attorney
Zon Murray	...	Joe, a thug
Bob Nunes
Jack Cheatham	...	Policeman

Storyline

Susan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Susan is charged with murder, but Russ and his less-than-useful associate, Harvard, get on the case and prove that the fatal shot was fired by the killer from across the street.

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Plot Keywords:

murder

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1947 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Guild Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by The Case of the Baby Sitter (1947)

User Reviews

Short, but Enjoyable B- Mystery

The Ashton Detective Agency needs money badly, so when Russ Ashton is called away to Washington on a case, secretary Susan Hart takes on an infidelity case where she has to photograph a man's wife as she leaves an apartment using a camera disguised in a hat box. Susan doesn't realize that the camera camouflages a gun, and Mrs. Moreland (the woman) is shot. Ashton returns to find Susan in jail, so he tries to find the man (Stevens) even though he has a vague description. Stevens and his gang find out that Ashton and his sidekick Harvard, are on his trail so he tries to get him out of the way. Ashton then uses Susan as bait to trap the killers in order to prevent her from being tried for murder. Decent programmer with an enjoyable foursome of Neal, Blake, Jenkins, and Sale making the film seem like an OTR mystery show. The pacing of the film is great, with a lot going on considering the film's run time of 44 minutes. The plot is a bit predictable and done before, but the characterizations make it fun. Rating, 7.