Mysterious Intruder (1946)

Director:

William Castle

Writer:

Eric Taylor (story)

Release Date:

11 April 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

Radio's master of mystery... in his most thrilling case!

Plot:

The sixth entry in the Columbia series based on the CBS radio program, "The Whistler", opens with kindly...

Plot Keywords:

Private Detective | Music Store | Murder | Sequel | Wax Cylinder

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Don Gale
Barton MacLane	...	Detective Taggart
Nina Vale	...	Joan Hill, Gale's Secretary
Regis Toomey	...	James Summers
Helen Mowery	...	Freda Hanson
Mike Mazurki	...	Harry Pontos
Pamela Blake	...	Elora Lund
Charles Lane	...	Detective Burns

Also Known As:

Murder Is Unpredictable (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #11452, General Audience)

Company:

Larry Darmour Productions

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Return of the Whistler (1948)

The best of the series--too bad they weren't all this well-written

The Whistler was both a radio show and a B-movie series from Columbia Pictures. Unlike the usual B-films (which were mostly detective films), this series was more like episodes of the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" television series--each a unique story involving human nature and each one being unique and unrelated to the others. Additionally, all but the final film starred Richard Dix--who played very different characters in all the films.

In this film, Dix plays a private detective who isn't especially honest. When a kindly old man comes to him for help, Dix appears willing to use a bit of larceny to cash in on the man's trust. Throughout the film, you see that above all else, Dix is a man out for himself. Additionally, other selfish characters abound--and soon practically everyone wants to cash in on the old man's secret.

This film is probably the best in the series because the script is much tighter and without the plot holes that sometimes impeded the series. While there are many twists and turns, the script never becomes too complicated and it ends with a wonderful and ironic twist. Additionally, the supporting staff is much better than usual--having many great character actors on hand, such as Mike Muzurki, Barton MacLane and Charles Lane.

The score of 8 is relative to other B-movies. For the genre, it's among the best and not to be missed by old film buffs.