Dark Mountain (1944) User Reviews

Cabin Fever

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 14 May 2013]

One of the earliest Pine-Thomas B films from Paramount casts Ellen Drew as a young woman who had a choice between honest forest ranger Robert Lowery and businessman Regis Toomey. She chooses Toomey and finds out that the business he's in is the black market. At that time in 1944 a business frowned on what with war rationing an all.

Gangster Toomey gets involved with two killings, one a cop who rather stupidly tried to bust Toomey without backup and an associate Elisha Cook, Jr., who made it a habit in getting bumped in films one way or another. Now he's a fugitive and he and Drew are hiding out in a mountain cabin provided by Lowery for Drew, although the ranger is no fool and he's getting mighty suspicious.

The leads are attractive enough and Robert Lowery had a decent enough career as a lead in B films like Dark Mountain. But this film really belongs to Regis Toomey. In his rather long career Toomey mostly played nice guys, usually second leads or support. You probably best remember him as the soda jerk in Meet John Doe and as the police lieutenant in The Big Sleep. On television he was a regular in the first incarnation of Burke's Law.

Dark Mountain gave Toomey an opportunity to play a villain and he does well with it. Being stuck up in that mountain cabin for days gave him one of the worst cases of cabin fever I've ever seen on the screen. The lonely life is what a Forest Ranger signs up for, but city boy Toomey is really going stir crazy up there with only Drew to talk to.

Some nice forest fire sequences are in Dark Mountain. Since I haven't seen that film in years I can't say for certain, but my guess is that they're from the Paramount A feature, The Forest Ranger. Dark Mountain is a good noir feature and likely to give shut-ins a bit of familiarity.

dark mountain is light viewing

[froberts73 · 6/10 · 5 April 2011]

This is another of the Pine-Thomas quickies filmed on Paramount's back lot - way back lot.

I enjoy these hour and/or less movies I used to see in my neighborhood theater that specialized in B-movie double features. (Later in life, in the '50s, I introduced such films as late movies on KWWL-TV in Waterloo, IA.).

This flick was too talky, but it had a few things going for it. The opening fire scene was semi-impressive, although it was fairly obvious that the fire was in the background and star, Robert Lowery, leading a couple of equines away from the flames was up front.

The only other scene that qualified as action was the car chase which seemed to be over only a few moments before it began. A highlight was the family pup-o chasing the bad guy. The car seemed to be hitting 80, the dog was running 60 when, suddenly, he caught up with the meanie. The scenes involving man versus dog were quite good.

A plus for me was Robert Lowery (another gent with the same name was a hymn writer). I always enjoyed watching him. He shoulda-coulda have been a star of major productions.

Ellen Drew was a beaut, and my favorite character actor, Elisha Cook Jr. is always a plus, although he did not have much time in this movie. The guy, whose dad was a backstage worker at studios, lived alone in a cave. No phone - they had to send a messenger to fetch him for work. He was always fascinating to watch.

"Dark Mountain" is a fairly competent quickie.

One note: The cover painting showing Lowery and Drew was atrocious. The painting looked no more like him than I do like Gable - or Clooney if you want to get up to date.

A time-passer

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 12 October 2012]

"Dark Mountain" is a super-cheap B-movie from Pine-Thomas Productions ( a subsidiary of Paramount). Being a cheap B, it clocks in at under 60 minutes and stars relatively unknown actors--Robert Lowery, Ellen Drew and Regis Toomey. Eddie Quillan is on hand to provide unnecessary comic relief.

The film begins with a park ranger (Lowery) asking his girlfriend (Drew) to marry him. The trouble is, the sap doesn't know that she just married another guy (Toomey). What she doesn't realize is that her new sweetie is actually a mobster--and a very nasty one at that. She finds out the hard way when she sees him murder his partner! Now, he decides to use her as a hostage to guarantee his escape from the law. Can her old beau somehow come to the rescue...or at least can his dog come to the rescue?!

This film is an inoffensive B with no real surprises (other than the great performance by the dog). Not a terrible film but also not a very good one. And, by the way, cars do NOT explode like they do in this film!

For Hard Core Crime Film Fans Only!

[swfan62 · 19 August 2004]

Had a chance to check out this "B" quickie last night and didn't think it was anything special. With it's 57 minute running time, fairly bland characters and familiar plot, it felt more like an episode of some 1950's anthology series as opposed to a movie. Basically, Ellen Drew plays a woman who marries a mobster (Regis Toomey) without knowing it and becomes innocently implicated in a murder her husband commits. The authorities are after her so jilted love, Robert Lowery, a park ranger, hides her away in a cabin on a remote mountain-top because he correctly believes she is innocent. The gangster husband followed them and now holds his wife hostage in the cabin. Not really much action here until the end when a car chase ensues around the twisting roads of the the mountain but that's really about it. Lot's of corny dialogue and weak attempts at comic relief by Eddie Quillan as Lowery's partner. Probably the best thing about the movie are some of the outdoor location shots utilized by Director William A. Berke that gave the film a nice atmosphere. All in all, it's probably a film that should be passed up unless your an absolute hard core crime film nitwit like I am.

A Quick One, While He's Away

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 28 June 2010]

After fighting acres of fire, handsome forest ranger Robert Lowery (as Don Bradley) is promoted to oversee the "Dark Mountain" area. He is also granted a furlough for heroism, and gets so excited he kicks over a garbage can on the way out of the supervisor's office. Now, a higher-budgeted film would have done this scene over, but they probably spent all the money on the exciting opening sequence. Mr. Lowery wisely (or accidentally) uses the trip to show his character's excitement. Filmmakers should have left more of these bits in, as add to the believability - and, this film needs all the believability it can get. The characters get wildly incredible.

To celebrate his job success, Lowery goes off to marry his childhood sweetheart, a beautiful and shapely Ellen Drew (as Kay). But, she startles him by introducing her brand new husband, crooked salesman Regis Toomey (as Steve Downey). Don't waste time trying to figure out how Ms. Drew fell so stupidly in love with Mr. Toomey, because she falls out of love just as quickly. Then, she runs back to Lowery, who hides her in his ranger shack without knowing she's concealing Toomey there, too. The story makes little sense; but, if you don't think too hard about the characters' actions, the quick pace and steadfast performances make it enjoyable.

***** Dark Mountain (9/44) William Berke ~ Robert Lowery, Ellen Drew, Regis Toomey, Eddie Quillan

Dark Mountain caught my attention, but Dark Mountain distracted me from itself.

[Movie_Rating_n_Ranking · 6/10 · 25 April 2024]

It has rarely happened to me that I find films too orchestrated. Too structured. With a huge lack of naturalness and fluidity. Dark Mountain seems to have been written by someone specialized in literary stories, but not in the film industry. The story can be entertaining, consistent, and even with humor and action, but the actors seem like mannequins. They don't move or speak like natural people and in the end it is such a noticeable detail that it is annoying.

The film had the potential to be a great thriller, but added to this were the unnecessarily dark photography and a couple of small errors in editing.

Let's also say it's not a disaster. The direction does its best with the few resources at hand and the actors are not necessarily amateurs.

Dark Mountain caught my attention, but Dark Mountain distracted me from itself. Good climax, at least.

Recommended with the warning that it will not be the best 1944 you will ever see in your life.

Every dog will have his day

[sol-kay · 5/10 · 30 April 2008]

***SPOILERS*** After punching out his boss Chief Sanford, Ralph Dunn, to save Joe & Suzy two horses trapped in a barn during a forest fire Forest Ranger Don Bradley, Robert Lowery,instead of getting, pardon the pun, fired got promoted to be in charge of the Dark Mountain Forest Ranger Station.

Being given a week furlough Don rushes to see his girlfriend of some five years Kay, Ellen Drew, to tell her the good news only to find out that she married to successful imported and businessman Steve Downey,Regis Toomey. Feeling at first dejected that Kay dropped him for someone else Don soon takes it all in stride letting bygones be bygones and going back to his job at the Dark Mountains Ranger Station.

It soon turns out that Steve is anything but an honest businessman but a hoodlum who deals in stolen merchandise. With his cover blown by undercover police Detective Lewis, Alex Callam, Steve graduates from black marketeer to cop killer by having Lewis, with the help of his partner in crime Whitey (Elisha Cook Jr), crushed to death with a 100 pound crate dropped on his head. Sneaking into the police interrogation room Steve blasts away his fellow hijacker Hunk, Jerry Fisher, just when he was about to spill the beans on him. In the shootout that followed with the police Steve not leaving any stones unturned also blows away a baldy wounded Whitey who threatened, because of Steve leaving him to get arrested by the police, to rat him out.

On the run with the police hot on his tail Steve ends up at the Dark Mountain Ranger Station where his now estranged wife Kay, who he implicated in his criminal ventures, is on the lamb from the forces and law and order. Don knowing about Kay's predicament, being innocent of the crimes that she's being accused of, keeps her hidden out but doesn't realize that her old man Steve is hiding out with her as well!

The movie has Don completely fooled by Steve who in fact is holding Kay hostage as he travels to the Ranger Station every day bringing Kay food to live on. It's not until much later, like about two months, that Don finally becomes suspicious in that there's someone else at the cabin besides Kay. Even though Steve is hiding in the next room the what seems like not too on the ball Don never once bothers checking the room out!

****SPOILERS**** It takes non other the Don's fellow Ranger Willie Dishmire's, Eddie Quihan, dog Luther to put an end to Steve escape plan. Luther not only saves Kay's life but causes the stir crazy, from being locked up for some two months, Steve to lose control of Don and Willie's dynamite laden station-wagon blowing himself, and one one else in the cast, to smithereens.

He's smart, and he gets what he wants.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 18 November 2022]

When I think of the great movie gangsters, I think of Cagney, Bogart, Robinson, Raft and Toomey. Toomey? Yes, Toomey. As in Regis Toomey? Yep. This hard-working character actor had one of the oddest careers in film history, major supporting roles in films like this and a big part in a classic film like "Meet John Doe" or "The Doughgirls", appearing in a few short scenes with Barbara Stanwyck in the former having been her leading man a decade before in "Shopworn". He's a racketeer who has married Ellen Drew who is on the rebound from mountie Robert Lowery, and when Toomey kills someone who betrays him quite violently, Drew goes into hiding, eventually meeting up with Lowery who seems to be unaware that her hot tempered husband is hiding in the back room of the cabin she's staying in.

It's an absolutely preposterous story, but somehow, it becomes quite an exciting programmer, even featuring a very determined dog and a fabulous climactic chase sequence down a mountain road. Some moments are quite eye-rolling, with an explosive conclusion that had me in hysterics for its ridiculous twist. Of course there's a bit of humor thrown in with Lowery's sidekick (Eddie Quillan) with veteran film noir patsy Elisha Cook Jr. Playing one of Toomey's hoods. I ranked this probably more than it deserves simply because of the films delicious audacity, a confidence in its own amusement that makes it irresistible as the plot develops and more silly twists occur. Lowery and Drew play their roles completely straight, but Toomey really rips into his like he's picking up a steak and biting into it without cutting smaller pieces, obviously thrilled he's got a real acting role and like a dog with a bone is not about to let it go.

B movie that is now in the public domain

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 25 November 2021]

This was thankfully short.

From 1944, Dark Mountain stars Robert Lowery, Ellen Drew, Regis Toomey, Eddie Quillan, and Elisha Cook, Jr.

Kay Downey (Drew) finds out her new husband Steve (Toomey) is a total gangster, dealing in stolen goods and stooping even lower - murder. He has to get out of town and insists she accompany him, when all she wants to do is leave, period. At a certain point, they separate - he gives her a way to reach him after things have cooled off.

Kay goes running to Don Bradley, who is madly in love with her and in fact, came to propose to her without realizing she had married. He is a park ranger and, finding out what happened, he sets her up in an unused cabin.

Little do either one of them know that Steve never had any intention of leaving Kay behind - he just wanted to know her hiding place so he could hide with her. Despite Don visiting the cabin and bringing supplies, Kay has to pretend Steve isn't in the next room.

B movie done on the cheap, and it's one of those public domain films. I am following a film noir list because I want to see as many as I can; unfortunately, some of them just aren't very good.

Eh, not very good

[ebeckstr-1 · 4/10 · 30 December 2022]

I can't possibly write 600 words about this movie. It is ludicrous. I love movies from the classical Hollywood era, including loads of B and C flicks, but this one is so badly written as to be irredeemable. The acting is adequately mediocre as one would expect from this kind of double feature, ultra low budget product, but the script is haphazard, including the ridiculous and unfunny comic relief on the part of the obligatory dimwitted but ever faithful sidekick of our heroic male lead. At one point in the movie there is a whole plot thing with a diversionary tactic which turns out to be completely pointless. I guess I figured out a way to write 600 words. Avoid this one unless you are really desperate for an old movie and have seen everything else on your list.

The Dark Mountain on fire

[clanciai · 8/10 · 1 January 2023]

The film begins spectacularly with a forest fire, introducing two of the protagonists, park rangers, one of which looks forward to marry his lady and bring her up to his wilderness after having waited for years for his promotion, which finally makes his marriage possible. When he comes down to her in town he is faced with the fact that she has married another, and what is worse: the man she has married gradually proves himself to be a ruthless gangster, to her fathomless despair. She goes up to the dark mountain to beg her former suitor for help, but her husband follows her there, and there is a drama, in which the second ranger's dog plays a significant part: you will love the dog more than the actors. As the drama builds up you come to expect another fire to burst forth, and you will not be disappointed, but the circumstances will be very different.

It's not a bad film, but it could have been made much better. There is no psychology, no development of the characters, it's a B-feature that could have been made a real drama film, but it is not disappointing. The film team make the best out of poor resources, making it impossible to rise above B-level.

Forgettable B-thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 19 November 2018]

DARK MOUNTAIN is a typical US B-movie of the 1940s, made as a little slice of escapist fun with a few thrills along the way. The early forest fire fighting sequences are probably the best done of the whole picture. The story follows a female protagonist as she ends up with the wrong guy, who turns out to be a big time gangster with a mind for murder. She flees into the arms of a park ranger who must protect her from the villain and his cronies. It's brisk yet predictable, mildly watchable yet instantly forgettable.

Often Rather Plain, But Moves At A Decent Pace & Has Its Moments

[Snow Leopard · 12 September 2005]

This is often rather plain, with some drab-looking sets and some tedious dialogue, but it does usually move at a good pace, and it has its moments. The outdoor scenes and a couple of interesting story developments help keep it going.

The opening forest fire scene is really quite good for a B-movie, but nothing else really matches it. The setup does have some potential, with Ellen Drew as a woman who tires of her long-time boyfriend's blandness and marries a relative stranger. As things develop from there, there is not always a lot of action, but most of the scenes do add something or reveal a little more of what is going on. It actually would have done better to concentrate on building up the tension and to get rid of the comic relief, since most of it is too corny and hurts the atmosphere.

Regis Toomey does a decent job as the heavy, and Elisha Cook, Jr. is good in a small role, but Robert Lowery, in a key role, does not make his character particularly lively or memorable. Drew is sympathetic as the heroine, but the role and the dialogue really limit her. There are a few pieces of a potentially good movie here, and it's all watchable if you enjoy these old B-features, but it's no better than average for this type of movie.

Call it a B-minus

[michaelprescott-00547 · 4/10 · 7 May 2022]

Mediocre programmer about a forest ranger who gets tangled up with a mobster on the lam. Nothing special in any department, unless you count the opening forest fire scene, which was culled from stock footage.

Speaking of the fire, I spent the movie expecting another inferno at the climax, but no. There's only a throwaway car chase ending in a big explosion. (One reviewer complained that cars don't explode. Ah, but they do if they're heavily laden with dynamite, as this one was.)

The film's weakest element is some unfunny comedy relief involving the hero's sidekick and a dog. The dog also plays an improbable (and unnecessary) role at the climax, while the sidekick is predictably stupid throughout. For a movie that clocks in at 57 minutes, Dark Mountain has a surprising amount of padding.

The performances are generally okay, though the hero is a bit stiff. Ultimately this is a story that can't overcome the staginess of being largely confined to a cabin, with not enough going on.

Bland And Familiar

[NoirFan62 · 22 August 2004]

Had a chance to check out this "B" quickie the other night and didn't think it was anything special. With it's 57 minute running time, fairly bland characters and familiar plot, it felt more like an episode of some 1950's anthology series as opposed to a movie. Basically, Ellen Drew plays a woman who marries a mobster (Regis Toomey) without knowing it and becomes innocently implicated in a murder her husband commits. The authorities are after her so jilted love, Robert Lowery, a park ranger, hides her away in a cabin on a remote mountain-top because he correctly believes she is innocent. The gangster husband followed them and now holds his wife hostage in the cabin. Not really much action here until the end when a car chase ensues around the twisting roads of the the mountain but that's really about it. Lot's of corny dialogue and weak attempts at comic relief by Eddie Quillan as Lowery's partner. Probably the best thing about the movie are some of the outdoor location shots utilized by Director William A. Berke that gave the film a nice atmosphere. All in all, it's probably a film that should be passed up unless your an absolute hard core crime film nitwit like I am.

Slam-Bang Opening Before Flattening Out

[dougdoepke · 5 January 2019]

The first quarter-hour I thought the flick was a sleeper in the making. That forest fire opening even scorched my chair, as Ranger Lowery and crew battle against long odds. The inferno is very well done. And when Lowery bravely risks his all to save the endangered horses, we know he's a good guy. On the other side is racketeer Toomey and his compromised wife Ellen Drew, who used to be Lowery's girl. In fact, Drew's character is the movie's most interesting. Then there's that early scene of Toomey charming Drew's family in a nightclub that is superbly done. He may be a gangster, but he's certainly no thug. But then the flick unfortunately descends into programmer status with silly comedy relief from Quillan, while predictable convention replaces imagination. ( I suspect the producers sunk their meager budget into that first part to hook the audience, since the main part is largely confined to a mountain cabin.)

Nonetheless, the acting from the principals is above par, especially Drew whose character could have been memorable given a better script. Note the signs of the time (1943)-- the woody station wagon, a wife in the WAC's (Women's Army Corps), plus rationing quotas and a general shortage of goods. In fact, it's wartime shortages that set up Toomey's lucrative black-market operation. Anyway, the ill-advised clowning from Quillan may have been an effort to lighten the mood for stricken wartime audiences. That would be understandable. A few years later, however, and the project might have evolved into full-fledged noir. The elements are there. As things stand, it's still a generally entertaining 56-minutes with definite points of interest.

Standard Programmer

[sbibb1 · 24 January 2004]

Ellen Drew marries Regis Toomey not knowing he is a smuggler. When her husband commits a murder and she is in trouble she turns to her former boyfriend for help.

Standard programmer film, less then an hour in length. Good performances by all in the film, also including Eddie Quillian and Robert Lowery. This film is in the public domain and is now available on DVD.

war time flick

[ksf-2 · 21 February 2021]

Kay (Ellen Drew) marries Steve (Regis Toomey), but later finds out he's a very bad boy, mixed up in some very bad business. Familiar face Elisha Cook is Whitey, Steve's minion. he keeps showing up, and this tips off Kay that Steve is up to no good. Kay decides she won't put up with it. unfortunately, Steve has put the warehouses in her name, so now she's on the hook! lots of footage of cop cars rolling. and more footage of... cop cars rolling. must have been short on actual script. kay asks old boyfriend Forest Ranger Don (Robert Lowery) for help in getting away from Steve. guys knitting. quite unusual for 1944. filmed in the Angeles National Forest, which really does burn every couple years. the sound and picture quality are a bit rough, but it's probably another one copied from a print in public domain.... Film Detective streaming channel. directed by Bill Burke. sharp, efficient director. died young at 54. it's pretty good, considering it's a wartime flick. it has the feel of a film that was made years before, but sat on the shelf for a couple years.