The Mark of the Whistler (1944)

A drifter claims the money in an old bank account. Soon he finds himself the target of two men who turn out to be the sons of the man's old partner, who is now in prison because of a ... See full summary »

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

George Bricker (screen play by), Cornell Woolrich (story by)

Stars:

Richard Dix, Janis Carter, Porter Hall

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Dix	...	Lee Selfridge Nugent
Janis Carter	...	Patricia Henley
Porter Hall	...	Joe Sorsby
Paul Guilfoyle	...	'Limpy' Smith
John Calvert	...	Eddie Donnelly
Matt Willis	...	Perry Donnelly

Storyline

A drifter claims the money in an old bank account. Soon he finds himself the target of two men who turn out to be the sons of the man's old partner, who is now in prison because of a conflict with him over the money in that account.

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Plot Keywords:

based on radio show | bank account | bank | luxury hotel | washroom attendant | 

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Taglines:

An Assumed Name Marked Him for MURDER!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by The Return of the Whistler (1948)

User Reviews

What's in a name?

This was the second of the eight self-contained Whistler films starring Richard Dix, still playing a goodie but this time with more bad in him. Also after the first my second favourite entry in the series.

Lee Nugent – mark that name – is a human derelict who hits upon the idea of impersonating a man whose bank is advertising for him to appear and claim his dormant bank account. He doesn't initially know how much money is involved but when he does get it he gives Porter Hall a fair price for the loan of his suits … Things start to get complicated when he bumps into Limpy the match seller and a determined newspaper reporter played by Janis Carter – just before she played a determined newspaper reporter in One Mysterious Night! Favourite bits: Signing his name but blotting his middle initial in the bank; Some of the sinister scenes with John Calvert chasing after Dix. The overall moral is Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide, with Dix you can believe it too. With one twist after another the last one is a little twee but still effective.

No cgi cartoonery, swearing, sex or violence, just b&w and an intricate story well acted make for a very pleasant hour.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dormant Account

Company Credits

Production Co:

Larry Darmour Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1