This is the 20th Lone Wolf movie from Columbia out of the 22 they made from 1917 to 1949. The Lone Wolf character is a retired jewel thief played here for the second time by Gerald Mohr. I think he plays well off Eric Blore as Jamison the manservant. At the beginning we see that Lone Wolf and Jamison have just booked into a hotel in Mexico City as they begin their vacation. Jamison is in a mutinous mood as he declares that it will not be a working holiday for him for their fortnight stay. They make a good pair of rogues as it never seems clear by their banter whether their professional relationship is based on crime detection or skulduggery. Eric Blore with his trademark petulant pout steals every scene with his roguish manner. He eyes Mrs Van Weir's rahjput stone pendant with longing as they sit together at a dining table at the El Paseo nightclub. Mrs Van Weir, played in great dowager style by Winifred Harris, is part of the select clientale who indulge in illegal gambling at the rear of the premises. She turns out to be heavily in gambling debts and the nightclub owner has a safe full of jewels that his indebted clientale are giving him to keep their gambling addictions alive. The murder of the roulette wheel croupier and the secret shenanigans of the clientale make for a good lively mystery for the Lone Wolf to investigate.
7 Reviews
The Lone Wolf in Mexico
CinemaSerf10 December 2023
Determined to actually take his fortnight's leave this year, "Jamison" (Eric Blore) stages what amounts to a mini-revolt against his boss "Lanyard" (Gerald Mohr) - even refusing to do up his bow tie for him. The compromise - well they are both going to Mexico. Of course, trouble is never far away and when a croupier is killed, suspicion falls on the "Lone Wolf". Meantime, they also encounter the outwardly wealthy "Agatha Van Weir" (Winifred Harris) who is $50,000 in the hole to the crooked casino owner "Henderson" (John Gallaudet) and who has been using her diamond as collateral. Clever people might realise that being around "Lanyard" is just too risky - and when the wife of a diamond dealer (Sheila Ryan) is also found brown bread, he'd better get a move on before anyone else ends up toast - including him! What made this a bit more enjoyable is the beefed up role for the usually quite entertaining Blore. Indeed, "Jamison" proves quite adept at a bit of pilfering and mischief-making that might just save the day! Good fun, this one.
Not bad...but I miss Warren William.
planktonrules29 November 2022
Unlike some B-mystery series, there never was a consistent actor to play in all or even most of the Lone Wolf movies. Instead, ten different actors ended up playing this reformed criminal and crime fighter. Warren William played him most often but he was eventually replaced by Gerald Mohr...probably due to William's battle with cancer.
Despite this change, Eric Blore continued playing the Lone Wolf's butler and sidekick, Jamison.
At a Mexican casino, a croupier is murdered. The local police immediately assume the Lone Wolf did it...which is a bit odd since just before this the police Captain was making nice with Lanyard. Additionally, there's a jewel theft...and Michael Lanyard is once again suspected.
Gerald Mohr is decent in the lead, though I prefer Warren William a bit more, as he had a more roguish quality about him. Also, this film didn't work as well for me because it could have used a bit more action. Still, any Lone Wolf film is worth seeing for a nice escapist 60 or so minutes.
Despite this change, Eric Blore continued playing the Lone Wolf's butler and sidekick, Jamison.
At a Mexican casino, a croupier is murdered. The local police immediately assume the Lone Wolf did it...which is a bit odd since just before this the police Captain was making nice with Lanyard. Additionally, there's a jewel theft...and Michael Lanyard is once again suspected.
Gerald Mohr is decent in the lead, though I prefer Warren William a bit more, as he had a more roguish quality about him. Also, this film didn't work as well for me because it could have used a bit more action. Still, any Lone Wolf film is worth seeing for a nice escapist 60 or so minutes.
The Mexican Casino Mystery
profh-130 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Michael Lanyard takes a vacation to Mexico, where his valet Jamison insists it's time for HIS vacation as well, and he wishes to be treated an as equal. However, the usual pattern emerges when a former flame from Monte Carlo shows up trying to involve him in some shady deal, a croupier at a crooked casino is murdered just when he's trying to hand Lanyard an illegal proposition, a woman in debt plants a jewel in Jamison's pocket as a way of then trying to blackmail Lanyard into helping her, another murder follows, and of course, before long, Lanyard decides to NAIL the real criminals, clear himself, and have loads of FUN doing so!
Let me get this out of the way right here: ...MEXICO is a HUGE improvement over the previous film, THE NOTORIOUS... Gerald Mohr's been one of my favorite actors since first seeing him on TV in the late 60s, and it was infuriating to see him in a film as badly-written as that one was. With this, he comes closer to what I expect from him, and the plot is almost a throwback to the late 30s installments... before Columbia's writers turned Inspector Crane into such a complete IDIOT. The best part of this film, in fact, may be the total absence of Crane, apart from a teletype message FROM him in New York, warning the Mexican Police that Laynard is arriving in Mexico on vacation... he HOPES.
Generally, Eric Blore as Jamison is entertaining, though at times he can be annoying. This time around, he only very briefly got on my nerves, when he was considering stealing a jewel from a woman he was giving a car ride to. Of course, his pride in his own restraint was sabotaged when SHE wound up planting the jewel on HIM, something Lanyard flat-out refused to believe!
Unlike many of these films, for much of the story, I genuinely found myself wondering... "WHAT is really going on?" I liked the fact that it wasn't completely obvious, and actually kept me guessing. The owners of the "somewhat illegal" casino (HOW can something be considered "somewhat" illegal?) seemed mostly legit at first... before it turned out they were up to several different shady things at the same time. It was therefore hilarious, when Lanyard, forced to steal jewels from their safe, then proceded to steal them back from their actual owner, and replace them back in the casino safe, just as the news of the latter theft made newspaper headlines.
I think the most entertaining part of the film, however, had to be Nestor Paiva as Police Captain Carlos Rodriguez. Warned by Crane, he goes to the hotel, whose manager fully expects him to arrest Lanyard, but who he instead welcomes as an old friend he hasn't seen in years. When things start happening, naturally, he questions Lanyard, repeatedly declaring, "I HATE mysteries!", but, even when he's forced to arrest Lanyard at one point, he never really wants to do it, and near the end happily accepts Lanyard's help in catching the real criminals. (By then, they've managed to rack up fraud, theft, kidnapping and at least 2 murders!) I've seen Paiva in so many things, including THE SPIDER'S WEB (1938), PHANTOM RAIDERS, THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES AGAIN, MEET BOSTON BLACKIE, TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY, THE FALCON IN MEXICO, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, I THE JURY (1953), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, and episodes of JONNY QUEST (1964).
Even the finale is fun, as Rodriguez sends a similar telegram to Lanyward's next destination, only one written a lot more positive than the one Crane sent at the beginning.
When TCM ran most of the series back in the mid-2000s, this was not among them. No wonder, even they can't find a decent copy. It is, of course, included in OnesMedia's THE LONE WOLF FILMS COLLECTION (15 films from 1935-1949), but comes with a "warning" about the picture quality. While the opening credits didn't look too promising, most of the film is VERY watchable, and better than some others I've seen thanks to them. I plan on getting a lot more of their box sets before I'm through!
Let me get this out of the way right here: ...MEXICO is a HUGE improvement over the previous film, THE NOTORIOUS... Gerald Mohr's been one of my favorite actors since first seeing him on TV in the late 60s, and it was infuriating to see him in a film as badly-written as that one was. With this, he comes closer to what I expect from him, and the plot is almost a throwback to the late 30s installments... before Columbia's writers turned Inspector Crane into such a complete IDIOT. The best part of this film, in fact, may be the total absence of Crane, apart from a teletype message FROM him in New York, warning the Mexican Police that Laynard is arriving in Mexico on vacation... he HOPES.
Generally, Eric Blore as Jamison is entertaining, though at times he can be annoying. This time around, he only very briefly got on my nerves, when he was considering stealing a jewel from a woman he was giving a car ride to. Of course, his pride in his own restraint was sabotaged when SHE wound up planting the jewel on HIM, something Lanyard flat-out refused to believe!
Unlike many of these films, for much of the story, I genuinely found myself wondering... "WHAT is really going on?" I liked the fact that it wasn't completely obvious, and actually kept me guessing. The owners of the "somewhat illegal" casino (HOW can something be considered "somewhat" illegal?) seemed mostly legit at first... before it turned out they were up to several different shady things at the same time. It was therefore hilarious, when Lanyard, forced to steal jewels from their safe, then proceded to steal them back from their actual owner, and replace them back in the casino safe, just as the news of the latter theft made newspaper headlines.
I think the most entertaining part of the film, however, had to be Nestor Paiva as Police Captain Carlos Rodriguez. Warned by Crane, he goes to the hotel, whose manager fully expects him to arrest Lanyard, but who he instead welcomes as an old friend he hasn't seen in years. When things start happening, naturally, he questions Lanyard, repeatedly declaring, "I HATE mysteries!", but, even when he's forced to arrest Lanyard at one point, he never really wants to do it, and near the end happily accepts Lanyard's help in catching the real criminals. (By then, they've managed to rack up fraud, theft, kidnapping and at least 2 murders!) I've seen Paiva in so many things, including THE SPIDER'S WEB (1938), PHANTOM RAIDERS, THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES AGAIN, MEET BOSTON BLACKIE, TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY, THE FALCON IN MEXICO, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, I THE JURY (1953), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, and episodes of JONNY QUEST (1964).
Even the finale is fun, as Rodriguez sends a similar telegram to Lanyward's next destination, only one written a lot more positive than the one Crane sent at the beginning.
When TCM ran most of the series back in the mid-2000s, this was not among them. No wonder, even they can't find a decent copy. It is, of course, included in OnesMedia's THE LONE WOLF FILMS COLLECTION (15 films from 1935-1949), but comes with a "warning" about the picture quality. While the opening credits didn't look too promising, most of the film is VERY watchable, and better than some others I've seen thanks to them. I plan on getting a lot more of their box sets before I'm through!
No Matter Where You Go, There You Are
boblipton9 March 2024
Gerald Mohr returns in his second of three appearances as Michael Lanyard, former jewel thief, accused of crime any time one happens in his vicinity. Now that the War is over, he and vacationing manservant Eric Blore travel down to Mexico, where they are promptly accused of stealing some jewelry and smuggling it to the US, so he has to clear things up himself. With Sheila Ryan, Nestor Paiva, and Chris-Pin Martin.
Mohr, alas, was born a bit too late to prosper with a pencil-thin mustache, a cultured speaking voice, and dark good looks. He mostly played villains in the movies, although he had a wider range on the radio. A thorough professional, he worked steadily through his death in 1968 at the age of 54.
Mohr, alas, was born a bit too late to prosper with a pencil-thin mustache, a cultured speaking voice, and dark good looks. He mostly played villains in the movies, although he had a wider range on the radio. A thorough professional, he worked steadily through his death in 1968 at the age of 54.
Predictable latter entry lacks excitement
kevinolzak12 May 2009
One of the few entries that has never aired on Turner Classic Movies, "The Lone Wolf in Mexico" (1946), like the Monogram Charlie Chan entry "The Red Dragon" (1945), features a studio-bound Mexico City with no interesting exteriors (1944's "The Falcon in Mexico" at least was partially shot outdoors and has the look of authenticity). The budgets for Columbia's Lone Wolf were about the same as RKO's Falcon but this latter entry suffers from overly familiar territory. On vacation south of the border, Michael Lanyard (Gerald Mohr) visits a shady gambling casino run by Henderson (John Gallaudet) which substitutes fake diamonds for the genuine article. He meets up with a former flame (Jacqueline De Wit), her croupier husband (Bernard Nedell), and a debt-ridden beauty (Sheila Ryan) who wants our hero to recover some gems that she'd hocked. A decent cast enlivens the proceedings, especially the welcome return of Eric Blore as faithful manservant Jamison. Nestor Paiva (Lucas in "Creature from the Black Lagoon") plays the police inspector and Chris-Pin Martin has an unbilled part as an amusing taxi driver who sleeps on the job. After Warren William exited the series with 1943's "Passport to Suez," Columbia revived it in 1946 with "The Notorious Lone Wolf," bringing back Eric Blore but replacing William with Gerald Mohr, who played the unbilled murder victim in a previous Wolf, 1942's "One Dangerous Night." Following the release of "Mexico" in Jan 1947, Mohr made one final appearance in "The Lone Wolf in London," easily the best of the three, with a standout performance from Universal beauty Evelyn Ankers playing a femme fatale in one of her last roles. A very busy actor, especially on television, Mohr has perhaps been unjustly maligned for his three Wolf entries, all of which ploughed the same material that audiences had grown tired of (he died in 1968). Columbia tried once more with "The Lone Wolf and His Lady" (1949), which sat on the shelf for a full year before it was released. Ron Randell replaced Gerald Mohr while Alan Mowbray replaced Eric Blore. The 1954 TV series which followed featured former Saint Louis Hayward in the title role.
The lone Wolf in Mexico
coltras3521 February 2023
A croupier is murdered in a Mexico City gambling casino and the Lone Wolf is suspected. Sharon Montgomery, wife of diamond merchant Charles Montgomery, becomes involved in a jewel heist, in which again the Lone Wolf is a suspect.
Gerard Mohr stars as the Lone Wolf, and despite Warren William being hard to replace, he does a competent job, and is a little tough. He lacks the natural charm that William had but Mohr does have his own style. As for the film, it's rather average but still enjoyable and the locale is quite good. It does lack action and loses some steam towards the end. The plot can be a bit muddled at times, too.
Gerard Mohr stars as the Lone Wolf, and despite Warren William being hard to replace, he does a competent job, and is a little tough. He lacks the natural charm that William had but Mohr does have his own style. As for the film, it's rather average but still enjoyable and the locale is quite good. It does lack action and loses some steam towards the end. The plot can be a bit muddled at times, too.
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