The Whip Hand (1951)

Matt Corbin, a vacationing magazine writer, takes a fishing trip to Minnesota, and stumbles across a lake in which all the fish have mysteriously died. The locals are tight-lipped about it,... See full summary »

Director:

William Cameron Menzies

Writers:

George Bricker (screen play), Frank L. Moss (screen play)

Stars:

Carla Balenda, Elliott Reid, Edgar Barrier

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carla Balenda	...	Janet Keller
Elliott Reid	...	Matt Corbin
Edgar Barrier	...	Dr. Edward Keller
Raymond Burr	...	Steve Loomis
Otto Waldis	...	Dr. Wilhelm Bucholtz
Michael Steele	...	Chick
Lurene Tuttle	...	Molly Loomis
Peter Brocco	...	Nate Garr
Lewis Martin	...	Peterson
Frank Darien	...	Luther Adams
Olive Carey	...	Mabel Turner

Storyline

Matt Corbin, a vacationing magazine writer, takes a fishing trip to Minnesota, and stumbles across a lake in which all the fish have mysteriously died. The locals are tight-lipped about it, but Corbin learns that a group of former-Nazis-turned-Communists have purchased a lodge on an island in the middle of the fish-killing lake, and have built some kind of laboratory. Never one to pass up a chance to sell a story to a magazine, Matt decides to investigate. His only ally is Janet Keller, the sister of the local doctor who has been caught up in whatever those nefarious Commie-Nazis are up to. What they are up to, with Soviet financing, is the development of diseases to use in bacteriological warfare against the United States, starting right there in Minnesota.

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Plot Keywords:

laboratory | minnesota | island | fishing | writer | 

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Taglines:

DEATH-GERM PLOT MENACES MILLIONS! [all caps]

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Enemy Within

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In keeping with the original Nazis-as-villains idea, the hero originally saw Adolf Hitler himself standing on the balcony of the villain's lair. He disappeared when the extensive re-shooting was done. Hitler was played once again by Bobby Watson.

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Goofs

When the Soviet officer is delivering his lecture in the opening sequence in the Kremlin, the wall map showing North America is, of course, written in Russian. However, the map shows Mexico written (transliterated from Cyrillic) as 'MEKSIKO", when in fact, in Russian the country's name is rendered 'MEKSIKA", ending with an "a".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Matt Corbin: Guess I'm a little lost. I thought this was the road to Winnoga.
Guard: Back a mile and take the other fork.

User Reviews

One of the Quirkiest "Better Dead Than Red" Movies

This is One Odd Movie. Starting with the Title that is Meaningless Unless One Knows About a "Riding" Term Meaning the Upper Hand or Some Such Thing, Suffice to Say it is Meaningless. Add to That the Story was Changed Midstream from Nazis to Communist at the Insistence of Howard Hughes.

Still, Director Menzies Manages to Make the Thing Look Good, Despite Some Bad Acting that He Left Unattended. The Film Still Manages to Bring the Paranoia of the Time Front and Center with Bizarre Scenes and a Foreboding Atmosphere.

It Really Kicks In with the Third Act that Includes Mad Lab Scenes, Female Bondage, Zombie Like People Used as Guinea Pigs, and Some Communist Nut-Case Speeches. This is One of Quirkiest Entries in the Anti-Communist Movies Made During the McCarthy Era and that is Saying Something because Most of Them were Really Quirky.

The Commie Characters All Look Like Something Out of a Comic Book with Exaggerated Features and Props. They're One Scary Looking Bunch. The Protagonist and His Love Interest are So Sanitized and "Normal" Looking They Seem to have Stepped Out of a Disney Movie. The Contrast is Quite Startling and Add to the Surreal Nature of the Movie When Watched Today.