The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady

I'd never heard of the Lone Wolf before watching this one but I ended up enjoying it a great deal. Much of that comes down to the unexpected comedy which makes this film a humorous treat. In particular, the witty interplay between the Wolf and his British manservant adds plenty of laughs to the proceedings. The film starts off with an involved little set up which sees an innocent woman getting framed for murder, and when the Lone Wolf gets drawn in when he vows to clear her name in any way he can. The plot twists and turns come thick and fast here and they never forget the laughs either. I'll watch more.

If it weren't for some droll remarks by ERIC BLORE, this Lone Wolf entry called THE LONE WOLF MEETS A LADY hasn't got much material to distinguish it among all the other Wolf films.

Blore brings some much needed humor to the predictable formula which has the Wolf fleeing the authorities with a woman (JEAN MUIR) who has witnessed the murder of a man over the robbery of an expensive jewel. He and his valet (Blore) decide to help her free herself from the clutches of Inspector Crane (THURSTON HALL) as The Lone Wolf goes about to find the real man responsible for the crime.

The only surprise among the cast members is seeing BRUCE BENNETT pop up as an irate policeman. Bennett doesn't play his usual bland type and plays the feisty cop with a good display of temperament. Oddly enough, his name is billed last among the cast credits. WARREN HULL as Muir's fiancé is competent enough and better remembered by me as "The Green Hornet" in the serial series he did in the early '40s. As for WARREN WILLIAM, he seems completely at ease in the title role.

Nothing new here, and one of the less memorable but still enjoyable entries in this series.

"The cleverest wolf.... still ends up as a fur coat!" A witticism from the long-suffering "Insp. Crane" (Thurston Hall) as he yet again finds himself accusing his constant antagonist "Lanyard" (Warren William) of being embroiled in (fake) jewellery theft and murder! This time though, he and loyal "Jamison" (Eric Blore) are taking the fall for "Joan" (Jean Muir) who had teed up an advantageous marriage with the son of a wealthy woman before she finds herself accused of murder. After an high-speed near miss with our sleuths, she finds her future is wrapped up with their's. With the police on their trail, "Lanyard" et al must rush to find out just what happened and who did what. This adventure provides some better examples of the quickly paced and engaging banter between William and Blore, with the latter frequently making observations that raise a smile and he juggles his innate curiosity with him "never denying his cowardice"... Sure, there's little jeopardy here but Muir has a bit more to her as the put-upon dame and there's actually more comedy to appreciate here, too.

The Lone Wolf comes to the aid of Joan Bradley, a young woman who gets herself embroiled in a case of murder and robbery.

Gentleman thief turned Private Detective Michael Lanyard is once again on the case, ably supported by Jamison.

A pretty good installment, a solid if unremarkable plot, but as a whodunnit, it worked quite well. This did actually remind me a little of The Lone Wolf Strikes, a case that also involves a jewellery theft.

It's quite well paced, it's full of twists and turns, and you are made to wait to learn exactly who the killer is.

Jean Muir is very good as Joan Bradley, but it's Eric Blore who steals the show as Jamison, he is absolutely hilarious throughout, his quick wit and one liners are a total joy, his delivery is flawless.

A pleasing mystery, one I enjoyed.

7/10.

Enjoyable Lone Wolf film with plenty of twists in the plot and a hero who is suave and cunning. The witty one liners from the characters melds well with the snappy pace.