I Killed That Man

This is the typical mystery thriller and comedy flick that spread during the thirties and forties. Only for those who crave for this kind of stuff. I don't belong to those audiences. I don't like comedies, especially the thirties and forties ones. And from a director such as Phil Rosen, a prolific grade Z films maker, you can understand that nothing really excits me. But I nevertheless tried this one, this short picture, and I must admit that it is agreeable, inventive, fresh to watch. To summarize, it is far better than many more movies of this kind for this period. So, if you are lucky enough to get it, try it.

This film features some snappy dialogue and a decent performance from Ricardo Cortez.

The film opens on a bizarre note, as we see a group of people shooting dice, drinking coffee, and having an all-around good time. Cortez arrives. Then they all move into the next room to witness an execution! The condemned man starts to blab, and just before he is about to name the brains behind the operation (whatever the operation is), he collapses in a heap. The prison doctor discovers a dart in the guy's neck (probably due to an errant throw by either Basil Rathbone or Lionel Atwill). Assistant D. A. Cortez immediately takes charge, ordering everyone to take off their clothes. Fortunately, the scene changes before we get to the cavity search.

Cortez immediately cracks the case and arrests a suspect. He then explains to his boss (John "Perry White" Hamilton) that he knows that the suspect is innocent. Makes perfect sense to me. He then sets about to find the real killer.

Now the dead guy's girlfriend (Iris Adrian) goes belly-up, and Cortez immediately cracks the case, arresting the last guy who was with her. Oh, he turns out to be innocent as well.

Meanwhile, Cortez' reporter girlfriend gets several clues, and immediately cracks the case.

Worth a look, if only to hear everyone ironically referring to John Hamilton as "Chief," and to see how many laws Cortez violates.

I'm beginning to find that the poison dart must have been quite popular in early mystery films. This is at least the fourth such movie I've seen. This one involves one of these darts cheating the hangman. A convicted murderer is about to enter the death chamber when he collapses. There are news people and an array of characters in the room, so one of them must have done it. After that it's the usual stuff. There is the aggressive young female reporter who would rather be married than continue her career. She gets in a bit over he head, of course, and sets things on edge. This is better than most. The acting is fine, there are some famous character actors, and the movie has a sense of humor. You can tell the production value is pretty good. If you don't think too much you can sit back and enjoy this like a bad TV show.

I Killed That Man is a fairly typical Poverty Row mystery film. It tells the tale of a man on his way to execution on Death Row who is suddenly killed by a poison dart by an unknown assailant while in a crowded room. The remaining film details the investigation into who is responsible.

To be honest there's nothing new here. It delivers what anyone familiar with Poverty Row productions will have come to expect, i.e. not too many thrills, not too many sets and not too many surprises. The film does pick up pace towards the end but it takes it's time getting there unfortunately. I've seen another obscure film from director Phil Rosen – Man With Two Lives – and that one was quite a bit more entertaining in my opinion. Having said that I have seen a lot worse than I Killed That Man, it's not exactly a bad watch for a rainy weekend morning.

On his way to receive a final toast - in the electric chair! - condemned Ralf Harold (as Nicholas Ross) pauses to let the assembled witnesses know he's going to give away the identity of a fellow criminal. But, just as he is about to reveal the crook's name, Mr. Harold is stricken by a deadly poison dart. District attorney Ricardo Cortez (as Roger Phillips) and attractive "Chronicle" reporter Joan Woodbury (as Geri Reynolds) sift through the suspects, banter romantically, and try to solve the murder. You've seen this kind of picture before, but the tired storyline in "I Killed That Man" is enlivened by its cast and crew.

Director Phil Rosen and his star, Mr. Cortez, were silent screen veterans (they'd worked together) who found less success after the advent of talking motion pictures; but, their skills are clearly evident, as they make the most of this quickly produced, low-budget film. Today, Mr. Rosen is not well-remembered; but, he worked on some of the most important Hollywood films of the teens and twenties (many are lost). Cortez reached a popularity peak in 1926, after working on films with Greta Garbo and D.W. Griffith. The supporting cast does very well, and Ms. Woodbury is a thoroughly charming leading woman.

****** I Killed That Man (11/28/41) Phil Rosen ~ Ricardo Cortez, Joan Woodbury, George Pembroke