El puñal asesino

In this Michael Shayne movie, it begins with Shayne serving on jury duty...something VERY unlikely for a private dick. Regardless, as a butler is testifying in court, an unseen person throws a knife and kills the butler! Instead of remaining with the jurors, however, Shayne steals the murder weapon and sneaks off to investigate the case.

This is one of the goofiest set-ups for any Shayne film, as having his investigate while on jury duty is a first...and likely to get him jailed if the judge finds out his actions. Still, it is enjoyable and provides the usual Michael Shayne excitement and twists.

Just Off Broadway an entry in the Michael Shayne film series has Lloyd Nolan sitting on a jury in a murder case where the beautiful Janis Carter is on trial for killing her fiance. How given his line of work he got on a jury is beyond me, but there he is.

Things really get interesting when a witness tesitfying is killed with a thrown knife from the rear of the courtroom. Why the cops also can't come to the conclusion that only an expert could have made such a throw is also beyond me.

Not particularly happy with how the defense is going Nolan when sequestered for the evening sneaks out and with Lois Lane like reporter Marjorie Weaver and in a few hours he gathers what evidence he needs to unmask the real killer.

In terms of the criminal justice system this is all patent nonsense. But Nolan and the rest of the cast keep the nonsense moving along quite nicely with some snappy dialog. You won't believe who the real killer is.

Phil Silvers abrasive comic style is put to good use as a nosy news photographer Nolan and Weaver have to keep dodging.

In the end no good deed goes unpunished for Michael Shayne. Watch and see what I mean.

Okay entry in Michael Shayne series. Mike works to clear innocent woman Hubbard (Carter) from a murder charge. And catch that sudden knife toss across a packed courtroom. The victim could have cleared Hubbard, but no longer. Now Mike's got to really dig, with the help (sort of) of spunky girl reporter Taylor (Weaver). Adding real spark is the inimitable Phil Silvers in an early role as a big personality photographer. Seems to me that Nolan's more subdued than usual, but he's always a strong presence anyway.

The storyline is pretty packed so you may need a scorecard to keep up with dolphin pins and custom made knives. Speaking of sharp edges, how did production finesse Telmachio's knife throwing act. I can't see them really letting a girl's live edges serve as the thrower's target. Oh well, it is well done, however they did it. Still, I had trouble telling Weaver and Carter apart since they're almost look-alikes —was that intentional, I wonder. Also, take a look at the huge windowless walls of the supposed warehouse that appears about halfway through. From their looks I'll bet they're outside walls of TCF soundstages. If so, the cast didn't have far to go. All in all, the 60- minutes remains an average entry in the often delightful Shayne series. And should you happen to miss a favorite Perry Mason, then give this courtroom drama a look-see.

Terrible acting. The characters lack depth except the protagonists. Most acting is boring and two dimensional. Too much unrealistic drama. For example, when Nolan is being attacked by another man, the woman who is with Nolan knocks out the attacker with a gun. The worst part is how police suddenly show up. How did they know? Even worse is how two LEOs rush in, as if they know exactly where to go and who to look for. Then they fire off shots as the two people get away. I doubt that this was ever police protocol. A LEO especially does not fire away at a criminal as the criminal is running away at a distance. It's more of a cute movie with corny one-liners here and there. It's supposed to be a mystery detective comedy I guess but it's just poorly made. There are plenty of early 1940s films like Penny Serenade that have depth and three-dimensional characters.

A woman (Janis Carter) is on trial for murder. A witness is killed by a knife flung at him in court; detective Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) is on the jury and jumps into the fray. Crawling on the floor, he grabs the knife from under a table and drives it under the top.

Shayne knows the defendant is innocent and is determined to prove it. After drugging his fellow juror roommate, he takes off down the fire escape and goes back to court to retrieve the knife. A reporter (Marjorie Weaver) beats him to it and wants in on the story.

The Michael Shayne films from 20th Century Fox were a series of Bs starring Lloyd Nolan. They're short, light, quick-moving, and fun, with a good performances by Nolan and Weaver in the usual relationship between detective and competitive female reporter we see so often.

This is a very 40s film, with talk of ration cards and killing the Japanese.