The Fatal Witness

Young John Bedford fight with his wealthy old aunt Lady Elizabeth Ferguson, who is sure that he stole her emerald brooch; the next morning, Lady Elizabeth is found murdered. Scotland Yard Inspector William 'Bill' Trent is on the case and he thinks her nephew was behind it. But it turns out that John had been in jail all night because of public drunkenness.

So, who did pinch the jewel and who murdered the old lady? The inspector has his eye on John as does a Turnkey - who is asking for money to keep him from talking ...

The Fatal Witness lacks a little suspense and a little punch as well as letting the cat out of the bag regarding John's guilt early, but having said this, it's quite watchable with good performances by Evelyn Ankers and the actor who plays the suspected killer (the nephew of the old lady). There's a nice British atmosphere of London fog and unsavoury characters. The finale features a spooky unexpected twist ...

Evelyn Ankers stars in "Fatal Witness," a 1945 British B mystery. Ankers plays the ward of an wealthy old woman (Barbara Everest), who distrusts her heir and nephew, John Bedford (George Leigh), and thinks that he stole her emerald broach. He denies it. She winds up dead. Bedford comes under immediate suspicion by the detective in charge, William Trent (Richard Fraser). However, Bedford has an ironclad alibi for the night and time his aunt was killed. Trent still thinks that somehow, he was responsible. Blackmail and another murder follow.

This is a Columbo-type film that is entertaining and uses the usual dry ice to indicate the London fog. Evelyn Akers was an attractive horror film actress who appeared in 'The Wolf Man" and several of the Rathbone "Sherlock Holmes" mysteries. She is pretty and serviceable here, as is the rest of the cast. George Leigh is kind of a Zachary Scott type and appropriately oily.

Enjoyable.

When Lady Ferguson is murdered, her nephew John (George Leigh) is Scotland Yard's prime suspect. In spite of his air-tight alibi. The Yard's Inspector Trent (Richard Fraser) keeps John in the frame due to his bad relationship with his Aunt. John's arrogant attitude doesn't help him much either!

Enter Lady Ferguson's niece Priscilla Ames (Evelyn Ankers), who believes that John is innocent. Ms. Ankers plays Priscilla to be similar to her character in THE WOLFMAN. She's trusting and loyal.

THE FATAL WITNESS is an above average mystery with murder, blackmail, and more murder! Leigh is perfect in his dark role, as is Fraser as the dogged copper on his trail.

The finale is wholly unexpected and adds an air of spookiness to the proceedings...

Fatal Witness, The (1945)

** (out of 4)

If it's from Republic then you know it's going to be cheap and quick. The film tells the story of a young man (George Leigh) who fights with his wealthy aunt before storming out of the house. The next morning she's found murdered so Inspector Trent (Richard Fraser) is on the case and knows her nephew was behind it but it turns out he was in jail all night. This "B" flick runs just under an hour and you can't help but wish that a better director had been assigned to the film because there are actually some fairly good moments here that are wasted. Director Selander doesn't show any signs here of wanting to make anything than something under budget and the reason I say that is because there's really not a single scene where there's any energy nor does anything appear to have been done with any style. The actually story is a pretty good one and especially for Republic standards. The mystery behind who did the killing is kept a secret for the most part, although we get more and more clues before finally getting the big secret told to us with about twenty-minutes to go. From this point on there are a few neat twists and turns that are actually pretty fun but sadly all of this is wasted because of the pacing and overall lack of atmosphere. The pacing is so poor that this 58-minute movie actually felt twice as long and that's not a good thing when you're watching something like this. There's never any real drama or tension, which is a real shame and especially during the downright crazy ending, which carries over into horror territory. The additional twist at the end was a nice one even if it's nearly impossible to believe. Both Leigh and Fraser turn in fine performances and we even get Evelyn Ankers in an important part. Fans of her Universal films will enjoy seeing her here as she has that same charm she always has. THE FATAL WITNESS is pure "B" madness but it's fairly good but you can't help but think it should have been much better with some stronger direction.

Plot- A wealthy woman is murdered after she accuses her nephew of stealing a valuable emerald brooch.

I'm not sure I saw the same movie as my colleagues. In my little book, only Evelyn Ankers supplies some spark for what is otherwise a listless hour. Despite several plot wrinkles, neither acting, nor mood is able to heighten these. Generally, the movie manages neither suspense nor atmosphere. Instead events unfold in pedestrian fashion, not helped by actor Fraser's utterly wooden police inspector. Then too, the careless script telegraphs sinister Leigh's guilt early on, despite his apparent alibi. Nor does inattention to vital detail help, as in the case of Scoggin's throttling before being thrown into the river. Even I know accidental drowning would never pass medical muster—death keeps water out of the lungs while finger marks would appear on the throat. I hate to be niggling but such inattention to important detail is plain sloppy on the screenwriter's part. Naturally not much is expected from Republic's drama department, especially when the mechanical Selander is directing and the studio's is branching out from its usual matinée oaters. Unfortunately, this flat-liner doesn't supply much encouragement.