L'empreinte du loup solitaire

Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, The (1939)

*** (out of 4)

The Lone Wolf made his film debut in 1917 but it wasn't until this film and Warren William stepped into the role that the character really took off. The former safecracker, Michael Lanyward, aka The Lone Wolf, has spies chasing him around Washington D.C., hoping that he'll help them get some government secrets dealing with an anti-aircraft gun. This is the first film I've seen of The Lone Wolf and it wasn't too bad of an experience. The film runs a fast paced 67-minutes and William is always worth watching. Ida Lupino steals the film as a woman who keeps hoping the Wolf will marry her. Some might find her annoying but that's part of her charm. Rita Hayworth plays the femme fatale with Ralph Morgan as a villain.

The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt marks the first appearance of Warren William as the dapper retired cracksman, Michael Lanyard who now occasionally assists the police instead of trying to evade them for a job he's committed.

Yet in this film William is indeed trying to shake the cops because they think he's stolen some highly secret war plans. Actually the guy doing it not only wants to get the plans, but he wants to make sure he frames William for the job and goes to all kinds of lengths to make that come about.

I'm surprised that Warren William lasted in the role of the Lone Wolf. No fault of his because he's as debonair and charming as the role calls for. But the film did get a bit silly at times. Ida Lupino is the dizzy daughter of a U.S. Senator and Virginia Weidler is William's daughter. Between the two of them and their crazy machinations, the Lone Wolf was lucky to get the case solved at all. I don't think it was an accident that Weidler's character was dropped in future Lone Wolf series films.

The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt is also known as being an early film that Columbia used to showcase one of their new discoveries, Rita Hayworth. Rita plays the moll of the leader of the spies and her beauty makes her stand out. No doubt she was going to be a star.

This was an interesting low budget film with Warren William,(Michael Lanyard) playing the Lone Wolf safe cracker who gets involved with secret weapons and their blueprints. Ida Lupino,(Val Carson) constantly follows everywhere he goes and even walks in while he is having a shower in his bathroom. Val knows that Michael likes plenty of women and she has her designs on him for marriage. There is plenty of laughs and Rita Hayworth,(Karen) plays the role of a sexy gal who tries to trap the Lone Wolf breaking into a safe and obtain these government secret weapons plans. Lupino and Hayworth were just starting out their careers on the silver screen and both became great movie stars and producers. Enjoy

As a lover of old movies from the Golden Age of cinema (from talkies to television), it's always fun to discover talented people on both sides of the camera that never got the kind of recognition they deserved. One of these was Warren William, who this writer first noticed in THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK (1939.) Besides playing a Musketeer, his roles ranged from Julius Caesar to Perry Mason. Additionally, he played detectives Sam Spade, Philo Vance and the Lone Wolf, his most famous role. While the Lone Wolf series was never quite as good as the Thin Man's from all I've seen and read, this entry was entertaining for a good many reasons, most of all for having Rita Hayworth and Ida Lupino in the cast. Although a bit long in the tooth to be Ida's love interest (he was 45 when he made this picture, though he plays a 35-year old, which means he was really old enough to be Val Carson's dad, despite her line quoted above), he played the character with at least as much zest as William Powell imbued the Thin Man. Add to this some well-written and well-played supporting actors and you have a pretty fair crime/spy drama. It's not THE 39 STEPS, but it's still enjoyable to watch Michael Lanyard and gang in a mostly fine film series. Dale Roloff

Don't let a couple of previous negative comments about this film put you off from watching it the next time it appears on TCM. If you like stylish and witty mystery-comedies from the old days, then THE LONE WOLF SPY HUNT is definitely for you. Warren William is impeccable as the urbane, laid-back Lone Wolf, and Ida Lupino is endearing as his protective and frustrated girlfriend. The exchanges between them are both amusing and warm, and add another flavoring to the Nick and Nora Charles School of Relationships. Rita Hayworth stands out in an atypical role as the baddie's chilly girlfriend, while Virginia Weidler lends the right amount of natural tom-boyish charm in her role as the Lone Wolf's daughter, Patricia. (The film was titled THE LONE WOLF'S DAUGHTER in the UK.) Production values for this type of B-film are top-notch. TCM's fresh looking print shows them off exquisitely. Cozy up to this one with some nice hot beverage and enjoy!