The Hidden Hand

The Hidden Hand is such an odd little movie, it only stands at around an hour and deals with serious subjects. Yet at the same time it's rife with comedy leaving the whole movie feeling muddled yet oddly entertaining.

It tells the story of a crazed killer who returns home and becomes embroiled in a plot to put a womans greedy siblings through their paces as they all want her dead to claim the inheritance.

Though many of the characters aren't great we do have some who stand out and steal the entire movie. Ontop of that it looks amazing for it's time and delivers both chills and genuine belly laughs.

It's hard to categorize The Hidden Hand due to it's extremes in content but I can't take away from it's quality.

Fun, gripping and fascinating.

The Good:

Milton Parsons & Willie Best

Fantastic story

Great execution

Looks amazing for 1942

The Bad:

Tad short

Weirdly constructed

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The Hidden Hand is what would happen if Edgar Alan Poe made a movie with Disney!

There was a time when every major studio turned out "B" movies, 60 minute quickies to fill a double bill. "The Hidden Hand," for example. It features a group of credible, little-known actors (aside from Craig Stevens who had not yet played Peter Gunn) and keeps the budget slim by using only one set, a mysterious mansion where members of a greedy family gather to be knocked off. Why are there a pair of homicidal hands behind the painting in the living room? How come the carpet nearby hides a quick dip in a watery grave?? And how did the mistress of the manor get out of the crypt in which she was interred to plot the demise of her house guests? At least, the cast includes Milton Parsons who is either the funniest or scariest butler to escape an insane asylum. In short, a surprisingly entertaining throwback.

"The Hidden Hand" is an interesting twist on the familiar old dark house thrillers. But, like so many similar films in this genre in this era, it has Willie Best on hand...as if there was some unwritten law that he be on hand in each of these films!!

The film begins with a madman escaping from the sanitarium. It seems that John Channing (Milton Parsons) was assisted in his escape by his sister, Lorinda (Cecil Cunningham). She seems pretty unconcerned about her murderous brother's antics and wants his help in throwing an interesting party. She has invited her relatives there and she knows most of them are real swine....and she and John are going to make sure the deserving ones don't leave the house alive!

There are many nice twists in the film...but I don't want to discuss them because it would spoil the film. Overall, it's fun and quite entertaining...and well worth seeing.

This is no "Halloween", but I really enjoyed this movie..not for the scares, but for the laughs. It was a great way to pass a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter. Willie Best was really entertaining. The other characters did just enough and although it was very campy by today's standards, I can't fault any of them. At the end when the policemen all left the house satisfied that they had solved the crime (but left all the bodies in the hidden basement well), I laughed right out loud. I found this movie on the Turner Classic movie channel, where I watch most of the black and white movies I enjoy. If you just look at it as pure entertainment, you'd be sure to enjoy it.

Lorinda Channing helps her insane brother escape from an asylum. She intends to use him to frighten her other relatives who she feels are only out to get her money. Intending to leave the majority of her fortune to her secretary, Mary Winfield, Lorinda is convinced she'll also need protection from her crazy family. But can you really trust an homicidal maniac bent on killing again?

I'm not really sure why The Hidden Hand isn't better known. It's one of those Warner "B" films that seems to have unfairly dropped into relative obscurity. I'm not sure I was even aware of its existence until last night. Too bad, because it's a ton of fun. It's got so much going for it. First, Milton Parsons plays mad brother John perfectly. He expertly alternates between hilarious and downright creepy. To me, it looked as if Parsons was having the time of his life. His name might not be familiar, but he's a character actor that I'm sure most fans of 1940s-era films have run across. Second is Willie Best. I always feel it necessary to defend enjoying Best, so I'll do so again. While I do not appreciate the stereotypical and sometimes degrading roles he was given, he's as good a comedian as you'll find. HIs timing is impeccable. The missing sandwich bit near the beginning of the film had me just about laughing out loud. In fact, he steals just about every scene he appears in. Finally, as I've said countless times, I always enjoy an old, dark house movie. This one comes complete with secret passages, moving panels, and other surprises. Add to that a madcap script, dead bodies that appear and disappear, and an atmospheric thunderstorm and you've got a winner in my books.

One last thing, being a Warner Brothers' film - even a "B' film - it all looks great. Director Benjamin Stoloff and cinematographer Henry Sharp certainly knew what they were doing.

7/10