Whispering Footsteps

...is how I would describe this budget feature.

It's rare for a film from 1943 in that there is no mention of WWII at all. I've even seen a MGM short from that same year about the weather that manages to get a war message shoe-horned into it.

Marcus Aurelius 'Mark" Bourne (John Hubbard) is a teller at the town bank who has just returned from vacation in Indiana. Funny to think of somebody being content with a Hoosier holiday, but I digress. He learns upon his return that somebody who looks just like him has murdered a woman not far from where he was during vacation. And then a woman is murdered not far from the town in which he lives. And the murders continue to get closer to where he actually lives. This brings the interest of an out of town cop as to Mark's whereabouts at the time of the murders, and apparently the municipality for which he works has enough money for the cop to just hang around and pester Mark for weeks on end. So everybody in this small town is looking at Mark with suspicion, and it doesn't help that he has no alibi for the time of any of the murders to the point where Mark wonders if he doesn't have some kind of split personality and is actually the murderer and just doesn't realize it. Complications ensue.

The actor who played Mark was an earnest likeable fellow who gives a good performance, and the supporting players are at least capable. But the dialogue is just not adequate. I can't figure out what the new woman in town wants from Mark and why she just continually insults him and why he comes back for more. It is also never revealed what the bank president' s daughter wants from him either to the point she'll arrange to meet him on a park bench in the middle of the night. Somehow all of these people end up having long conversations in which nothing is said , which is quite a feat in and of itself.

And everything I just mentioned, considering this was a budget production from the start would probably make this a 5 or 6 out of ten. But what kills it is the landlady's daughter who screams at the drop of a hat. Maybe the first time it would be funny, but she does it at least half a dozen times to the point I wince when I see her on camera. It really isn't the actress' fault. She was just doing what she was told by the director, but he should have realized her nerve wracking screeches were having a negative effect on the entire production. If you watch it, have your mute on hand every time she appears.

This is a flawed film in several respects. It has poor production values, B actors, and a really annoying little brat actress who never made another film (hopefully). The one saving grace of this film is the story and the script. It is a very intelligent script for the time period (the middle of WW 2). And it was almost impossible to find a film from that era that didn't mention the war.

The story of a man who is accused as a serial killer, keeps you guessing all the way to the end of the film. I will not reveal the ending, but it is interesting. This is just one of your better B movies, especially in the noir genre. After all, we go to the movies to be entertained by a good story; this foots the bill.

Bank teller John Hubbard resembles the description given by the authorities of a murderer. Because he was on vacation in the area where the murders took place, he becomes a suspect, and is constantly tailed by investigator Cy Kendall. When murders start happening in his own town, he soon finds himself the talk to the town, even tho his neighbor Joan Blair and his bosses daughter Rita Quigley provide him with alibis for the murders.

The story is really basic and doesn't need a lot of time to be told. Which is maybe why this movie needs only just over 50 minutes. It feels like a movie adaptation of an episode of a radio play series like 'Suspense', including a (literally) last minute twist. The acting is decent enough, but there's an annoying part for a girl (Rita's sister Juanita Quigley) who screams every time she's scared, which is really often.

The movie has plenty of dark/night-time scenes, which aren't shot in a noir way really but are atmospheric nevertheless. Director Howard Bretherton and DoP Jack Marta, who both did tons of westerns, do decent work here but don't expect magic. Overall the movie is entertaining tho and with its small town gossip angle even manages to sneak in some social commentary (altho I doubt that was intentional). 6/10

John Hubbard plays bank clerk Marcus Borne in "Whispering Footsteps" from 1943. The film also features Rita Quigley, Joan Blair, and Cy Kendall.

Borne comes under suspicion when the description of a serial killer matches him. He lives in a rooming house, and he can sense that the other boarders are suspicious of him, especially as the police keep coming around.

I saw John Hubbard in "Turnabout" costarring Carole Landis, and he turned in a great performance. He was an actor with a good range, as he shows here. You really don't find out whether he's guilty or not until the end, and his performance doesn't give anything away.

Juanita Quigley is on hand, screaming every time something about the killer is even mentioned. Quite a pair of lungs.

Small town bank teller Marcus Borne (John Hubbard ) returns from vacation to find he is a suspect in a murder investigation based on a composite drawing of the killer. As the murders continue and lacking a solid alibi, even Borne's employer and fellow renters at his boarding house suspect his guilt.

Presented as a crime feature, 'Whispering Footsteps' is more of a drama and a statement on small town prejudice. For the most part the movie is a plodding and shallow take on the human condition. Perhaps the wartime footing in the country at the time might have been a contributing influence.The ending of the movie is a letdown and feels like little more than a quick, convenient exit. Of special note this movie features screaming kid actor Rita Quigley as one of the most annoying characters to ever grace the silver screen. Inexplicably out of the blue she lets out a shrill ear piecing scream in most every scene she appears.

A lesser entry into the crime quickie venue, somebody looking for a murder mystery will likely be disappointed.