Phantom Raiders

Phantom Raiders portrays a crime that is all to possible today, blowing up ships set off by electrical devices. However this was 1940, the era of the wisecracking detective and his sidekick neatly wrapping up the mystery in a little over an hour. What sets this film apart from other movies of the same type is its crackling good dialog, an insidious villain,(Joseph Shildkraut),the suave Nick Carter,(a clean shaven Walter Pigeon), his assistant, Mr Bartholomew (beautifully played by Donald Meek), the innocent ingénue(the captivating Florence Rice). Speaking of Florence Rice, she literally lights up the screen when she is on. At the same time vulnerable, adoring. Listen to the way she says "I love him", talking about her boyfriend, it will melt your heart. Highly recommend!

The other two entries in the Nick Carter detective series focused on spies or Fifth Columnists; this one is about an evil insurance scam whereby cargo ships, with their crews, are blown up. Llewelyn's of London, the insurer of the ships, hires Carter to investigate. Joseph Schildkraut as the suave but vicious gangster leader behind the bombings easily outshines the rather uninspiring performance of Walter Pidgeon as Nick Carter. The most striking scene in the whole movie is the brief scene showing the crew of the cargo ship amiably chatting with one another moments before their ship is blown up. An incredible scene. As with the other two entries in the series, this one has an excellent supporting cast with Florence Rice, John Carroll, Nat Pendleton, Cecil Kellaway, and Schildkraut. Donald Meek is on hand as Carter's sidekick, the wacky Mr. Bartholomew. It's a matter of taste whether one finds the Bartholomew character annoying or welcome comedic relief. Either way, he certainly is a memorable character. I think this is the best of the Nick Carter movies and certainly worth a watch, but the series itself is not as good or entertaining as many another B detective series.

"Phantom Raiders" is the second of three Nick Carter mystery films made by MGM that starred Walter Pidgeon. His co-star in all three is Donald Meek who plays Bartholomew, a beekeeper and wanna-be detective. Carter calls him "Beeswax," and the bee man turns out to be a sharp sleuth in his own right. In this film he saves Nick's life at least twice. He always shows up in the nick of time - to save Nick.

This film takes place in Panama where Nick has gone on vacation and Bartholomew tracks him down to deliver a $5,000 check for his taking on an investigation of ship bombings or sinkings in the Pacific out of Panama. Nick discovers that an old acquaintance, Al Taurez, from a crime racket in the States has set up shop in Panama. A whole lot of characters are involved in this one, but Nick solves it.

This series of Carter mysteries was made during World War II, but before the U.S. entered the war. While moviegoers would be getting newsreel reports of the war in Europe and somewhat in China, there would be no hint of a war going on in these films.

This film has some notable supporting actors of the day, including Joseph Schildkraut, Nat Pendleton and Cecil Kellaway. In each of these films, Carter has an image of a playboy and he seems to go for floozies. Still, Pidgeon is a delight to watch as an actor for his amiable persona - even when he is commanding.

None of these films were first class productions. The plot is somewhat choppy and the screenplay is just fair. But, it's an enjoyable enough film to watch on a rainy day.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Bartholomew, "This Mr. Taurez seems to be a man of generous nature." Nick Carter "Ah, yeah, Nick, would give his best friend a knife in the back any day."

Nick Carter, "Uh, I don't suppose you're a spy?" Cora Barnes, "Oh, but I am. Everyone in Colon's a spy. Haven't you seen the sign in the movie theaters? No spies under 18 admitted."

Nick Carter, "Al, you look different." Al Taurez, "Well, perhaps you miss the handcuffs, hnh,hnh."

Nick Carter, "Tell me, Al, what became of the Cleaners and Dyers Union you used to run in the old days?" Al Taurez, "Oh, Nick, you know I'm superstitious. When 13 G-men started looking for me on a Friday, I figured that was bad luck and I got out of town."

Instantly sinister, Joseph Schildkraut gives a knife throwing lesson to some underlings. Schildkraut is delightfully wicked as a shady character who manages a night club—and also runs a ship-wrecking insurance scam.

Walter Pidgeon makes his second appearance as detective Nick Carter, once again exuding self-confidence; he is again joined by Donald Meek as would-be detective Bartholomew, better known as the Bee Man. Together they gradually unravel the ship-wrecking plot with the help of the usual supporting characters—including John Carroll as a shipping magnate's son, and Florence Rice, who is quite good as the requisite beautiful young woman mixed up in the case.

The setting is Panama, and while the first half of the picture moves rather slowly, it features plenty of MGM-style Panama atmosphere. Eventually the plot starts to move along and builds nicely to a truly exciting climax on board ship.

Nat Pendleton is amusing as a dumb henchman who is told to "Take a walk around the block" any time there is real dirty work to be done. Meek is entertaining as always, and Pidgeon handles both the detective work and the smart-alecky dialog adeptly. Schildkraut as the villain, however, has the juiciest role.

The plot is nothing special but it does include a nifty surprise or two; overall, there's not much to this picture but it's plenty easy to watch.

Though he's the title character, Welter Pigeon plays a back seat to the villain. The villain is played smoothly by the superb Joseph Schildkraut. The rest of the cast is fun. Nat Pendleton is Schildkraut's bodyguard. Donald Meek is Pigeon's sidekick -- and a beekeeper, to boot. Florence Rice is very good in what looks like a sympathetic role, and is, though she's initially on the wrong side of the law.

What makes this stand out is its plot. We see this at the very start; so I'm giving nothing away: Schildkraut is blowing up ships at sea to collect on their insurance. It's shocking to think of such cold-blooded behavior. But to underline the heinous nature of his crime, we see the captain and some crew members chatting just before theirs is blown to bits.

This isn't the greatest of Jacques Tourneur movies. But his masterly touch is evident. Schildkraut is often photographed in profile and generally partially in shadow. He reminds one of a streamlined, custom-made sports car of the time. He is stylish -- and almost impossibly cruel.