The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date

Warren William makes his fourth appearance as the title character Lone Wolf, and this time film centres on former jewel thief Michael Lanyard, aiming to recover his stamp collection as well as helping a damsel in distress, whose fiancée is accused of murder, and this involves a kidnapping.

The usual fun and games occur in this standard entry, but the comedy can overpower the mystery elements, whereas the previous entries I have seen balanced mystery and comedy quite well. Nevertheless, The Lone Wolf keeps a date is enjoyable, zips at a fast rate, and Jamison, Lone Wolf's valet - played by Eric Blore - is just as fast thinking as his boss. The leading lady was very pretty.

THE LONE WOLF KEEPS A DATE is so heavily pulled down by too many sub-plots that it becomes exceedingly hard to follow as it goes on and on with devious twists and turns. Suffice it to say, you can watch it at your own discomfort.

He's in Havana this time, coming to the aid of a damsel in distress (Frances Robinson) and keeping one step ahead of the police with his valet ERIC BLORE, again on hand to supply the comic interest.

THURSTON HALL is enjoyable as a harried police inspector and there are plenty of references to the dumb cops in his employ. None of them are clever enough to deal with WARREN WILLIAMS as The Lone Wolf.

It chugs along at a fast pace with, as Williams says, "no time for explanations." BRUCE BENNETT is the heroine's boyfriend, mixed up somehow in a kidnapping plot and needing help from The Wolf, who's mixed up in something about a valuable stamp collection. Bennett has only one brief scene in jail at the beginning.

Whatever humor there is comes from police bungling and the antics of Eric Blore as Williams' faithful valet--and always a welcome presence in these things.

Summing up: A jumbled trifle easily forgotten and not one of the best in the series.

"Lanyard" (Warren William) and honourable factotum "Jamison" (Eric Blore) are in Havana on the trail of a rare stamp when they encounter "Patricia" (Frances Robinson) who wants to pinch their cab for an urgent trip to the airport. Charmed, the "Lone Wolf" agrees but after a few moments wishes he hadn't. It turns out that she is embroiled in a ransom plot that involves a kidnapped businessman, $100,000 and her poor old fiancé "Scotty" (Bruce Bennett) who is likely to fry if they don't get to the truth and free the victim in time. Of course, as soon as he is seen anywhere near the investigation, "Insp. Crane" (Thurston Hall) and the hapless "Dickens" (Fred Kelsey) are back on his case hoping and praying that this might be the time they finally manage to apprehend him. It's not the best story here, it's a bit thin and a little too contrived, but there are plenty of amiable one-liners and some fun with boats that sees "Dickens" getting a well deserved ducking once or twice.

Michael Lanyard, aka The Lone Wolf is elated when he manages to complete his Cuban stamp collection at a shop in Havana, on his way to The Airport, he encounters a young woman named Patricia Lawrence, and offers to help her with a sizeable problem.

Not my favourite Lone Wolf film, but still a watchable film, Warren William is intensely watchable and good fun, and he does make it pretty enjoyable.

There is a lot going on, possibly too much, it seems to rush excitedly into one direction, pause, then veer off on another strand, stamps, kidnap, ransom, it's a bit too much at times.

I've enjoyed each of The Lone Wolf mysteries, and all of them so far have had a nice balance of comedy and mystery, I would suggest that this one is a little more balanced towards the humorous side, some of it works, some of it is a little too much, the mystery takes something of a back seat.

Eric Blore, Frances Robinson, Jed Prouty and Thurston Hall are all very good.

6/10.

A very enjoyable Lone Wolf movie, "The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date" finds Michael Lanyard (The Lone Wolf, played by Warren William) and his butler Jameson (Eric Pangborn) in Havana for a stamp convention. Well, the best laid plans -- Lanyard, a former jewel thief, soon finds himself without his collection and involved in a kidnapping, the young man who is accused sitting in prison, and his fiancé trying to pay the ransom.

This is the outrageous and sophisticated Warren William at his best, with lots of comedy contributed by Pangborn. The two of them worked so well together.

Though a B movie, this series was a lot of fun. Before William the role was played by Frances Lederer, Melvyn Douglas, and several other actors. After William departed the series in 1946, Gerald Mohr and Ron Randell played him. It was also a TV series starring the smooth Louis Hayward. I hope to see more starring William.