O Caso Westland

1937's "The Westland Case" began the regrettably short-lived series of Crime Club mysteries from Universal, clearly superior to their Inner Sanctums but more difficult to find. Of the 7 official entries, 3 starred Preston Foster as hard drinking, perpetually sleepy Detective Bill Crane, and Frank Jenks as his wisecracking sidekick Doc Williams; such was the case with this first one, as Robert Westland (Theodore von Eltz) has only six days left to live, convicted of murdering his wife, whom he was in the process of divorcing. Crane and Williams are summoned when someone sends Westland a note promising to alibi him, but every time a new lead becomes promising, the subject winds up dead. The dead wife was discovered locked in her room, her key still lying on the table beside the body, and her husband in possession of the only other key, plus his gun has seemingly disappeared after the murder. Foster and Jenks excel in their tailor-made roles, not dissimilar to the "I Love a Mystery" duo, Jack Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough), who also did 3 features in 1945-46. Russell Hicks and George Meeker make a decent pair of suspects, and Ward Bond plays Westland's fellow death row inmate Connors, who puts him onto the right lawyer to get him out, played with great relish by scene-stealing Clarence H. Wilson (frequently seen opposite Charlie Chase in 2 reel Hal Roach comedies). The other Bill Crane titles are "The Lady in the Morgue" (bringing back Thomas E. Jackson and Barbara Pepper) and "The Last Warning" (both 1938). Editor Otis Garrett graduated to director with the next Crime Club, "The Black Doll," missing out on just one, "The Last Warning."

Universal launched their Crime Club series in 1937 with The Westland Case. Preston Foster stars as detective Bill Crane with Frank Jenks as his assistant, Doc.

Robert Westland (Theodore von Eltz) will be en route to the electric chair in six days if Crane can't find evidence to clear him. He is accused of murdering his almost ex-wife who was found in a locked room. Her key was present; Westland had the other one. And his gun is nowhere to be found.

There are a couple of new leads, but someone kills the people who have them.

Crane's way of working out this case is somewhat complicated. That's putting it mildly. Nevertheless, it's a good mystery and Foster and Jenks are always fun. Plus there is a character who does a good impression of Mae West.

I didn't see a great print of this, but it was worth viewing.

This film is notable for one reason, and one reason only. It is the performance of Barbara Pepper, a Mae-West look and act alike actress who does a terrific job of imitating Mae West. For five minutes, I was mezmerized by her performance. Her body movements, eye rolling, posture with hand on hip, and other right-on imitations of West were remarkable. The rest of the film is average kaka. See the film and roll to the 25 minute mark just for this sequence; its worth it. Then forget about watching the rest of it.

This is the first of the three Universal Bill Crane comic mysteries with Preston Foster playing the detective. He is a hard-drinking playboy investigator who manages to sober up quickly enough to get his job done. The story is set in Chicago with mobsters and their machine guns still operating in that city. Shootings occur in a club and out on the streets to try and stop Crane getting the information he needs.

A man named Robert Westland is in the condemned cell for murdering his wife. He receives a letter six days before he is due to be executed. He feels hopeful that this letter will prove his innocence and so he gives it to his attorney friend Frazee. Frazee and the warden get Crane on the case. Crane has to prove how someone else could have committed the killing while leaving the murder room locked from the inside when Westland has the only other key.

The tension mounts as the time ticks down to the moment of Westland's execution. And it goes down to the wire with a roomful of people anxiously watching the clock in the warden's room. I reckon the action and the mystery and the humor are dealt out in just the right proportions. Preston Foster is good and able to switch between portraying serious detective work and delivering some humorous lines. Barbara Pepper is also good as the tough blonde doing a fair impression of Mae West.

The fact that some fiction is so implausible as to be wonderful reading fulfills the definition of much of the mystery writing that has ever been done. When converted into a film, some of these ridiculously implausible films are the most fun to watch. Universal made eight "Crime Club" mystery films based on novels that were part of such a series. The very first one was "The Westland Case" (1937), starring Preston Foster, Frank Jenks, Carol Hughes, Barbara Pepper, Astrid Allwyn, Clarence Wilson, Theodore von Eltz, George Meeker, Russell Hicks, Selmer Jackson, Thomas E. Jackson, and others. This one moves along at a wonderful pace, and the characters are all full of snap, pap, and sass. Barbara Pepper does her best saltiest Mae West and infinitely steals the best acting honors. She's absolutely wonderful in the part. Even reedy and thin-boned, thin-voiced, wiry-haired Clarence Wilson shines throughout the affairs of this tumbling mystery that takes one from one suspect to another as Preston Foster cleverly, slyly, hung-overly, smart-assedly goes after the clue that breaks the mystery into solved territory. His helper is the equally smart-assed, self-righteous-eyed, told-ya'-so Frank Jenks. The plot is one where a wife (of Theodore von Eltz) is found murdered in a locked room, with the key still in the locked room. The husband is accused and is on death row. Another death row character, Ward Bond, recommends that the husband hire Preston Foster. This was really well done and a pleasure to watch. Moves like a race around 1930's dirt race tracks, with plenty of dust and oil and nary a car in the film at a race track, just mystery stirring the pot of fate - with a lot of garlic added.