Fingers at the Window

This is a swell little mystery thriller that reunites Lew Ayres and Laraine Day, who played Dr. Kildare and Nurse Lamont respectively in the Dr. Kildare series of movies (which were great, by the way). However, the characters they play here are much different. Ayres plays an easygoing actor turned amateur sleuth and Day plays a pretty, sweet airhead of a woman targeted by a killer or killers. Also starring is the legendary Basil Rathbone, who never did a bad job in a film in his career (prove me wrong!).

This film is a great treat, especially for fans of the Dr. Kildare series and fans of Rathbone. The cast is pleasant and have lots of fun. The story is crisp and moves along at a nice pace. Director Charles Lederer smoothly juggles the mystery, humor, and romance. It's a real pleasure to find such underrated treasures as this.

Laraine Day and Lew Ayers always seemed to have great chemistry between them and this picture carries on that tradition. Ayers is an out of work actor who happens to see Day being followed by a man who is carrying an axe. He manages to save her and capture the would-be killer but it's obvious that there will be further attempts on her life. Ayers tries to solve the mystery of why she is being stalked and manages to get himself in trouble both with the law and with the mastermind of the killings. Basil Rathbone does his usual top job in a role that calls for someone who is both suave and has ice water in his veins. The cast is rounded out with many familiar faces of MGM contract players. All in all, a very good mystery with Ayers and Day providing just the right amount of light interplay.

Lew Ayres and Laraine Day star in "Fingers at the Window," a 1942 film which also stars Basil Rathbone.

An ax murderer is killing people in Chicago, and the police don't have any leads. A young actor, Oliver Duffy (Ayres) suspects that a woman, Edwina (Day) is going to be attacked after he notices her being followed.

Oliver attaches himself to her, sees some activity outside of her window, and also notices a problem with her door latch, as if someone was preparing it to break in. He tries to figure out why she has been singled out, but Edwina, being an airhead, can't come up with anything.

Ayres and Day are delightful, having worked together so well in the "Dr. Kildare" series, and Rathbone is terrific as a distinguished doctor.

This was Ayres' last film before the war, during which he served as a conscientious objector (he was a medic on the front lines), something very controversial at that time. MGM washed their hands of him and the "Dr. Kildare" series quickly became the "Dr. Gillespie" series.

One of the first "Dr. Gillespie" films concerned a man who had lost a limb during the war - MGM was making a point. Ayres made one too, by winning an Oscar nomination for "Johnny Belinda" in 1948.

"Fingers at the Window" is a little silly with some plot holes, but the cast makes it work. Despite its macabre subject matter, it's directed by Charles Lederer with a light touch to mine the humor. Enjoyable.

This is a great little film and Lew Ayres is much under-rated as a leading man because of the Kildare series. he has a light touch that is only overpowered by the classic Basil Rathbone who gives even dross a great deal of class. Enjoy.

A struggling actor tries to solve a series of murders, which police believe have been committed by a madman, and finds love in the process.

This starts out as a chiller but fails to live up to its early promise. Despite this it's entertaining enough with good performances from Lew Ayres, Laraine Day and Basil Rathbone.