Whispering Footsteps

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.

John Hubbard (Mark) lives in a guest house and falls under suspicion when his description fits that of a murderer. Not only that, but his behaviour seems to fit someone who may be guilty of a murder spree – he reads strange books and his after dark hours seem to follow the pattern of the murderer. So, is he?

The film is OK – ruined by a few of the cast – but essentially it keeps you guessing so that's a good point. It's a shame that Juanita Quigley (Rose) doesn't get murdered – you will see what I mean. She's the one that screams every time she appears. Not just once, usually 3 times. And it's always at top decibels and very shrill. I think it's meant to be funny. Anyway, she ruins the film. Another oddity is Mary Gordon (Ma) who plays the landlady and who speaks with what sounds like a dreadful Scottish accent. I found out that she is actually Scottish which makes her unlike-able because she shouldn't speak like that!

It's a compact film that is more of a study of human nature rather than a straightforward whodunnit.

Clearly his parents had aspirations for their son "Marcus Aurelius" when they christened him, but sadly "Mark" (John Hubbard) has progressed little beyond a job as a bank clerk. His life is about to liven up though when he returns from holiday to find he is amidst a killing spree - and the photofits suggest the culprit is the spitting image of himself. Investigators duly arrive and when he fails to prove a conclusive alibi, it looks like "Det. Dolan" (Cy Kendall) has concluded that "Mark" is going to be toast! Now he has to ally himself with the practically-minded "Brook" (Rita Quigley) and try to find out just who is doing the murdering and leaving him to take the blame. It's not the greatest of mysteries this, but what is quite effective is the pervasively odious effect of small-minded gossip. The no smoke without fire mentality amongst the bored and the idle make his life ands his job all but impossible. The story is not really helped by the annoying, screaming, characterisation of "Rose" (Juanita Quigley) who sadly is not one of the victims, nor by the presence of the enigmatic "Helen" (Joan Blair) who has a few rather curious nocturnal habits. It's extremely wordy, too - endless, pointless chatting serves to slow down the pace before the conclusion that isn't half bad, but comes after what felt like quite a long slog. Nobody here leaps off the screen at us, but it passes an hour effortlessly enough.

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.

A maniac is going around Indiana, killing young women. A composite drawing looks like John Hubbard, a bank teller in a town called Medallion and Cy Kendall is a special investigator in town, asking questions. As the movie progresses, we get sketches of the people and their small-town, gossipy manners as they begin to turn on Hubbard, and the suspicions of the audience begin to grow that he may be the killer.

Suggesting in story Hitchcock's THE LODGER and SHADOW OF A DOUBT, it makes some visual use of the growing tropes of film noir -- there's one scene which is heavily shadowed by nearly closed Venetian blinds -- but it looks more like an attempt to copy the Master of Suspense than do film noir -- Juanita Quigley as the daughter of Hitchcock's landlady, Mary Gordon, is quite funny in her snooping and considered, piercing screams.