Dark Mountain

"Dark Mountain" is a super-cheap B-movie from Pine-Thomas Productions ( a subsidiary of Paramount). Being a cheap B, it clocks in at under 60 minutes and stars relatively unknown actors--Robert Lowery, Ellen Drew and Regis Toomey. Eddie Quillan is on hand to provide unnecessary comic relief.

The film begins with a park ranger (Lowery) asking his girlfriend (Drew) to marry him. The trouble is, the sap doesn't know that she just married another guy (Toomey). What she doesn't realize is that her new sweetie is actually a mobster--and a very nasty one at that. She finds out the hard way when she sees him murder his partner! Now, he decides to use her as a hostage to guarantee his escape from the law. Can her old beau somehow come to the rescue...or at least can his dog come to the rescue?!

This film is an inoffensive B with no real surprises (other than the great performance by the dog). Not a terrible film but also not a very good one. And, by the way, cars do NOT explode like they do in this film!

This was thankfully short.

From 1944, Dark Mountain stars Robert Lowery, Ellen Drew, Regis Toomey, Eddie Quillan, and Elisha Cook, Jr.

Kay Downey (Drew) finds out her new husband Steve (Toomey) is a total gangster, dealing in stolen goods and stooping even lower - murder. He has to get out of town and insists she accompany him, when all she wants to do is leave, period. At a certain point, they separate - he gives her a way to reach him after things have cooled off.

Kay goes running to Don Bradley, who is madly in love with her and in fact, came to propose to her without realizing she had married. He is a park ranger and, finding out what happened, he sets her up in an unused cabin.

Little do either one of them know that Steve never had any intention of leaving Kay behind - he just wanted to know her hiding place so he could hide with her. Despite Don visiting the cabin and bringing supplies, Kay has to pretend Steve isn't in the next room.

B movie done on the cheap, and it's one of those public domain films. I am following a film noir list because I want to see as many as I can; unfortunately, some of them just aren't very good.

After fighting acres of fire, handsome forest ranger Robert Lowery (as Don Bradley) is promoted to oversee the "Dark Mountain" area. He is also granted a furlough for heroism, and gets so excited he kicks over a garbage can on the way out of the supervisor's office. Now, a higher-budgeted film would have done this scene over, but they probably spent all the money on the exciting opening sequence. Mr. Lowery wisely (or accidentally) uses the trip to show his character's excitement. Filmmakers should have left more of these bits in, as add to the believability - and, this film needs all the believability it can get. The characters get wildly incredible.

To celebrate his job success, Lowery goes off to marry his childhood sweetheart, a beautiful and shapely Ellen Drew (as Kay). But, she startles him by introducing her brand new husband, crooked salesman Regis Toomey (as Steve Downey). Don't waste time trying to figure out how Ms. Drew fell so stupidly in love with Mr. Toomey, because she falls out of love just as quickly. Then, she runs back to Lowery, who hides her in his ranger shack without knowing she's concealing Toomey there, too. The story makes little sense; but, if you don't think too hard about the characters' actions, the quick pace and steadfast performances make it enjoyable.

***** Dark Mountain (9/44) William Berke ~ Robert Lowery, Ellen Drew, Regis Toomey, Eddie Quillan

Ellen Drew marries Regis Toomey not knowing he is a smuggler. When her husband commits a murder and she is in trouble she turns to her former boyfriend for help.

Standard programmer film, less then an hour in length. Good performances by all in the film, also including Eddie Quillian and Robert Lowery. This film is in the public domain and is now available on DVD.

This is another of the Pine-Thomas quickies filmed on Paramount's back lot - way back lot.

I enjoy these hour and/or less movies I used to see in my neighborhood theater that specialized in B-movie double features. (Later in life, in the '50s, I introduced such films as late movies on KWWL-TV in Waterloo, IA.).

This flick was too talky, but it had a few things going for it. The opening fire scene was semi-impressive, although it was fairly obvious that the fire was in the background and star, Robert Lowery, leading a couple of equines away from the flames was up front.

The only other scene that qualified as action was the car chase which seemed to be over only a few moments before it began. A highlight was the family pup-o chasing the bad guy. The car seemed to be hitting 80, the dog was running 60 when, suddenly, he caught up with the meanie. The scenes involving man versus dog were quite good.

A plus for me was Robert Lowery (another gent with the same name was a hymn writer). I always enjoyed watching him. He shoulda-coulda have been a star of major productions.

Ellen Drew was a beaut, and my favorite character actor, Elisha Cook Jr. is always a plus, although he did not have much time in this movie. The guy, whose dad was a backstage worker at studios, lived alone in a cave. No phone - they had to send a messenger to fetch him for work. He was always fascinating to watch.

"Dark Mountain" is a fairly competent quickie.

One note: The cover painting showing Lowery and Drew was atrocious. The painting looked no more like him than I do like Gable - or Clooney if you want to get up to date.