International Crime

I did. I just watched one. Actually it was in my DVD Mystery set and "The Shadow"s exploits are well-known, even if am too young to have heard his radio shows."International Crime", however, does nothing to enhance his memory or reputation. The biggest shock was to find that Rod La Rocque was such an incredibly bad actor - he must have been better in silents, as here he overacts and seems to have no range and no flair for light comedy. His female counterpart, Astrid Allwyn, is in the same boat as she chews the scenery as a ditzy would-be reporter. The sole bright spot is Lou Hearn as a cabbie with a yiddish accent.

The screen play is embarrassing and pointless, something to do with Nazi agents extorting money from a rich merchant, plus a running (unfunny) gag about an inept local Police Dept.

If you own the same DVD set as myself, skip this one - or turn on the radio.

This is an odd little B-movie--one that at least is different. Rod La Roque stars as "the Shadow"--a combination radio celebrity and amateur crime solver. Using his show, he periodically tweaks the noses of the local police--who respond by arresting him on trumped up charges (wow...I guess the Constitution wasn't created until after 1938). And, along for the ride is one of the most common clichés in crime films of the era--the spunky and occasionally annoying reporter (who also happens to be the daughter of the radio station owner). Together, they investigate a crime AND have a good time!

For the most part, this is light and silly B entertainment. It's not terrible but cliché-ridden and only adequately written--at best. But, on the positive side, La Roque was very good in the movie--and it makes you wonder why he had faded to a B-actor after a relatively promising series of films in the 1920s and early 30s.

Adequate.

This Rod La Rocque/"Shadow" feature is pretty entertaining for a B-mystery. It combines the main mystery story with the Shadow's running battles of wits with the police and others. The two Shadow features with La Rocque both have a different feel from the radio and print stories, but both are watchable, and this one is the better of the two.

In this story, the Shadow has a radio show and a newspaper column, both of which he puts to use in solving the murder case that arises. The mystery itself is often just a sidelight to the Shadow's personal entanglements with the police commissioner, with his new, overly eager assistant (Astrid Allwyn), and with some of the principals in the case.

It's the kind of interesting, complex setup that a first-class writer could have done a great deal more with. As it is, although there are a couple of missed opportunities, it moves at a good pace and is interesting enough to make it a decent way to spend an hour or so.

I enjoy this movie and have watched it several times (free on Amazon Prime). The colorful characters and some snappy dialog are what attracts me. The mystery aspects and especially Rod LaRocque's cheesy foreign accent (used in a few scenes) are not.

I like Astrid Allwyn as the young, eager girl-Friday-wannabe-- slightly ditsy, but not outlandishly so. She gets off some good lines, like this: Waiter: More caviar, madame? Astrid Allwyn: Oh, no! If I eat any more of that buckshot, I'll pass out!

Lew Hearn as Moe is a colorful character. He bails out Cranston, and standing outside the cell, Cranston asks how much he owes him. Moe says something like, "Is this a place to talk business? It'll be on your bill."

Thomas E. Jackson is enjoyable as always, as a gruff, put-upon police commissioner. I remember him as the gruff, put-upon editor in "Nancy Drew, Reporter."

And Peter Potter is memorable as Cranston's assistant, with that sleepy-sounding Oklahoma drawl of his.

The mystery, the safe-cracking Honest John, and all that, is not to be dismissed, though there are some corny aspects of the plot. But all in all I like this movie and will no doubt watch it again.

The second of the Rod La Rocque Shadow movies is a vast improvement on the first, and bears no relation to that film or anything else about the character.

In this, Lamont Cranston is a newspaper/radio reporter who writes a column on crime, as well as having a radio show. His identity thus is a secret to no one. He is aided by Phoebe Lane, an aspiring reporter, in unraveling a mystery.

The mystery is interesting enough to hold interest and involves a crime that baffles everyone. There is some good scenes, especially with Cranston and Phoebe. But the characters (other than the Shadow) are all over the place. Phoebe is sometimes a smart protofeminist and also a complete ditz -- often in the same scene. Her final scene makes no sense after what we've seen before it.

But the movie does move along fairly well and the mystery is intriguing enough. It's a decent little film if you want something fun to kill an hour.