The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date

Warren William makes his fourth appearance as the title character Lone Wolf, and this time film centres on former jewel thief Michael Lanyard, aiming to recover his stamp collection as well as helping a damsel in distress, whose fiancée is accused of murder, and this involves a kidnapping.

The usual fun and games occur in this standard entry, but the comedy can overpower the mystery elements, whereas the previous entries I have seen balanced mystery and comedy quite well. Nevertheless, The Lone Wolf keeps a date is enjoyable, zips at a fast rate, and Jamison, Lone Wolf's valet - played by Eric Blore - is just as fast thinking as his boss. The leading lady was very pretty.

The Lone Wolf Keeps A Date must have had a few showings at the White House. After all in FDR the most important and prominent stamp collector there ever was happened to be the current resident.

Warren William and Eric Blore as The Lone Wolf and his factotum Jameson are back again and this film for a B picture is rather complicated in terms of plot. It also has more comedy in it as Warren William and Eric Blore look like they're having a great old time overacting outrageously. Catch William in the scene with chief villain Don Beddoe and henchmen.

The story involves The Lone Wolf's stolen stamp collection and the kidnapping of a millionaire in which once again the cops in the person of Thurston Hall and sidekick Fred Kelsey suspect William is involved in the plot when he's really trying to help.

You have to love Kelsey who came from the Keystone Police Academy as a graduate and who is the butt of everything. The Lone Wolf Keeps A Date will give you some suspense and tickle your funny bone even more than most in the series.

"Lanyard" (Warren William) and honourable factotum "Jamison" (Eric Blore) are in Havana on the trail of a rare stamp when they encounter "Patricia" (Frances Robinson) who wants to pinch their cab for an urgent trip to the airport. Charmed, the "Lone Wolf" agrees but after a few moments wishes he hadn't. It turns out that she is embroiled in a ransom plot that involves a kidnapped businessman, $100,000 and her poor old fiancé "Scotty" (Bruce Bennett) who is likely to fry if they don't get to the truth and free the victim in time. Of course, as soon as he is seen anywhere near the investigation, "Insp. Crane" (Thurston Hall) and the hapless "Dickens" (Fred Kelsey) are back on his case hoping and praying that this might be the time they finally manage to apprehend him. It's not the best story here, it's a bit thin and a little too contrived, but there are plenty of amiable one-liners and some fun with boats that sees "Dickens" getting a well deserved ducking once or twice.

Michael Lanyard, aka The Lone Wolf is elated when he manages to complete his Cuban stamp collection at a shop in Havana, on his way to The Airport, he encounters a young woman named Patricia Lawrence, and offers to help her with a sizeable problem.

Not my favourite Lone Wolf film, but still a watchable film, Warren William is intensely watchable and good fun, and he does make it pretty enjoyable.

There is a lot going on, possibly too much, it seems to rush excitedly into one direction, pause, then veer off on another strand, stamps, kidnap, ransom, it's a bit too much at times.

I've enjoyed each of The Lone Wolf mysteries, and all of them so far have had a nice balance of comedy and mystery, I would suggest that this one is a little more balanced towards the humorous side, some of it works, some of it is a little too much, the mystery takes something of a back seat.

Eric Blore, Frances Robinson, Jed Prouty and Thurston Hall are all very good.

6/10.

This was Warren Williams's 4th Lone Wolf outing to Eric Blore's 3rd as the adventurous master and butler Michael Lanyard and Jamison. The entire cast were dapper in the Hollywood sunshine but Blore outshone them all, he was never more snazzily dressed than in here.

The plot has it that Lanyard lets himself become embroiled in a rather nasty kidnapping affair after the baddies steal his precious stamp album mistaking it for their pay off of USD 100,000. And as usual he was helping out a damsel in distress. Amidst some fine comedic banter between the leads, slapstick, the baddies being hunted down by Lanyard and vice versa with the cops after Lanyard it can all get can pretty complicated and surreal at times, especially when the yacht makes an appearance so I recommend attention. Favourite bits: The amusing opening and chase scene in Havana; Lanyard feigning utter horror at the mess his stamp collection had got into in baddie Ed Gargan's none-too-delicate hands; whenever 53 yo zooty Blore had to run - what a sight!

All in all another nice entry in the series (by my count no. 6/15), for those of us who like the genre.