Three low budget, black and white mysteries: one from the Thirties, one from the Forties, and one from the Sixties. Can you guess which of these three suspects is the best film before we arrive at the conclusion of this week’s Doomed Farmer reviews?

RETURN OF MR. MOTO (1965)
Written by Fred Eggers Directed by Ernest Morris

Updating Mr. Moto in the midst of the secret agent boom wasn’t a bad idea, but this lackluster film wasn’t the way to do it. Henry Silva plays Moto as a tough New Yorker, an agent for Interpol; nothing wrong with that, except it’s not Moto. The film opens nicely with an extended scene of murder and cat and mouse on the dark and deserted streets of London, but never recaptures this feeling for atmosphere and suspense. The climactic scene in an empty nightclub, in which Moto unnerves a stone cold ex-Nazi killer by speaking via a microphone from a hiding place, is an illogical and risible idea. Too bad, as Silva would have made a good secret agent character in another series with another concept - and a bigger budget. (Viewed on Vol. 2 of Fox’s excellent Moto DVD sets, this “extra” is as beautifully transferred as the main Lorre movies. By the way, if you’ve never read any of J. P. Marquand’s original Moto novels, give one a try; they are jam packed with atmosphere, mystery, action and international intrigue. You’ll probably get hooked on them like I did and gobble ‘em up.)


MYSTERY LINER (1934)
Written by Wellyn Totman from a novel by Edgar Wallace Directed by William Nigh

Prof. Grimson (Ralph Lewis) has invented a device by which an ocean liner can be remotely controlled, but Capt. Holling (Noah Beery) goes mad before it can be tested. The Prof is attacked and nearly strangled to death - with a sailor’s knot. Is the murderer Capt. Holling, who has escaped from the asylum, or Capt. Downey (Boothe Howard), eager to take command of the ship, or is it mysterious European Von Kessling (Gustav von Seyffertitz), or someone else? Major Pope (Edwin Maxwell), private investigator, investigates as the ship sails. Nurse Lila Kane (Astrid Allwyn) is menaced by a mysterious, shadowy figure. This is a good Monogram film with nicely atmospheric cinematography from Archie Stout and what looks like Kenneth Strickfaden electrical effects. Look for George Hayes (minus the “Gabby” whiskers) as Joe the steward. At a brisk 63 minutes, this is one Monogram film that doesn’t sag in the middle and is entertaining throughout. (Viewed on TCM.)


SLEEPERS WEST (1941)
Written by Lou Breslow & Stanley Rauh  Directed by Eugene Forde

Michael Shayne, private detective (Lloyd Nolan) attempts to escort surprise trial witness Helen Carlson (Mary Beth Hughes) undercover from Denver to San Francisco aboard a sleeping car (hence the title). The testimony of this witness can topple a governor; with so much at stake, her presence doesn’t remain a secret for long, as reporter Kay Bentley (Lynn Bari), her fiance, lawyer Tom Linscott (Donald Douglas), mobster Carl Izzard (Don Costello), railroad dick George Trautwein (Ed Brophy), and a stranger with mysterious motives (Louis Jean Heydt) are soon hot on her trail. A train speeding through the night is always a good location for suspense and mystery; no matter how often the film may pause for extended dialog, that locomotive is always hurtling toward its destination. In this case, the train is hurtling more rapidly than usual, as cranky old engineer Mack (Oscar O’Shea) is determined to make up for time lost waiting for late-coming passengers, and the dialog is wittier than usual for a B movie. One example, as reporter Kay chastises frequently tardy ex-boyfriend Shayne: Kay: “I waited for you through a wedding, a christening and a funeral!” Shayne: “Hey, wait a minute. It wasn’t all for the same person!” Rounding out this finely tuned little programmer is a cast of good supporting actors who are given more detailed characterizations than is often the case: Mantan Moreland and real-life nightclub partner Ben Carter as porters, O’Shea as the aforementioned conductor, Heydt as the mysterious stranger, Costello as mobster Izzard (Izzard: “How’d you know my name?”  Shayne: “You looked like someone who’d have a name like that.”), Hughes as the reluctant witness, Bari as the reporter, Ferike Beros as a kindly old farm woman and George Chandler as a driver unjustly proud of his elderly car. Twentieth Century Fox’s print on their Michael Shayne Mysteries DVD set is flawless.
— Robert Deveau
The Doomed Farmer