Secrets of the Lone Wolf (1941)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Best movie ever!

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Imperious detective Thurston Hall is the one doing the sweating while grilling suave Warren William over the theft of jewels on a voyage of the damned. The twosome of William and valet Eric Blore once go up against the team of Hall and idiotic Fred Kelsey who this time gets cracks made towards him by his own boss. Ruth Ford is the lovely lady who has been entrusted with the jewels and becomes the target of a ruthless racket.While entertaining and filled with some amusing lines and situations, this does on occasion lag. It seems to be more of the same with a formula plot padding out its barely over an hour running time. Some interesting touches by future film noir director Edward Dmytryk offer hints of what would come from him down the road. You can't expect much from these programmers but tense action and dry wit, which is what these films have in spades.

There had been many Lone Wolf movies with various actors playing the title character before 1939 and there would be several to follow after 1943, but Warren William without doubt was the definitive Michael Lanyard. This was his 6th film out of 9 and a very entertaining entry.There are some nice directorial touches starting with the opening having William deliver an amusingly righteous speech in a tuxedo top, only to have the camera pull out to reveal he has only boxer shorts on and is rehearsing. Plenty of comedy such as this and the delightful presence of Eric Blore, who again delivers an hysterical performance as Jamison - the Lone Wolf's valet, keep the action moving along.By the time the series hit the 5th episode it was clear that the plots got a little more ridiculous. This one is the first to get topical regarding the war as it was released just before the US entered WWII. The Napoleon jewels have been smuggled out of Europe just before the Nazis could get them. The owners want to sell them to raise money for the Allies. Inspector Crane is in charge of keeping the jewels safe and calls in Lanyard to consult on how to avoid jewel thieves. Of course, things do not go as planned for Crane and Lanyard is suspect #1 when real jewel thieves involve him by kidnapping Jamison believing he is the Lone Wolf.Just like in the Boston Blackie series, you have to wonder how many times the inspector has to witness the former jewel thief save the day and still always instantly suspect and arrest him. By this time it naturally gets a little tired. What makes these films so entertaining though, are not the recycled plot lines as much as the great work by the actors. William as Lanyard is not just one step ahead, he's about 10 steps ahead of everyone else. Like Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes, you just have to sit back and enjoy his creative ability to get out of any jam. William always portrays a great air of confidence and charm no matter what the circumstances. And Blore's hysterical take on the impish Jamison is a constant joy to watch. The chemistry between the two was always excellent, evident here in the scenes when they have to reverse roles to keep up the act that Jamison is the Lone Wolf.The Lone Wolf series was one of the best from the golden age of detective films of the 30s and 40s. Secrets of the Lone Wolf is another solid film in the series.

One of the few entries never aired on Turner Classic Movies, this average feature was helmed by Edward Dmytryk, who followed it with another Wolf "Counter-espionage" (1942), "Confessions of Boston Blackie" (also 1942, with Chester Morris), "The Falcon Strikes Back" (1943, with Tom Conway), and "Captive Wild Woman" (also 1943, with John Carradine). A topical story with Inspector Crane (Thurston Hall) guarding gems that will help pay for a foreign nation's fight for liberty, and asking Michael Lanyard (Warren William) for his expertise on methods of theft that could possibly be used. Aboard the ship being guarded, there is a spy (John Harmon) who tips off his confederates as to what's going on. The entire gang kidnap Lanyard's manservant Jamison (Eric Blore), believing him to be the Lone Wolf and expecting him to aid them in pulling off the heist. Some amusing byplay with Lanyard pretending to be Jamison, and the police always on the wrong trail. A rather dull cast this time around, with Victor Jory a standout as the gang leader, 'Dapper' Dan Streever, and unbilled Ian Keith in a miniscule part as another gang member, Six O'Clock Sam. From 1939-1943, Warren William would appear in nine Lone Wolf entries (only three left after this one) with seven features remaining overall (including his next "The Wolf Man") before he died of multiple myeloma in 1948 at the youthful age of 53.