I Killed That Man (1941)

Truly Dreadful Film

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

***SPOILERS*** While on his way to be executed for murder the tight lipped convicted murderer Nick Ross, Ralf Harolde,finally opens up his big mouth and goes on talking endlessly in how he was railroaded by his un-named boss into the electric chair and now he's going to tell the whole world who that man is! It's then that Ross suddenly goes into cardiac arrest and drops dead in front the some dozen hand picked witnesses who are there to withes his execution.Assistant D.A Roger Phillips, Ricardo Cortez, who prosecuted the case and was one of those who witness Ross' unexpected demise, with a poison dart shot in his neck, and is determined to find his murderer and goes about it by laying a number of red herrings as to draw Ross' murderer out into the open. it's Ross' girlfriend Verne Drake, Iris Adrian,who becomes the killer's next victim when driving her car as she honks her horn to avoid hitting someone and suddenly drops dead with crusader against the death penalty J. Reed, Gavin Gordon, as her passenger! It turns out that the murder weapon in both Ross & Verne Drake's deaths was a poison dart shot from close range at them!***SPOILERS***The movie lumbers along until some secret code is broken by woman reporter Geri Reynolds,Joan Woodbury, who after exposing the killer is left at his mercy until Assistant D.A Phillips and a squad of New York's Finest brake into his office and finally apprehend him.The killer himself had covered his tracks by having everyone working for him murdered but left a major clue, a library book on poisons, that finally exposed him to the police and D.A's office. P.S "I Killed That Man" was in fact the very first shown in the theaters movie to be broadcast, three years after it's release, on public TV being broadcast on New York's WNTB Channel 1 on August 7, 1944 at a time when there was less then 1,000 people in the US who owned a TV set!

Newspaper reporter Joan Woodbury sails up to her editor's desk. The editor is on the phone. "Get me the state prison," he says. Woodbury doesn't miss a beat: "Making a reservation so soon?" This is the kind of snappy dialog that makes this an enjoyable lightweight film.Plenty of movies from this era featured the crime-solving reporter. Many others starred the assistant district attorney tracking down a murderer. I Killed That Man has both—Woodbury as the reporter, and Ricardo Cortez as her boyfriend who also happens to be the assistant D.A. working on the case.Other familiar elements also abound: rival reporters envious of Woodbury's connections, the poison dart as murder weapon. George Breakston is entertaining as the D.A. office's receptionist and switchboard operator—besides reading crime non-fiction and proposing inspired solutions to this particular mystery, he offers knowing deductions based on Woodbury's appearance as she sits in his waiting area. (How did he know she got dressed in a hurry that morning? "You got your left stocking on inside out.") There's only one thing I really want to know after watching this picture: What card catalog numbering system did they use at their local library?

I'm beginning to find that the poison dart must have been quite popular in early mystery films. This is at least the fourth such movie I've seen. This one involves one of these darts cheating the hangman. A convicted murderer is about to enter the death chamber when he collapses. There are news people and an array of characters in the room, so one of them must have done it. After that it's the usual stuff. There is the aggressive young female reporter who would rather be married than continue her career. She gets in a bit over he head, of course, and sets things on edge. This is better than most. The acting is fine, there are some famous character actors, and the movie has a sense of humor. You can tell the production value is pretty good. If you don't think too much you can sit back and enjoy this like a bad TV show.

This is a mystery with elements of comedy. It also has (minor) noir elements and a romantic touch.Ricardo Cortez is excellent in the lead. We begin as a man is about to be put to death in prison. The press and the law are there, as well as a few others who like to observe executions.Things do not go as planned. And Cortez tries to solve the mystery right on the spot. That doesn't work. His girlfriend, reporter Joan Woodbury, gets involved. Iris Adrian is, as always, effective as a moll.This sort of thing continued to be standard fare at Warner Brothers till the mid-forties. Interestingly, Monogram does it even better here. The list of players boasts only Cortez as a box-office name. But it's cast in a clever and entertaining manner and neatly directed by Phil Rosen.