User reviews

This is a cheap B-movie made by a very small studio, PRC. It stars George Zucco--the King of low-budget suspense and horror films of the 1940s. While most every film he starred in for PRC and other poverty row studios were terribly written and had cheap sets and actors, he managed good performances. Plus, while often silly, these films really were a lot of fun.

"Black Raven" is one of his PRC films and once again his performance was pretty good. Apparently old George is a criminal known to the forces of the underworld as "The Raven". You'd think with such a cool name he'd be sort of like Blofeld or Dr. Evil, but this is a kinder, gentler sort of villain (to paraphrase George W.). While a crook, he's a decent sort of crook--with a strong sense of justice.

The weather is awful and bridges have washed away, so several travelers seek refuge George's inn (his legitimate cover). Some of them are crooks themselves (such as an embezzler who just happens to come there on his way across the border to Canada), a couple are running off to Canada to marry because her father is a jerk who won't give consent and, finally, the father arrives. Now talk about a coincidence--this father ALSO happens to be a judge AND George (among others) hates the guy. Eventually, there is a murder and the nice man who is running away with the lady is accused. Here's where it gets odd. The Raven KNOWS that the man is innocent and decides to try to help! Like I said, he's a kindler, gentler sort of crook! Overall, this is a very good film despite its poor pedigree. The plot is tight, the acting (in addition to Zucco) is very nice and it's a surprisingly good B-movie. Well worth seeing--even with a very unusual characterization by the Zucc-Meister!

This is a very "odd" film about the owner of a hotel (Zucco) who as a side-line of smuggling criminals into Canada.

It is a VERY "atmospheric" film, with plenty of rain, thunder, and mysterious goings-on. Comedy relief is provided by the "scared-reaction comedy" of Strange & Foulger.

Many reviewers have (unfairly, in my opinion) "panned" this film, but I think it's a film worth seeing.....and VERY difficult to find!

"The Black Raven", released by PRC is a surprisingly good low budget mystery running just under an hour.

The story takes place during a raging storm that has knocked out the local roads and bridge. A group of varied travellers are then forced to seek shelter in a small hotel run by the mysterious Amos Bradford (George Zucco). The first to arrive is an old nemesis Whitey Cole (I. Stanford Jolley) who has a score to settle with Bradford. Bradford and his oaf-ish assistant Andy (Glenn Strange) overpower him and tie him up but he manages to escape and remain in the shadows.

Shortly thereafter a gangster, Bardoni (Noel Madison) arrives on his way to Canada. Next a meek bank teller (Byron Foulger) who has embezzled $50,000 arrives followed by a young couple Lee Winfield (Wanda McKay) and Allen Bentley (Bob Randall) who are also running off to Canada to get married. Turns out Lee is the daughter of Bardoni's gangland boss (Robert Middlemass) who is the next to arrive looking for his daughter.

Naturally everyone takes an interest in the $50K. Then Winfield is murdered and the Sheriff (Charles Middleton) arrives on the scene. As in all such mysteries suspicion falls on each of the principals until the real murderer is unmasked in the final reel.

This compact little mystery is an entertaining little film noire. Director Sam Newfeld keeps the story moving and the audience guessing. The film is bolstered by its veteran "B" movie cast. Zucco, always under rated, was a staple of such films in the 40s and gives a excellent performance as Bradford. Glenn Strange is also good in a Lon Chaney Jr. type role as the simple-minded Andy. Foulger made a career out of playing meek little bank tellers. And Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serials) gets to play a good guy for a change.

An entertaining hour.

If you have a taste for old B-movie mysteries, this film will interest you. It delivers a good moody atmosphere with great shots of down-pouring rain, dark cellars and interesting characters. Various groups of people all become stranded at a spooky motel after a rain storm has closed the local highways leading out. A great cast of veteran actors make this little mystery worth watching. George Zucco is at his B-movie best. Glenn Strange gives us some good comedy relief. Plus, there is not much cheesy over-acting that you sometimes find in low budget movies.

Here's a cool suggestion: Go rent the current movie, 'Identity' starring John Cusack. Then watch The Black Raven. You may be as amazed, as I was, at how much of the characters, plot and setting appeared to be lifted from this movie. I am not suggesting that they were stolen. If you have already seen 'Identity' you will understand that a certain character in the film seems to have spun a tale based on what he saw watching "an old movie". I'm just saying that I think 'The Black Raven' is the movie that they are referring to. While the character nor the movie maker actually says this, there is one reference in 'Identity' where a girl says, "This is like that old movie where everybody is trapped in hotel..." This probably doesn't make much sense unless you have seen both mentioned movies.

Don't misunderstand me, I thought the movie 'Identity' was a brilliant display of script-writing. Way to go, Michael Cooney.

This is a confusing mystery with lots of darkness and bumbling around. George Zucco is really the only interesting character. He seems to be part of the criminal element, yet he seems to have dignity and integrity. When a group of mismatched people arrive at a hotel in an intense rainstorm, including a gangster, a corrupt politician, his daughter and her fiancée, and an escaped convict, the action gets going. There is also an embezzler with 50,000 dollars who plays the Casper Milquetoast type. His money leads to all kinds of shenanigans. There's also a sheriff played by Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless), who is a bit of a buffoon. Throw in Glen Strange, former Frankenstein monster, and you have about as odd an assortment as you can imagine. The pacing is pretty bad. There is a lot of running around in the dark and people looking through windows. Still, it's Zucco's character that really captivates. The bad thing is, "What is his motivation?" He observes and comments. He is trafficking criminals to Canada, yet we don't get enough information to really understand him. It's pretty forgettable, but has some moments.

George Zucco runs a little country inn called the Black Raven. He himself is also known as the Black Raven—a mysterious underworld figure whose services include assistance to those hoping to slip quietly over the nearby border into Canada.

He has guests: his former partner has busted out of prison to come and get revenge on him; a gangster on the lam (Noel Madison) wants help getting to Canada; a bank clerk (Byron Foulger) stops on his way to Canada with a briefcase full of money; and an eloping couple (Wanda McKay and Bob Livingston—billed here as Robt. Randall) stop for the night, or at least until the storm lets up. Hot in pursuit is the eloping girl's father, who also happens to be a powerful and shady political figure and a bitter rival of the fleeing gangster.

When one of these guests turns up dead and the bag of money goes missing, the Raven has a house full of suspicious characters throwing around accusations and digging around for the money.

The action moves along pretty fast and the plot mostly holds together. The dialog is never particularly original but contains a certain amount of dry humor— Foulger: "Oh, dear, how awful. How'd it happen?" Zucco: "Evidently someone didn't like him."

Zucco is good and is basically the hero—although we know he operates outside of the law, he takes a certain interest in protecting the young couple in particular. Glenn Strange is the Raven's handyman; it's kind of funny to see him as comic relief, as he shivers at shadows and falls down stairs. Charles Middleton is also essentially a comic figure as the clueless sheriff. (Here he has the authoritative voice but none of the brains of the Emperor Ming.)

The cast give enthusiastic performances, the storm effects and lighting create the right atmosphere…it's lots of fun.

The Black Raven is both the name of an Inn near the Canadian border and it is the underworld nickname of its owner George Zucco. At one time a kingpin racketeer Zucco now is retired and owns this rural hideaway which some of his associates use when they're fleeing the country.

On one dark and stormy night when a local bridge washes out, several unexpected guests arrive including political boss Robert Middlemass hot on the heels of his daughter Wanda McKay who is eloping with Robert Livingston in one of his few non-western roles. Middlemass is the first of several murders that night before Sheriff Charles Middleton gets it all solved by a dying confession and the elimination of a few cast members.

Although this is a typical PRC poverty row product as always George Zucco exudes menace and keeps this film moving along nicely. Might be worth a look.

Ever-delightful George Zucco, that great genre character-star of the Golden Age of Hollywood, is front and centre in this zippy, enjoyable PRC programmer. He plays Amos Bradford, the proprietor of an inn near the U.S. / Canada border whose side business is smuggling criminals across the border. A disparate group of individuals - a milquetoast embezzler (Byron Foulger), a racketeer (Noel Madison), a couple (Robert Livingston, Wanda McKay) attempting to elope, her big shot politician father (Robert Middlemass), and others - gather for an eventful night of murder (during a terrible rain storm, naturally) at Zuccos' establishment.

This is actually quite fun, and it does keep you on your toes regarding the mystery aspect of the story (written by Fred Myton); since there are a few shady types hanging around, and there is more than one motive for wanting the first victim out of the way, the viewer doesn't automatically focus on one character. A strong sense of humour also helps matters a lot, with Amos coming off as a very unflappable and sardonic man, who has a genuine interest in figuring out whodunit. Much of the comedy relief is provided by none other than Glenn Strange, who plays Amos' excitable, bumbling assistant, and he's pretty amusing. Overall, the cast is good. Also appearing are Charles Middleton as a humourless Sheriff and top character actor I. Stanford Jolley as the slimy prison escapee Whitey Cole.

"The Black Raven" has solid atmosphere, an excellent pace (clocking in at BARELY over an hour long), and a bittersweet wrap-up. It's good fun for any fan of thrillers and horror films from this era.

Seven out of 10.

Old dark house mystery from poverty row studio PRC starring George Zucco as a guy who runs a hotel on the American side of the Canadian border, where he helps criminals flee the country. One dark and stormy night a group of strangers stop at the hotel to wait out the bad weather. Then a crooked politician with connections to several people in the group shows up and promptly gets himself murdered.

You had me at George Zucco, PRC. This is an enjoyable little B movie with a decent cast. In addition to the always terrific George Zucco, the cast includes Byron Foulger, Noel Madison, Wanda McKay, Charles Middleton, and Glenn Strange as Zucco's simpleminded sidekick. It's cheaply made and the story isn't particularly original, but it's just an hour so it won't kill you to give it a shot.

This is best described as a routine quickie notable mainly (to me) for the inclusion of top-billed George Zucco as 'TYhe Black Raven' himself, Amos Bradford, and future Frankenstein Monster Glenn Strange as, er, Andy.

With distant similarities to moments from 1932's classic 'The Old Dark House', this involves the comparatively mundane subject of murder and stolen money. The characters are all pretty thinly sketched, and the acting - apart from Zucco who is his usual implacable self - is suitably unenthusiastic. Prolific Wanda McKay as Lee Winfield, the token female, seems particularly uninterested. Strange is capable but his role is pretty thankless. Flash Gordon's arch foe Ming actor Charles Middleton plays the Sherriff.

There's a good, isolated atmosphere under the sheets of rain, however, albeit on a small budget. Sadly the story isn't really engaging enough to make much of this and at 64 minutes length, has no real interest in anything other than the functional. My score is 5 out of 10.

I got to see this film last night on my local access channel, and I had such a good time with it. It reminded me so clearly of the classic early Warner Brothers cartoons about the fiends in the old houses on stormy nights and when you watch a movie like this, you can see the influences that inspired the great Chuck Jones. Though I agree with the other reviewer that this movie is a bit muddled, I cannot watch a movie like this from the perspective of its own time. It is so much a period piece. And that is the source of delight. The quality of the sound...the pops and crackles, the staged storm sound effects, the clothes, the lighting, the bumbling sheriff, the damsel in distress - all come together to present a little gem out of time. I recommend this film as a charming visit with our history of movie making.

One dark and stormy night, an escaped convict, an embezzler, a runaway daughter, her intended and her father, and a gangster take refuge in a remote inn called "The Black Raven" after the nickname of a second gangster who owns it; and murder ensues.

Standard fare with some predictability, however it's an entertaining one hour with loads of atmosphere, effective light and shadows and some good build-up. Flat in places, though, but not enough to mar the enjoyment. There's good performances from all, especially George Zucco. There's a diverse group of characters; one a hoodlum who is after the stolen money, runaway lovers and the father of the daughter determined to split them up, a clumsy Glenn Strange and a weedy embezzler.

A group of strangers holed up at a quaint lodge (The Black Raven) during a fierce storm discover that one of the guests has embezzled a large sum of money and is carrying the stash en route to Canada. Predictably, murder and subterfuge soon follow as the parties vie for the tainted bounty.

Solid cast includes Zucco as the inn's apparently benevolent manager, Glenn Strange (a sort of 1930's version of Mike Lane) his lanky, trusted goon and Byron Foulger as the cashed-up fugitive. Wanda McKay and Bob Randall play an eloping couple, pursued by the bride's possessive father (Middlemass) who has vetoed the nuptials. It's the typical assortment of guests each brining their own travails to bear upon the common intrigue and nobody is above suspicion.

Zucco is a masterful thespian and his patient, assured (not to mention immaculately attired) presence easily eclipses the surrounding mediocrity, an otherwise average tale that plays the clichéd formula 'dark & stormy night with strangers' with few innovations or surprises.

Almost an Old Dark House movie. On the qualifying side, it's a mystery, it has four murders, comic elements, a very serious thunderstorm, stranded motorists, people hiding in the shadows, & a big old dark boarding house. Close enough, I would say, but I didn't see any secret passageways & the film was made a bit late (1945) to qualify. Good dialog, intelligently written for its type, & most (but not all) of the acting is competent. George Zucco is especially good as the owner of the boarding house. 1940s Frankenstein fans, & Gunsmoke (TV) fans will greatly enjoy Glenn Strange's comic role as Zucco's assistant; he's funny & gets to do a little slapstick! Overall, quite an enjoyable film if you like this sort of thing (I do). It's hard to find this one, but it's worth looking for. I rate it 8/10.

George Zucco is grand in "The Black Raven", giving a dignified and poised performance rising above his budget as always. The rest of the cast is also good with Glenn Strange especially noteworthy as Zucco's bumbling helper.

The production is cheap of course but features some fine thunderstorm effects, with an astonishing amount of water filmed very expertly.

By stripping away any excessive humor or cuteness or any other gimmicks and focusing on being a basic mystery, this film succeeds so that you really won't notice any budget issues. Fundamental soundness in its production and the sheer stature of Zucco's work make "The Black Raven" a surprisingly good movie.

A group of strangers are brought together in an old, dark house and must contend with two murders and $50,000 in stolen money.

These dark, moody, creepy mysterious movies apparently were the rage back in the early 40s. There are tons of them. Even Abbott & Costello made a couple!

This one is no exception. Lots of shadowy things going on. These types of films may have originated from some English live theatre that are still popular to this day in London. Unsure. Even WC Fields has a line in a movie where he turns a picture into a "drawing room drama!" It's a very watchable movie.

The down side is that available prints are not so pristine. You can actually see the celluloid warping while you watch!

It's always "hit or miss" with old public domain cheapies from studios like Monogram and PRC. This miss had my name on it because madman George Zucco and Last Universal Frankenstein Monster Glenn Strange were featured in its cast.

Zucco is the proprietor of a creaky little inn (both he and the Inn are called THE BLACK RAVEN) and during the course of an hour's viewing time he plays host to an assorted group of unusual guests. It's a stormy night in town with thunder crashing and rain flooding the roads, and on top of that the bridge is out. Among the waterlogged patrons seeking shelter are: a formerly wronged business partner of Zucco's who'd like to kill him, a geeky embezzler looking to get away with $50,000 stolen loot, a gangster who's also interested in said loot, a young couple looking to get married behind the back of the girl's objecting old father, and dad himself - who's also hot on their trail.

The unfortunate thing is that nothing terribly exciting happens despite the effort to make this some sort of mystery. Aside from a little mood, the only things going on here of passing interest are some slapstick (Glenn Strange plays an imbecile who falls down the stairs; the young girl's angry father slaps her would-be bridegroom across his face) and some humorous dialogue (a favorite is Zucco's scolding of Strange: "With your imagination, you could see the Statue of Liberty do the conga!"). In case you couldn't tell by now, this is not a horror film. So you're best going elsewhere if that's what you're looking for. I already knew this going in but it still didn't help. * out of ****

***SPOILERS*** Fate brings six people together one night at the Black Raven Inn thats on the Canadian USA border. The first person who shows up is escaped convict Whitey Cole, I. Stanford Jolly, who has a score to settle with the Inn's owner Bradford, George Zucco. Having been double-crossed by Bradford and losing his half of the Black Raven Inn Cole wants him to pay for his backstabbing but is subdued by Bradford and his handyman at the Inn Andy, Glen Strange, and tied up and held captive in the basement until the police come to arrest him.

Soon another customer arrives Mike Bardoni, Noel Madison, a wanted hood who's trying to make it across the border to Canada to escape the law. The next four persons who arrive at the Inn is Horace Weatherby, Bryon Foulger, a bank clerk who just embezzled $50,000.00 from his bank and the couple of Allen Bently, Bob Randell, and his fiancé Lee Winfield, Wanda McCay, who are also trying to elope to Canada to escape Lee's domineering and gangster father Tim Winfield, Robert Middleass. Winfield also arrives at the Inn in order to stop his daughter from going through with her marriage to Allen. Winfield is also the man who brought Bardoni down as a top gang leader in the world of organized crime and you just can imagine what happened when the two men end up in the same room together.

Cole unties himself and escapes into the woods as Winfield recognizes Weatherby from his picture in the newspapers as the bank embezzler and gets him to give him the $50,000.00 so, as he tells Weatherby, he'll return it to the police and nothing would happen to him. Earlier in the movie Brdoni noticed the money Weatherby was carrying in a satchel and wanted to take and keep the loot for himself but as it turns out both Winfield & Bardoni end up getting murdered, who did it?

"The Black Raven" isn't one of George Zucco's best but it would be watchable only if the lighting in the movie was better. It looked like the movie was filmed in a mineshaft with some scenes so dark that it was impossible to make out who was in them. There was also an attempt of having some humor in the film with a bumbling sheriff, Charlie Middleton, and a cowardly Inn worker Andy.

Glen Strange who played Andy is almost twice as big, at six foot seven inches, as anyone in the movie and him being scared to death of every little sound and shadow came across as phony as a three dollar bill. It was left up to Bradford as well the audience, the dopey Sheriff was no help at all, to figure out who the killer or killers were and the ending when he was discovered by Bradford did surprise me.

This is the sort of film that is more of a stage play, meant to showcase talents of up and comers in schools and community theaters.

It is a basic mystery in a secluded area, with shady characters to serve as suspects, including a cliché young hero and heroine. Unfortunately, the romance is gone from this one, as the pair already are engaged before we meet them. Instead of the romantic older film plot of boy meets girl, it is the modern movie plot of boy already has girl. We know the modern movie anti-romance plot is because movies are often viewed by couples who already met. The industry today is based on placating the already decided couple instead of single men.

So the movie has the "atmosphere" elements of the old stage play mystery mixed with modern commercialism.

The comic relief character is usually what makes these movies watchable, and here "Andy" does a credible job of comic relief. He is both engaging and entertaining. He helps to make the movie flow.

The story flows much better than most such movies, particularly the modern ones. There isn't anything memorable, just good popcorn and soda fun.

Many people have found that most DVD editions of "The Black Raven" to be too dark in places and of overall poor quality. I've found a nice, bright restored version of it on a triple feature DVD called Black & Blue Collection which is available through the Roan Group.com. It's compiled with "Black Dragons" and the most perfect copy of "Bluebeard" that I've ever seen (other DVD's of "Bluebeard" on the market are too grainy, edited or have bad sound). Anyway, "The Black Raven" focuses on a group of people who are trying to get over the Canadian border for different reasons but are forced by a rainstorm and washed-out bridges to spend the night at the shadowy Black Raven Inn. The film has plenty of old dark house atmosphere plus the effective relentless howling of the wind and the pounding of the rain. George Zucco and Wanda McKay give good performances in this intriguing murder mystery. Enjoy it in its most perfect DVD edition. It really makes a difference!

It's the isolated Black Raven hotel on a stormy night. The owner Mr. Bradford is confronted by an armed criminal from his past. Various characters gather. The bridge to Canada is out and they are all stranded together.

This is supposed to be a mystery. The location is solid isolation. It's a mansion in a storm. The filmmaking is a bit flat and a little stiff. It's a bland B-movie of rambling stories and characters. Quite frankly, I'm not sure who is the protagonist. It would help for one character to be the rooting interest.