In San Francisco, detective partners Jack Packard and Doc Long are hired by socialite Jefferson Monk who believes someone is following him with the aim to kill him.In San Francisco, detective partners Jack Packard and Doc Long are hired by socialite Jefferson Monk who believes someone is following him with the aim to kill him.In San Francisco, detective partners Jack Packard and Doc Long are hired by socialite Jefferson Monk who believes someone is following him with the aim to kill him.
Ernie Adams
- Gimpy - Morgue Attendant
- (uncredited)
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.
- Man on Bridge
- (uncredited)
Gary Bruce
- Intern
- (uncredited)
James Conaty
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan
- Police Capt. Quinn
- (uncredited)
Kaye Dowd
- Girl on Bridge
- (uncredited)
Jay Eaton
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
Gregory Gaye
- Dr. Han
- (uncredited)
Dick Gordon
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Fred Graff
- Morgan
- (uncredited)
Harold Miller
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was based on the radio program of the same name that aired from 1939 to 1942 on NBC, then on CBS from 1943 to 1944. It was revived in 1948 on ABC with the same characters but re-titled "I Love Adventure" for 13 episodes. It was revived again on the Mutual Broadcasting System, originating in New York City from 1949 to 1952. Of the three films in the Columbia series, this is the only one that used an episode from the radio show - in this case "The Head of Jonathan Monk".
- GoofsWhen Monk gets the drop on Packard in the warehouse, a clear moving shadow of the boom microphone is visible on the piano lid.
- Quotes
Jefferson Monk: [after narrating his bizarre story of confronting "Mr. G.," the leader of the Baru-Kan secret society, who offered him $50,000 for his head] The whole thing sounds so preposterous!
- ConnectionsFollowed by The Devil's Mask (1946)
Featured review
I Love a Mystery (1945)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The first of three films from Columbia based around the popular radio program I Love a Mystery. In the film, detectives Jack Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough) meet a man (George Macready) who fears he's going to die in a matter of days because a secret cult wants his head to put on the body of their mummified master. The detectives begin to unravel clues that might lead to the man's wife (Nina Foch) who is also being stalked by the cult. Due to how they were showed on TCM I ended up watching the second film in the series, THE DEVIL'S MASK, first and hated it from start to finish so I really wasn't sure what to expect from this film. Turns out that it's one of the more unique murder/mysteries from this era due to dark, foggy streets, a rich atmosphere, interesting characters and a rather ugly subject matter. The word decapitation is used throughout this film and one of the biggest plot moves is that this man is going to have his head cut off. How this got past the censors is beyond me but it's these dark touches that really make this film stick out, especially when compared to other films like this. Director Levin does a very good job at building up the atmosphere as we get several classic touches from the dark streets, people hiding in shadows and of course one plot twist happening after another. The movie actually manages to be very believable in all the twists that happen and it's helped even more by the fact that the mystery itself is a good one. Bannon is very good in the role and his laid back approach makes for an interesting leading man. Yarborough, playing pretty much a country bumpkin, isn't too bad either. Macready does a real good job playing the scared man who feels he's about to die. The film belongs to the ladies though as Foch is terrific in her few scenes as the wife and we also get a great femme fatal in Carole Mathews playing a strange woman who Macready meets in a bar. At 69-minutes the film runs just long enough to get enough right and it doesn't over welcome itself by going for too long. Fans of this genre will want to check this out just for the darker than normal subject matter and the fun performances.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The first of three films from Columbia based around the popular radio program I Love a Mystery. In the film, detectives Jack Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough) meet a man (George Macready) who fears he's going to die in a matter of days because a secret cult wants his head to put on the body of their mummified master. The detectives begin to unravel clues that might lead to the man's wife (Nina Foch) who is also being stalked by the cult. Due to how they were showed on TCM I ended up watching the second film in the series, THE DEVIL'S MASK, first and hated it from start to finish so I really wasn't sure what to expect from this film. Turns out that it's one of the more unique murder/mysteries from this era due to dark, foggy streets, a rich atmosphere, interesting characters and a rather ugly subject matter. The word decapitation is used throughout this film and one of the biggest plot moves is that this man is going to have his head cut off. How this got past the censors is beyond me but it's these dark touches that really make this film stick out, especially when compared to other films like this. Director Levin does a very good job at building up the atmosphere as we get several classic touches from the dark streets, people hiding in shadows and of course one plot twist happening after another. The movie actually manages to be very believable in all the twists that happen and it's helped even more by the fact that the mystery itself is a good one. Bannon is very good in the role and his laid back approach makes for an interesting leading man. Yarborough, playing pretty much a country bumpkin, isn't too bad either. Macready does a real good job playing the scared man who feels he's about to die. The film belongs to the ladies though as Foch is terrific in her few scenes as the wife and we also get a great femme fatal in Carole Mathews playing a strange woman who Macready meets in a bar. At 69-minutes the film runs just long enough to get enough right and it doesn't over welcome itself by going for too long. Fans of this genre will want to check this out just for the darker than normal subject matter and the fun performances.
- Michael_Elliott
- May 15, 2010
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Iubesc un mister
- Filming locations
- San Francisco, California, USA(opening establishing shots, including the Bay Bridge)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 9 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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