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The Girl Who Dared

  • 1944
  • Approved
  • 56m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
255
YOUR RATING
Peter Cookson and Lorna Gray in The Girl Who Dared (1944)
Film NoirCrimeMysteryRomance

A young woman seeking adventure, and several other people have to outwit a mysterious killer on a remote island.A young woman seeking adventure, and several other people have to outwit a mysterious killer on a remote island.A young woman seeking adventure, and several other people have to outwit a mysterious killer on a remote island.

  • Director
    • Howard Bretherton
  • Writers
    • Medora Field
    • John K. Butler
  • Stars
    • Lorna Gray
    • Peter Cookson
    • Grant Withers
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    255
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Howard Bretherton
    • Writers
      • Medora Field
      • John K. Butler
    • Stars
      • Lorna Gray
      • Peter Cookson
      • Grant Withers
    • 16User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos4

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    Top cast11

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    Lorna Gray
    Lorna Gray
    • Ann Carroll
    Peter Cookson
    Peter Cookson
    • Rufus Blair
    Grant Withers
    Grant Withers
    • Homer Norton
    Veda Ann Borg
    Veda Ann Borg
    • Cynthia Harrison…
    John Hamilton
    John Hamilton
    • Beau Richmond
    Willie Best
    Willie Best
    • Woodrow
    Vivien Oakland
    Vivien Oakland
    • Chattie Richmond
    Roy Barcroft
    Roy Barcroft
    • David Scott
    Kirk Alyn
    Kirk Alyn
    • Josh Carroll
    Kenne Duncan
    Kenne Duncan
    • Dr. Paul Dexter
    Tom London
    Tom London
    • Neilson - Gas Station Owner
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Howard Bretherton
    • Writers
      • Medora Field
      • John K. Butler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    6.0255
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    Featured reviews

    5Paularoc

    Pleasant enough way to kill an hour

    Several people are invited to the home of Beau and Chattie Richmond for a party at which the "ghost of Heron Point" will make an appearance. The thing is - the Richmonds did not send out the invitations. The ghost is supposedly one of the crew of a pirate ship that sunk a hundred years ago near the Richmond estate. Then there's the mysterious mechanic who crashes the party. While the guests await for the ghost to appear, one of them is murdered but her body later disappears. Two more murders follow. This dark house type mystery is devoid of humor, has a thin and unbelievable plot, and a not really spooky atmosphere but is nonetheless mildly entertaining to watch because of the cast. Oh, there's Superman (Kirk Alyn), there's Perry White (John Hamilton), there's the guy that was in a gazillion Westerns (Roy Bancroft), there's Loretta Young's first husband and actor in dozens of B movies (Grant Withers), there's the brassy and always competent character actress Veda Ann Borg, and last, but not least, there's Willie Best as the servant who is always scared. At least the motive for the murder is somewhat innovative as is the ploy for identifying him. The lead characters, played by Peter Cookson and Lorna Gray are pretty bland. It is sad, though, to have to watch the talented comedian Willie Best as a shuffling, scared servant. This an actor who Bob Hope evidently referred to as one of the finest performers he ever worked with. What a waste and what a shame.
    dougdoepke

    Okay Whodunnit

    Okay, you've likely seen the format before—a creepy isolated house, a series of murders, an attractive cast that includes the murderer, and an amateur sleuth. But also throw in a batch of radium a full year before the A-bomb, plus a purported ghost, for good measure. Surprisingly, the rather murky whodunit is not uppermost, instead it's the characters and atmosphere. What it all adds up to is a decent little programmer for wartime audiences and even for later folks taking a break from the computer.

    You just know from the outset that despite appearances Blair (Cookson) can't be the bad guy, he's just too good-looking. Besides, the winsome Ann (Gray) takes a shine to him, and you know how Hollywood is in that regard. It's an attractive cast of vets and up and comers, but I did get confused at times with the similar names and appearances. Plus, the reveal scene was much too brief, like someone's contract had suddenly run out. Nonetheless, that one ghost scene was truly spooky, along with the usual secret passages, shadowy rooms, and stormy nights. Come to think of it, I miss old b&w for the effects that color simply cannot duplicate—new Hollywood should loosen up! Anyway, it's a fun little hour with a gang of Hollywood pro's and an old dark house. So how can you lose.
    6CinemaSerf

    The Girl Who Dared

    "Beau" (John Hamilton) and "Chattie" (Vivien Oakland) invite a rather eclectic mix of folks to join them for a party at their remote island home. Or do they? The arrival of their guests proves quite bemusing as they didn't actually ask anyone! Who has lured these people here and why? Well body number one arrives shortly afterwards (then disappears) and as others soon start to mount up, we have a mystery that it falls to mechanic "Blair" (Peter Cookson) and the suspicious "Ann" (Lorna Gray) to try and solve before they, too, go the way of the dodo at the hands of the famed ghost of this ramshackle pile. It's not very often we see a geiger counter feature in a murder mystery, but armed with it's glowing light and a bit of light-heartedness, we race through an hour amiably. Nobody will take any acting or writing plaudits from this, but as a standard Saturday afternoon feature, it does fine and probably have inspired countless editions of "Scooby Do"!
    6m2mallory

    Good of its kind

    "The Girl Who Dared" sounds more like a Western adventure instead of a B old-dark-house mystery, but the latter is what it is. This fast (under an hour), breezy film is something of a variation of "And Then There Were None," and actually beat the film version of the Agatha Christie novel to the screens by a year! It leaves no convention unexplored and no cliché unplumbed, and the identity of the killer is more random than motive-inspired. But it is competently done, with some interesting camera work for such a cheapie, and a couple decent plot twists. The trapping of the killer is unique, too. The cast performs competently, and some of the actors play against their usual types, particularly Roy Barcroft, normally a Western and Serial heavy who here plays the hotheaded, jealous ex-husband of one of the key characters, and Kirk "Superman" Alyn, as the equally hot-headed brother of the "Girl" of the title. John "Perry White" Hamilton also enjoys a larger and different kind of role than he was normally given. If only the filmmakers had been so generous with Willie Best, who once again shuffles around as a pop-eyed, comic relief servant who is afraid of his own shadow. All in all, it's worth an hour of a movie buff's time.
    6boblipton

    Dared What? To Appear In This Movie?

    An assortment of relatives come to visit John Hamilton at his isolated house on an island, connected to the mainland by a causeway. The local legend is that a hundred years earlier a pirate ship had sunk there -- the remains can still be seen offshore -- and one night a year, this night, the ghost of the pirate captain can be seen from the shore. Then one of the houseguests is killed and the movie shifts gears.

    It starts off as a lighthearted old-dark-house/mystery/comedy from Republic under the direction of Howard Bretherton, the studio's reliable jack-of-all-genres, and the B-list acting talent available for the studio's non-western programmers are up making the most of their roles and the spooky camerawork of Bud Thackery. It maintains its interest right to the end, although the mystery aspect of the movie is lazily handled; still, that fits right in with its multi-genre script, and more in keeping with its sense of being a mood piece, rather than a serious effort.

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    Related interests

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Film Noir
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      John Hamilton played Perry White on TV's The Adventures of Superman. Kirk Alan played Superman in Republic's Superman serial.
    • Goofs
      All entries contain spoilers

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 5, 1944 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Streaming on "Mike's Classics" YouTube Channel
      • Streaming on "Scott Lord Mystery Film" YouTube Channel
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La caza del fantasma
    • Filming locations
      • Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Republic Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 56m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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