The Power of the Whistler

My father told me about the Whistler Series that ran on the Radio years ago in the 1940's and Richard Dix starred in this series. This film was directed by Lew Landers, a famous director who created many mystery films and especially this film which will keep you trying to figure out just what William Everest (Richard Dix) was after he received a bad blow to his head from a car running into him and he lost his memory and amnesia occurred. William Everest stops in for a drink at a bar and a young pretty blonde named Jean Lang,(Janis Carter) is playing with cards that a fortune teller would use and finds out that this man at the bar has about twenty-four hours to live and will probably die. There are many twists and turns in this dark mysterious film from the 1940's and there is a very dark side to William Everest and he always seems to attract the very pretty women. Enjoy.

This 40s b movie boasts mediocre acting, awkward dialog and a fairly ridiculous story, but it all sort of works, generating genuine suspense and moving at a fairly quick pace. The premise is interesting, with an amnesiac helped by a a stranger, but it requires you to accept that a bunch of people think it's a better idea to figure out a stranger's identity by searching his pockets than by seeing a doctor or contacting the police.

One interesting thing about this movie is how trusting everyone is. Some people get into a stranger's car to rest, and when the stranger shows up he offers them a ride. Stuff like that keeps happening throughout the movie. Were people really that trusting back then? If so, the movie suggests it might not be such a good idea.

Power of the Whistler, The (1945)

** (out of 4)

Third film in the series has Richard Dix being hit by a car and losing his memory. A card reader (Janis Carter) befriends the man as the two search for his real identity but who he turns out to be is the real shock. Based on a radio show episode, this film manages to be somewhat entertaining, although it seems long even at just 66-minutes. It takes a while for the story to get going but the twist in the man's identity comes out of no where and is handled very well. This is when the film really picks up and leads to a very good final act. Dix is very good in his role and Carter comes off good as well. Landers steps in to direct this one after William Castle handled the first two. I was a little letdown that he didn't keep the action moving better because he usually handles these B films a lot better. There's some nice humor scattered throughout and also a rather mean spirited side, which includes killing of a lot of animals.

Jean Lang (Janis Carter) reads the Tarot cards for a man (Richard Dix) she sees sitting at a nightclub. The Death card (ace of spades) comes up twice. She goes to warn him and finds out he's got amnesia and can't remember who he is or how he got there. She searches through his wallet and finds various names and addresses which they visit to try to piece together who he is.

Fast-paced and VERY atmospheric (especially at the end) thriller. Just simply a good tight B picture that you can watch and kill time for about 70 minutes. The acting is good too--Carter is very good and even Dix (who I never liked) is pretty OK. This is worth watching just for the thunder and lightning final sequence--it really does work on you. My only complaint is the rather abrupt ending. It's very amusing to see how people in the movie readily help a total stranger without a care! How times have changed. Worth catching.

Amnesia themes were a favorite of detective stories in the '40s, and THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER is no exception. A man who is befriended by a woman who senses danger in his future (JANIS CARTER) is unable to recall anything about his past. She and her sister both combine forces to delve into the few clues they found in the man's pockets and go about trying to hunt down someone who knows his identity.

If you can get past the implausibility of the set-up--a complete stranger (Carter) willing to become a full time detective upon short acquaintance of a man she knows nothing about--well, then you can sit back and watch the story unfold without too much cynicism.

The man's identity remains a teasing enigma up until the last fifteen minutes or so. JEFF DONNELL is the helpful sister who unravels a few clues of her own.

The script is full of loopholes, coincidences, contrivances, as all of these Whistler series are, but it makes an engrossing story if you're willing to suspend your disbelief.