The Devil's Mask

The "I Love A Mystery" films from Columbia were all based on a radio program of that name and each of them was made into very entertaining mysteries, the sort that Columbia was able to churn out on a tight budget with directors like Henry Levin.

This is the most gripping mystery in the batch, full of ingredients that will have you guessing from beginning to end just how all the loose ends will be tied up.

It starts off with the shrunken heads discovered when a plane crashes en route from California to Columbia, and then the plot includes a missing explorer who has possibly been murdered, an anxious wife afraid that someone is trying to kill her (MONA BARRIE), a young woman and her fiancé (ANITA LOUISE and MICHAEL DUANE)who resent being followed by detectives, and the detectives hired to cover the case (JIM BANNON and BARTON YARBOROUGH). Also in the mix: a restless black panther and the weird owner of a taxidermist shop (PAUL E. BURNS).

Nicely photographed in crisp B&W with appropriate set decorations, it has the look of a better than average programmer from Coumbia (not Republic, as another comment suggests).

Guaranteed to surprise and entertain, it's well worth watching.

This is the second film to be based on the popular American radio programme 'I Love A Mystery', and I reckon it's an improvement over the first, the plot easier to follow, with stars Jim Bannon and Barton Yarborough having settled into their roles as private detectives Jack Packard and Doc Long.

This time around, Jack and Doc are hired by Louise Mitchell (Mona Barrie) who believes that her life is in danger from her stepdaughter Janet (Anita Louise), who thinks that her father was murdered by his wife while on safari, her suspicion fuelled by love letters between Louise and her dad's associate, Prof. Arthur Logan (Frank Wilcox). As the pair of private eyes investigate, they encounter Janet's somewhat shady love interest Rex Kennedy (Michael Duane), a killer with a deadly blowpipe, a crooked hypnotist, a savage black panther, an animal loving taxidermist, and a shrunken head containing a secret code.

Director Henry Levin maintains a snappy pace, Bannon and Yarborough make for a great pairing, and the plot is just the right amount of bonkers with being TOO preposterous.

Second in the I Love a Mystery series sees Jack Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough) investigating a mystery involving a missing man, shrunken heads, and blow guns. Yarborough is at his "good ole boy" best, for those who enjoy him. Bannon is not bad but not exciting. Very ordinary. Anita Louise is irritating throughout the picture. Terribly overwrought performance. The best thing about this series were the nice atmospheric moments. The usage of supernatural or bizarre elements helps separate it from most other B detective films. The killer is pretty easily figured out, though the motivation was pretty cool. Anita Louise's hysterics are the worst part of the movie. Still a decent way to spend an hour and change.

Janet Mitchell (Anita Louise) doesn't trust her stepmother. Janet's father has been killed in a South American jungle and we see who she blames. A man with a deadly blow gun is creeping around the grounds of the Mitchell residence where the two women live. Their butler is killed by a poison dart but was he the intended victim of the blow gun attacker? I felt as though I should be rooting for Janet but we do see an unstable side to her. At one point she admits she likes playing with fire and she has a boyfriend who says he would do anything for her. Janet is put under hypnosis and reveals some strange observations concerning her father while under. I found this Columbia B mystery unusual and entertaining and it should keep you guessing right through to the end. It was originally on a double bill with Richard Dix's Mysterious Intruder.

Good combination of horror and noir. Now if I could just figure out whose head belongs on which body, I might be able to figure out the plot. But, no matter since the film is carried by some great noirish atmosphere. The gloom hangs heavy over everyone, so you just know anything might happen. The movie's adapted from a radio stage play and it shows in the stretched out storyline that sometimes appears to ramble. Still, brighter bulbs than mine may be able to follow out the mystery part. Anyhow, I really like the obscure Michael Duane as the ambivalent Rex Kennedy; he brings unexpected depth to the part. The cast is basically an ensemble of no-names, who, nevertheless do well enough in their roles. No, the movie never rises above programmer status, but does show how imaginative these bottom-of-the-bill B- movies could be.