In the past I've also gotten some feedback that many of you don't like when I cover these old mystery movies. This is my website and I like what I like and that includes talking covering this stuff. So if you don't dig it I'm sorry but it is what it is. So without anymore delay it is time to dive in.
Movie 1 - Black Magic aka. Meeting at Midnight (1944) - Charlie Chan goodness! Toss in Mantan Moreland for some comedic fun. The full review is here.
Movie 2 - The Scarlet Clue (1945) - Might as well hit you with another Charlie Chan movie. This one features a radio station setting and has one of the coolest murder methods of the series. We also get more Mantan Mooreland comedy. The review is here.
Movie 3 - Murder by Aristocrat (1936) - This is a series that I only found last year. It is based around a nurse whose name changes due to different studios getting ahold of the property (it is based on a series of books popular in the thirties). Basically murders, weird families, and spooky houses. Check out the review here.
Movie 4 - The Cat and the Canary (1978) - I finally got around to checking out this remake of an old favorite of mine. Sadly it lacks the chemistry of the classic Bob Hope flick and generally fails to entertain despite having a solid cast. Full review here.
Movie 5 - Whispering Ghosts (1942) - Bob Hope was doing a lot of murder mystery/comedy mashups so it makes sense that some studio would do the same with another Vaudeville superstar, this time around Milton Berle, to cash in on what was a successful formula. Check out review here.
Movie 6 - The Ghost that Walks Alone (1944) - Another Murder Mystery/Comedy mashup this time starring Arthur Lake from the Blondie movies! I really wanted to like this one but it is a by the numbers uninspired outing. If you must read the full review it can be found here.
Movie 7 - The Trap (1946) - Another Charlie Chan movie for you guys. This is one of my favorites and has Chan trying to figure out who murdered a showgirl. This one features son Jimmy as well as the always hilarious Mantan Mooreland as Birmingham Brown. Check out my review at this link.
Movie 8 - The Monster of Blackwood Castle (1968) - I've tried for many years to get into the German productions of what I guess are hugely popular Edgar Wallace novels. While I've never tried the books the few movies from the series that I've watched have been bad. I've been told this is the best of them so I thought I'd give it another shot. My review is here.
Movie 9 - Dangerous Alibi (1946) - Decided to hit you all with another Charlie Chan flick. This time Willie Best replaces Mantan Mooreland as the comic sidekick. While not as good he still does a solid job. You can read the full review here.
Movie 10 - A Haunting in Venice (2023) - This is another of the Kenneth Branagh adaptations of Agatha Christie's famous Belgian Detective Poirot novels. This one is very loosely adapted from Hallowe'en Party and takes some liberties with both the setting and story. But it is well worth checking out. My full review is here.
Movie 11 - The Shanghai Cobra (1945) - Well you know I had to work another Charlie Chan movie into this marathon. Spoilers I have another one before we are all done. This time Charlie is working with son Tommy and chauffeur Birmingham Brown to sort out some shenanigans at a bank. My full review is here.
Movie 12 - Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) - Had to squeeze an old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie into the marathon. This is another WWII set story with Nazis spies and criminals running around. Check out my full review here.
Movie 13 - Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) - Lucky number thirteen is also the last entry in this year's Mystery marathon. I figured finishing things off with another Chan flick wouldn't be such a bad thing. You can check out the full review here.
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