THE NOTORIOUS LONE WOLF
(director: D. Ross Lederman; screenwriters: Ed Dein/Martin Berkeley/Garrett Graham/story by William J. Bowers; cinematographer: Burnett Guffey; editor: Richard Fantl; music: Mischa Bakaleinikoff; cast: Gerald Mohr (Michael Lanyard/Lone Wolf), Eric Blore (Jameson), Janis Carter (Carla Winter), Edith Evanson (Olga), William Davidson (Inspector Crane), John Abbott (Lal Bara), Olaf Hytten (Prince of Rapur), Don Beddoe (Stonely), Peter Whitney (Harvey Beaumont), Ian Wolfe (Adam Wheelright0, Adelle Roberts (Rita Hale), Robert Scott (Dick Hale), Virginia Hunter (Lili); Runtime: 64; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Ted Richmond; Columbia; 1946)
“Underwhelming caper.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Fast moving crime drama. It’s directed in a formulaic way by D. Ross Lederman (“Key Witness”/”The Return of the Whistler”). Writers Ed Dein, Martin Berkeley and Garrett Graham base it on the story by William J. Bowers. The reformed ex-thief, the Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard (Gerald Mohr), has been overseas the last four years fighting in WW2. He returns to NYC, where his faithful valet Jameson (Eric Blore) meets him at the airport and he drives to his sweetheart’s place. Lanyard just wants to be left alone with his sexy girlfriend Carla Winter (Janis Carter), in her 5th Avenue place, when Inspector Crane (William Davidson) comes by to question him about the museum robbery of the Shalimar sapphire stone. Then Carla’s married sister Rita (Adelle Roberts) arrives and insists on staying the night because she’s upset hubby Dick (Robert Scott) is interested in the Marquis Club dancer named Lily (Virginia Hunter). So Carla sends Lanyard to talk to Dick at the club. The crooked club owner Stonely (Don Beddoe) has hidden the stone in the head-dress of the dancer and is trying to sell the stone back to its rightful owner, the Indian Prince of Rapur (Olaf Hytten). His Majesty is at the club with his excellency Lal Bara (John Abbott), eager to make a deal. When Dick and Lanyard go to Lily’s dressing room after her performance, they find her shot and the stone hidden in her head-dress is stolen. The cop thinks Lanyard’s involved, but he escapes. Lanyard and his valet don the turbans they borrow from their kidnapped India potentates and impersonate them to lay a trap for the killer jewel thief and others involved. It’s an underwhelming caper.
REVIEWED ON 9/28/2016 GRADE: C+