Displaying items by tag: James Burke

THE MYSTERY MAN

US, 1935, 65 minutes, Black-and-white.

Robert Armstrong, Maxine Doyle, Henry Kolker, James Burke.

Directed by Raymond McCarey.

No particular reason for seeing this short be-budget supporting feature. The focus is on Robert Armstrong who appeared in the number of dramas like King Kong and was a regular at Warner Brothers. Older (45 at the time of production), with a quick line in repartee, he was popular in those decades but probably will not charm or attract a contemporary audience.

He plays a reporter, with his buddies at the office, clashing with the editor, receiving an award, a drinker, something of a conman, but always wanting the big story. Most of the film involves his encountering a young woman who is broke, helping her, saving her by pretending that they were married, conning his way into the honeymoon suite at a hotel. And then disowned by his editor, and his trying to get a story in St Louis.

In fact, the action takes place in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film, the journalist selling the gun he received as an award, the gun given  by the pawnbroker to a famous thief in the city, the reporter setting the thief up, posing as the driver, taking the money, explaining everything to the police, but then charged with the murder of a policeman and the theft.

Lots of to-ing and fro-ing, phone calls, jokes, serious situations, all resolved at the end, of course, and the couple marrying. (James Burke appears as an editor, rather more serious than some of his comic roles, especially as the assistant to the Commissioner in the Ellery Queen thrillers.)

ENEMY AGENTS MEET ELLERY QUEEN

US, 1942, 64 minutes, Black-and-white.

William Gargan, Margaret Lindsay, Charlie Grapewin, Gale Sondegaard, Gilbert Roland, Sig Ruman, James Burke, Ludwig Donath.

Directed by James P.Hogan.

This is the last of the seven Ellery Queen supporting features from the early 1940s. The first four and Ralph Bellamy as the star. The final three had William Gargan. The regulars who appeared in all films are Margaret Lindsay as Ellery Queen secretary, Charlie grape and as his father, James Burke as his assistant and providing the more comic touches.

This film was made at the time of Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into the war. There were various German spy rings in the US. There were also members of resistance movements with contacts to countries in Europe like Holland.

The initial action takes place on a train, introducing the spires, their trying to get information, their headquarters in New York, the targeting of an intermediary played by Gilbert Roland. He had encountered Margaret Lindsay is Nicky Porter with help with currency, then is suspicious when she encounters him again and he thinks he is Mrs Gestapo.

The involvement of Ellery Queen and the interventions is Nickki Porter, mysterious imports of Egyptian antiquities to the US, the finding of the wood Roland’s body, suspicions of Nicky, interventions on the Ellery Queen – but, in this final film, some praise for James Burke’s character, failing in initial action on the train, dismissed by his boss, but very much supported by Ellery and Nicky and arranging the final evidence to indicate that it was through Burke’s investigations.

The series ending on an optimistic note as regards the characters – and in intervention in the war effort.

ELLERY QUEEN, MASTER DETECTIVE

US, 1940, 69 minutes, Black-and-white.

Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, James Burke, Michael Whalen, Marsha Hunt, Fred Niblo, Charles Lane, Anne Shoemaker.

Directed by Kurt Neumann.

The first of seven films, 1940-1942, supporting features at Columbia Studios, featuring stories by Ellery Queen and featuring the writer and his detection. Ralph Bellamy appeared in four of these to be followed by William Gargan for three. But, Margaret Lindsay was present in all seven as Nikki Porter, eventually Ellery Queen’s secretary, Charley Grapewin as Inspector Queen, Ellery’s father, and James Burke as his assistant, providing a lot of the comedy and even some slapstick.

Each film involved a murder, or more, the police investigation, Elleru either called in or joining in, and Nikki Porter becoming involved. In fact, in this film, she had not met Ellery Queen but has been writing novels, rejected considered not in the league of the Queen stories (though she has all his books). The basic situation is that a celebrity body builder/health expert (played by veteran director, Fred Niblo, who directed the 1925 Ben Hur) is found dead. The doctor assisting him is a with his daughter. He is also concerned that the health expert is dying of cancer, experts called in, examination of x-rays – and then the man is dead.

The doctor and his fiancee are very friendly with Nikki Porter and go to her for help. She goes to investigate at the family home but is detained after finding the body and she becomes a suspect. And, with Inspector Queen involved, that is how she meets Ellery Queen who decides to help her, taking her home, some complications with his father and meals so that he has to set her up as the cook! Soup put of vans and burning the steaks and pouring water over to quench the fire!

Many complications, suspicions about the health expert’s associates and their previous work, but, they are not the murderers and, as always, it is someone that we had not suspected.

At the end, Ellery hires Nikki Porter as his secretary… And the series goes on.