Adolphe Menjou was perfect as the well dressed detective about town, Thatcher Colt in "The Circus Queen Murder" (1933) (there was also an earlier one, "Night Club Lady" (1932)). Unfortunately, that was it until PRC resurrected the elegant detective in an unusually good "who done it" (for them!!!) with the debonair Sidney Blackmer. PRC may have had the reputation as the cheapest of the cheap but it did produce the occasional interesting movie ie "Baby Face Morgan", "Strange Illusion" and "The Mask of Diijon", even the very intriguingly titled "I Ring Doorbells"!!
A man is picked up acting suspiciously in a cemetery, he claims he was delivering a $1,000 as per instructions. When he is taken to the police station it seems he is not the only recipient of a black mail letter - from the Black Panther!!! They are all connected with an opera company and have all had trouble with a bombastic baritone named Lombardi - prima donna Nina Politza has been pestered by him so much she books a ticket to South America!!
Oddly, all fingers point to Mr. Digberry!! Yes, it's Byron Foulger!! At his best playing "nervous nelly" characters and I must admit I have never seen him play such a large part before. His nervous librarian in "Quiet Please, Murder" (Sidney Blackmer was also in that) is more what I am used to. He is in the same vein as Johnny Arthur - he even bears a resemblance to him as well!! Having the movie revolve around Foulger added to the suspense - he does have a portable typewriter with a dodgy H and the policeman sees a cat in the flat that could have been used to make the Panther's mark!! The police think he is the blackmailing mastermind who has sent himself a letter to appear like a victim - and the surprise of the movie is that they are right as Mr. Digberry confesses!! He did write the letters so he could use the excuse when his wife found out there was $1,000 missing from their bank account!! He gave the money to Nina, who wasn't as wealthy as everyone believed but when she turns up dead - he doesn't have a very good explanation!!
Sidney Blackmer bought polish and class to Thatcher Colt, it is just a pity he was relegated to the sidelines while Foulger took centre stage. And according to literary descriptions, Blackmer was Colt to a T, even though in this movie his lip reading technique, which made the character stand out is not used. Unfortunately, his offsider, instead of being the beautiful and efficient Miss Kelly, was crusty D.A. Bill Dougherty (Herbert Rawlinson).
Recommended.
A man is picked up acting suspiciously in a cemetery, he claims he was delivering a $1,000 as per instructions. When he is taken to the police station it seems he is not the only recipient of a black mail letter - from the Black Panther!!! They are all connected with an opera company and have all had trouble with a bombastic baritone named Lombardi - prima donna Nina Politza has been pestered by him so much she books a ticket to South America!!
Oddly, all fingers point to Mr. Digberry!! Yes, it's Byron Foulger!! At his best playing "nervous nelly" characters and I must admit I have never seen him play such a large part before. His nervous librarian in "Quiet Please, Murder" (Sidney Blackmer was also in that) is more what I am used to. He is in the same vein as Johnny Arthur - he even bears a resemblance to him as well!! Having the movie revolve around Foulger added to the suspense - he does have a portable typewriter with a dodgy H and the policeman sees a cat in the flat that could have been used to make the Panther's mark!! The police think he is the blackmailing mastermind who has sent himself a letter to appear like a victim - and the surprise of the movie is that they are right as Mr. Digberry confesses!! He did write the letters so he could use the excuse when his wife found out there was $1,000 missing from their bank account!! He gave the money to Nina, who wasn't as wealthy as everyone believed but when she turns up dead - he doesn't have a very good explanation!!
Sidney Blackmer bought polish and class to Thatcher Colt, it is just a pity he was relegated to the sidelines while Foulger took centre stage. And according to literary descriptions, Blackmer was Colt to a T, even though in this movie his lip reading technique, which made the character stand out is not used. Unfortunately, his offsider, instead of being the beautiful and efficient Miss Kelly, was crusty D.A. Bill Dougherty (Herbert Rawlinson).
Recommended.