Columbia Noir # 6- The Whistler — Columbia Noir # 6- The Whistler( Blu Ray boxset)

This sixth boxset in Powerhouse’s Columbia Noir series focuses on The Whistler series of films. In total, there were eight films made across the 1940s, with all but one of them featuring actor Richard Dix- who played different characters- who may be good/ may be bad/ somewhere in-between. All of the films in the series are full of great noir atmospherics, twist ‘n’ turning plots, and some great character actors. This set takes in all eight films- with new crisp and clean prints of each, a great selection of worthy extras, and a one-hundred-and-twenty-page book.

The origins of The Whistler film series come from the american radio mystery drama series of the same name. It ran on the west-coast regional CBS radio network between May 16, 1942, and  September 22, 1955. In total, there were nearly seven hundred episodes made.  Each begins with the sound of footsteps and a person whistling, and the mysterious whistler character introduces each tale of crime and fate.

 

First up on disc number one we have The Whistler. This is from 1944 and was directed by New York-born Willaim Castle- he should need little or no introduction to anyone who knows anything about schlocky /exploitation-bound films between the 40s and 70s. He had an impressive fifty-five credits- his work touching down in more than a few genres. His early work went from romantic comedy Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven(1948), to cavern-set Western Cave Of Outlaws (1951), and period-set adventure Slaves Of Babylon(1953). Though he is most known for his often gimmick lead fare of the ’50s/ 60’s like the spooky haunted house horror of House on Haunted Hill (1959), effective Psycho rip off Homicidal (1961), teen comedy meets spy spoof 13 Frightened Girls (1963), and are-they-crazy-or-not thriller Strait-Jacket (1964). The Whistler was his third film.

The film slides in at just over the hour mark. We open by being introduced to The Whistler-  with the shadowy & faceless figure moving through a fog-bound nighttime city, whistling at first, then doing a voiceover as he nears a bar window pointing out a hunched figure sitting in a booth, who he says is going to meet a man who deals in death.

The Whistler drifts off, as we drift into the bar, and into the booth- another man steps in matching his half of his business card with the man at the table. The man already at the table wants someone to be killed- and hands over money, with the cash being taken/ posted under the door of the hitman (J. Carrol Naish).

It turns out the man paying for the hit is respected businessman Earl C. Conrad(Richard Dix), and the person he wants to be killed, is himself!. We find out his wife was seemingly lost at sea, and since he’s felt no need to live. Anyway as the film unfolds- he decides he doesn’t want to die anymore- but will he be able to escape death?

Initially, we don’t see the face of our hitman, and this adds a nice edge of early tension to the proceedings. He’s revealed, that he’s a very focused & serious man- who is determined to do the job he’s been paid for.

The film action shifts from back-alley gun downs, swerving ‘n’ dusty road car chases, shadowy flophouses, and misty/shadowy docksides.  The Whistler is a nicely pacy, at points quite tense affair- yes it’s almost comic strip-like in its noir tropes and characters, but it’s a lot of fun.

 

Next up on this first disc is The Mark Of The Whistler. It’s from 1944 and is once more directed by  Willaim Castle. I’d guess you’d say it’s more of a mystery/ will-he get catch noir, with little or no action.

The film one more runs at just over the hour mark.  It features the first film star Richard Dix as its lead- this time he’s playing down-on-his-luck drifter Lee Selfridge Nugent. When we first meet the character he’s sat on a bench with a stubby face, a dirty & battered suit, and a rather lost look in his eyes.  He rummages around in a nearby bin pulling out a paper- here he sees an article about a bank in the town trying to clear out forgotten accounts- he notes that one of them has a similar name to his, so he decides to see if he can claim it.

He scopes out where his mark used to live & checks the newspaper records. Before hooking up with a bespeckled, cigar-puffing, and untrusting suite maker who is going to help with his scam. And that’s about all I  can tell you plot-wise, so as not to ruin things.

Once again Dix is great in his role- really selling a man who hopes to get away with his crime, and we get some quite neat tense scenes when he thinks he’s been rumbled. The rest of the cast isn’t bad either we have pluck young blond reporter played Jannis Carter, and a friendly-if-seemingly slightly shady character played by  Paul Guilfoyle. With some moodily effective night alley rendezvous, a nightclub that has Russian male dancers, and a rather mysterious pencilled moustache gangster.  So The Mark Of The Whistler  is still an entertaining/engaging noir- just more  the moodier side of the genre

 

On this first disc, we get two new extras. First is a commentary track with film historian Josh Nelson on The Whistler- this is well well-researched and interesting track.  He begins by talking about how this was Castle's third film,  he was aged twenty-nine when he filmed it, and it shows him as a bonafide director. He gives bios for actors as they appear, and talks about how the film is full of well-defined supporting characters. We find out the film had a small budget of just $70,000- filmed in two weeks in early 1944- and been in cinemas by March of that year. He discusses the rich details in the film and mentions notable props.  He talks about how Castle tried to put his lead actor on edge- getting him to give up smoking, lose weight, and ring him early in the morning. Later on, he discusses how the film resonates with both the aftermath of the great depression & WWII.  We find out Castle wanted to have someone dressed as Dix’s character when the film was shown rushing up the theatre's stairways-  with placed people in the audience panicking- this was turned down by the film's producer.  A most worth a play track.

Next, we have A Whistle-Stop Tour (22.32) this is with film writer/ expert Kim Newman- he moves from talking about the radio series that inspired the films, with there being six hundred episodes recorded. He talks about Dix- who at this point in his life had a few health issues, and been a battered middle-aged bloke.  He talks about the best of the film series being the ones that unbalance you- have you been unsure about is Dix’s characters were good or bad. He talks about each of the eight films, and briefly comments on each. Again another worthy extra.

Otherwise, we have It’s Your America ( 36.11) a 1945 dramatized documentary focusing on soldiers returning from World War II, directed by John Ford and featuring J Carrol Naish, the antagonist in The Whistler. Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials

 

 

Onto disc number two & we first have The Power of the Whistler. This is from the year 1945- it runs slightly longer at the one hour & six-minute mark. The film is more of a mystery-focused affair regarding a man with amnesia, and the discovery of who he is.

The film was directed by New York-born Lew Landers. He had a total of one hundred seventy-seven credits to his name- taking a one hundred and thirty-eight feature length, with the remainder of titles taking in TV shows, TV films, and shorts. His features take in the likes of The Raven (1935) featuring both Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi,  and the romantic musical comedy Sing, Dance, Plenty Hot (1940). Onto drama/ adventure Girls’ School (1950), and nuclear war-fearing comedy Run For The Hills ( 1953).

In the film's lead, we once again have Richard Dix, who’s playing Willaim Everest- a smartly dressed man who has lost his memory. He gets noticed by Jean( Janis Carter), her sister Francine( Jeff Donnel), and her intended Kent(Loren Tidall)- the trio are sat in a club playing cards, and Jean decides to read Willaims fortune- and the cards say he’ll die in twenty-four hours.

So he follows him out of the club to tell him- he says he’s lost his memory, and as she rather fancies him she agrees to help him. They empty his pockets finding a selection of items- such as a receipt for flowers sent, a doctor's prescription, and a train timetable.

The whole thing is a most engaging/ involving noir mystery- with both the leads carrying it very well. We get nice touches of shadowy moodiness added to the film's unfold/ mystery- and you landed up with a fairly unexpected resolve. All making The Power of the Whistler another worthy edition

 

 

Up next we have 1945’s The Voice Of Whistler- it found Willaim Castle back in the director's seat, with a tighter runtime of fifty-nine minutes. This is a rather twisting ‘n’ turning affair which takes us from the big city to an isolated lighthouse-   with shady agreements, murder and loneliness.

The film once again features Richard Dix as John Sinclair- a rich businessman who has a brush with the law and is advised to go away due to his health condition( we never find out exactly what this is- though he keeps grabbing his chest & sweating bullets).  

He gets on a train from the city planning to visit the Great Lakes- but only makes it as far as the taxi rank, as he is taken ill. He’s taken in & looked after by ex-English prize boxer Erine Sparrow( Rhys Willams) a happy-go-lucky chap who gave up the rat race to drive taxis.

Also added into the mix is Joan ( Lynn Merrick), a glamorous nurse/doctor receptionist, and her intended dark brill cream Fred Graham(James Cardwell). And that’s about all I can tell so as not to uncover the plots rewarding unfold.

Calling this one The Voice Of The Whistler is most apt- as we get a fair bit of voice-over from the character throughout the film. Initially, I thought the character was voiced by Vincent Price- as the actor had a similar voice, but it’s not it’s Otto Forrest who also did the character in the other films- but he sounds more Price-like here.

All in all, The Voice Of Whistler is a rewarding slice of noir- with the story landing up/ resolving not in any you-can-ins.

 

New extras wise on this disc we get two new commentary tracks- one for each film. So the first track on The Power of the Whistler is with professor and film scholar Jason A Ney. And this truly is a wonderful researched and thoughtful affair. He starts by talking about how the producers of the films settled on using the shadow of the whistler to show the character in the films. He discusses how this film's themes are images and mirages,  and how it fits into the amnesia noir sub-genre of films- discussing the different types of films in this sub-genre/ other notable titles.  He talks about how this film has one of the wildest set up of all eight films, and how it largely manages to be believable.  He touches on how Columbia managed to set up a production line of films and make this profitable/ viable. He relates a two stories regarding the bookshop set in the film, and talks about one of the plot's key issues.  Later on, he quotes from press interviews with the cast from the time, and gives quirky actor bio facts. Most certainly a track I can see myself revisiting.

The track for The Voice Of The Whistler is from film historian Lee Gambin, who very sadly passed early this year from a heart attack- this track really shows what a great talent he was on doing tracks- as it’s full of great research and true passion for film. He begins by talking about the theme of loneliness in the film- discusses the different type of loneliness. He mentions the great noir imagery though out the film, and points out character actors- mentioning other memorable roles they had. He talks about class differences and the deconstruction of masculinity in the film.  Later on, he discusses character shifts, William Castle's love of the macabre, and much more. Again a must-play track.

On the archive side, we have the following: The Noir City Interview with Robert Dix (19 mins):  a 2010 interview with the son of lead actor Richard Dix, recorded in Los Angeles following a screening of The Power of the Whistler. Stuart Holmes Oral History ( 69 mins): rare recording from 1958 of the prolific character actor in conversation with historian George Pratt. Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials.

 

 

 

Moving onto the third disc in the set, and first up we have 1946’s Mysterious Intruder- this starts off as a gumshoe missing person noir- before twisting ‘n’ turning in a mix of murder, kidnapping, and mystery. Once again this was helmed by William Castle- with Richard Dix heading up the film once again.

We open with a voiceover from the Whistler- as his shadow follows the elderly & hunched figure of Edward Stillwell(Paul E. Burns) walking the nighttime streets. He’s going towards the offices of PI Don Cale(Dix) who is later described as  ‘have been in tittering on the edge of the law for years’.

Edward sits in Don’s shadow-bound office, as the suited, cigar-sucking, and brill creamed PI listens on. We find out Edward runs a musical instrument shop- which he lives above. The job he has for Don is to find his old neighbour's daughter  Elora Lund- the last time he saw her was when she was fourteen- it’s now seven years on. Don tells him it’s pricy to find people- but the old man says that if he finds Elora, she’ll surely pay him a lot of money.

As the early part of the film unfolds- Elora turns up to meet Edward late at night at his shop and the old man is presently killed by a huge thug. And from here the twist ‘n’ turning story unfolds- we have nighttime gunplay, pushy cops, and double crossings. Dix plays a more shifty character in this one, and does it well- the surrounding cast is all relatively good too.

 Mysterious Intruder runs a minute over the hour mark, and it mostly keeps you engaged- though a few of the sets are a little overused, with some slight pacing issues towards the middle of the film. But largely it’s another rewarding addition to the series.

 

 

The other film on disc three is  The Secret Of The Whistler. This is from 1946, with this being the final film featuring Richard Dix- this time playing the husband of a rich wife

It was directed by New York City-born George Sherman- he had an impressive one hundred and fourteen credits to his name.  A large part of his early career ( 1930- to 1940) focused on Westerns such as Riders of the Black Hills, Rovin' Tumbleweeds, Kansas Cyclone, & Arizona Terrors. Later moving on to the likes of comedy-mystery A Scream In The Dark (1943), musical sports comedy Yes Sir, That’s My Baby (1949),  and blue-collar drama Steel Town (1955)….as well as even more westerns.

The film opens with the shadow of the whistler stretching over nighttime buildings- as the voice-over talks about a woman buying something unusual. We move into funeral directors where we find Edith Harrison( Mary Currier) buying a memorial statue- for herself, with the date left open.

We next move to an eat ‘n’ drink all you-want party at the art studio of two-bit abstract artist Ralph( Dix) Edith’s husband. He’s dancing with the recently arrived Kay (Leslie Brooks) a blond & glamorous model. The phone rings & it’s home, his wife has had another turn so he rushes back- we find out Edith has a serious heart issue, which means she could pass away any day.

As the film unfolds Ralph starts taking Kay out, buying her jewellery, and even saying he’d marry her if it weren’t for Edith. But her health suddenly turns for the better- rather than throwing Ralph’s plans out.

Dix as always is good- flitting between charming & devious- both the female leads are fine too, carrying their roles/ storylines well enough.  The issue is that the film's plot is just not enough to fill its just over an hour runtime- with as often getting a fair bit of padding- like over long shorts of diary entries & party footage.

On the whole, The Secret Of The Whistler certainly has its moments of rewarding enough noir. It just felt like the Whistler concept has rather run its course, and the story is just lacking substance/ interesting twists.

New extra wise on this disc we get two things. First is a commentary track on  Mysterious Intruder  by film historian Jeremy Arnold- and this is excellent, one of the best tracks on this set- as Arnold has a perfect balance of great research and a true passion for noir form.  He starts by talking about how the first four films had been profitable and well-received by critics as this was. He discusses how difficult The Whistler Theme was to whistle, and we find out in all eight films, six hundred and ninety-two radio episodes, and thirty-nine TV series the theme was whistled by a woman called Dorthy Roberts, who took time off her day job to the whistling.  He talks about how all of the film series have noir elements, but this film is the only totally genuine noir- due to its use of dark visuals and a sinister/ fatalistic that unfolds in a dangerous & unpredictable world. He give us a bio of Richard Dix- whose real name was  Ernst Carlton Brimmer, we find out he took acting classes in secret as his parents didn't want him to go into acting. He was a big star of the silent era, and went on well to talkies- he got the role in first Whistler film due to his role in 1943’s The Ghost Ship. He points out the wonderful use of light and shadow in the film to hand. Later on he gives bios of notable actors in bit parts, talks about The Whistler series in general, and more. This is most certainly a track I’ll return to again.

Otherwise, on the new side, we have Working in the Shadows (20.51) which finds respected film commentator/ writer  Kim Newman moving backwards through Willam Castle's career- from his gimmick-based films, back to the cowboy/ mixed genre films he made with producer Sam Catsmen, back his films in the Whistler series and his other noir films. The disc is finished off with Image galleries- featuring promotional and publicity materials.

 

 

 

Moving onto the fourth and final disc in the set, and we get another two films. The first of these is The Thirteenth Hour- from the year 1947, and is the final film with Richard Dix in, he passed in 1949 from a heart attack.

This was directed by Saginaw, Michigan William Clemens, and rather bizarrely it was his final film too, though he didn’t pass until way later in the year 1980.  In total, he had thirty-three feature film credits to his name. These went from Cozy mystery The Case Of The Velvet Claws(1936), to romantic western King Of The Lumberjacks (1940). Though to musical comedy Sweater Girl (1942), and who-done-it Crime By Night ( 1944).

After the normal whistler wandering through the night intro, we drop into a nighttime dinner where a birthday party is going on. The party is for  Eileen Blair(Karen Morley) who owns/ runs the dinner with her ‘gee whizz’/ talks too much pre-teen son Tommy( Mark Dennis). In the crowd gathered for the celebration is haulage firm owner Steve Reynolds( Dix)- who is Eileen's boyfriend, he says his goodbyes as he says he must get back to the yard.

On the road, he picks up a hitchhiker- and The Whistler/ Mr voiceover man pops back in to tell us he doesn’t normally pick up hitchhikers and will regret his decision. As they drive around the corner a car is in the wrong lane- Steve swerves crashing into a gas station, unfortunately, one of Eileen's exes who just happens to be a cop is on-site, one thing leads to another Steve goes to court, loses his licence for six months.

One night, when all the other divers are off sick/ elsewhere & delivery has to be done- Steve takes the wheel again- saying he’ll drive through the night to avoid any notice from the authorities. He breaks down along the way, and while trying to fix it a mysterious figure in a motorcycle facemask knocks him out- starts driving the truck, and along the way he knocks down & kills the ex- with of course the finger of blame pointing at Steve.

What unfolds is an entertaining one hour and five minutes of noir- with the search for a man missing his thumb, diamonds, and a car heisting set up. We get a few carcases, shadowy alley darting, and Dix at one point disguised as a blind man.  All in all, The Thirteenth Hour is another worthy addition to The Whistler series, and once again Dix is great.

 

Lastly, we have  1948’s The Return of the Whistler- this is rather a mystery/conspiracy-focused noir, with Dix gone our leading man, is Michael Duane- Dunkirk New York actor who between 1943 and 1948 he had twelve acting roles to his name.

The film was directed by Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born D. Ross Lederman.  He had eighty-seven feature-length credits to his name.  These went from race track Family-based action drama A Race for Life (1928), romantic drama Hell-Ship (1936), gangster drama Bullet Scars (1942), and hockey-focused mystery romance The Game That Kills (1937).

The film kicks off on a rainy night- with the whistler doing his intro. We are then dropped into a car with Theodore Anthony 'Ted' Nichols ( Duane) and Lenore Aubert( Alice Dupres Barkley)- there on their way to the wedding chapel, which is neon lite in the middle of nowhere.  They bang on the door, are let in finding out the guy who is due to marry them, though had to leave at the last minute - not back until tomorrow. Meanwhile, some fiddles with their car.

The dejected pair decided to head to a local nearby town, getting into their car- which is not running as it should. They just make it into town- find the hotel, and behind the desk is a grumpy/ unhelpful nighttime clerk. Initially, he says there are no rooms available, Theodore waves some money around, and there taken to a rather rundown- clearly unused. The clerk is just about to leave- when the couple confirm they are not married- so he insists Theodore go & sleep in his car.

The next morning Theodore up bright & early, going back to the hotel- he goes to the room to see Lenore, finding a man decorating in it, and no sign of his intended.

From here Theodore hooks up with the wonderful named Gaylord Traynor(Richard Lane) a helpful, if slight shifty Private Investigator to find out exactly what happened to Lenore.

The one-hour and one-minute film is an even blend of mystery, moody-to-action touched noir, and conspiracy thriller. With the action moving from the hotel,  to a large manor house, into a street-set psych hospital.

Duane is fine as our lead- looking largely fairly dapper with his three-piece suit, greased-back hair, and trilby hat. Moving from being keen to get married, to rowed-up puzzlement, to a rather desperate man. Barkley is fine- though she meant to be French, but to more sounded more German in her clipped dialogue.  Lane is good, as you are never fully sure of his motives.

The Return of the Whistler is a fine end to the series- though it would have been nice to have Dix on-board to say goodbye to the series.

 

Extra wise on this final disc the only new thing here is a commentary track on The Thirteenth Hour from academic and curator Eloise Ross- this is ok/ fine, though at points the track does come across like a lecture- as she quotes names, mention texts, and academic ideas. She starts by telling us the film was shot between the 3^rd and 22nd  of October, and was released in February/ March of 1947.  We find out the working title for the film The Whistlers Destiny, which was rather bitter-sweet as of course, this was Dix’s final film. She talks about the serial film genre in general, and the Whistler character/its tropes. Later on, she mentions a review of the time calling the film morally unstable. Talks about the great use of framing in the film for sinister effect,  and a brief bio of bit part actors.

Otherwise, on the disc, we have It’s Murder (9 mins):  a 1944 dramatized documentary, produced for the war effort and featuring a number of cast and crew members from the Whistler film series. Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials.

The finished release comes with a  one hundred and twenty-page book with a new essay by Tim Lucas, archival interviews with actor Richard Dix, an extract from director William Castle’s autobiography, an archival article on the popularity of the radio show, new writing on the short films, and film credits.

It truly is wonderful to see Powerhouse continuing its Columbia noir series. This set features once again a great selection of films with nice crisp and clean prints and interesting/ informative extras. Of interest to of course fans of the noir genre, but equally William Castle too- as he directed four of the films on this set.