The Lone Wolf Strikes (1940)

The Lone Wolf Strikes (1940) *** (out of 4)Fun entry in the series has a young woman (Joan Perry) have her father murdered and some expensive pearls stolen so Michael Lanyard (Warren William), aka The Lone Wolf, takes the case and uncovers several bad guys all wanting the jewels. This certainly isn't going to be mistaken for a classic but I think there's enough good stuff going on here to make it worth viewing to anyone who enjoys these older mystery series. As you'd expect, William is pitch-perfect in the lead because he has no trouble playing tough and a he certainly has no issue playing laid back, cool and he can deliver a one-liner when need be. All of those years working in various pre-codes for Warner really set William up good for a series like this because he can pretty much play anything. If a scene needs charm then he can deliver. If he needs to be tough then he can deliver that. William is certainly the main reason to watch the film as he keeps it moving at a very fast pace. The supporting cast includes a nice bit by Joan Perry as the rather obnoxious daughter who can't stay out of trouble and we also get Eric Blore playing the butler. The story itself is a pretty strong one as we're given a couple mysterious to be solved. The film starts going down one track but quickly changes as a second mystery comes up. At 67-minutes the film moves at a very fast pace and keeps the viewer guessing along the way.

This film starts out with a very rich older man showing a young woman his home and a picture of his wife who is wearing a very beautiful diamond necklace. The man offers the young lady the opportunity to wear this necklace to a party they were going to attend and that is when the story gets interesting. There are a few murders and plenty of laughs with Michael Lanyard the Lone Wolf,(Warren William) and his butler Jamison, (Eric Blore). In this film the Lone Wolf decides to retire from detective work and his big hobby is having all kinds of fish tanks all over his apartment which drives Jamison out of his mind trying to take care of them all. This picture was very entertaining with a film background on a car ferry around Manhattan during the 1940's. Enjoy

Delightful entry in the Lone Wolf series starring WARREN WILLIAMS, this time with JOAN PERRY as the young woman seeking to find the killers who murdered her wealthy father. With a larger than usual role for valet ERIC BLORE, who makes the most of his comic abilities, this one gets off to a merry start and provides a good mix of laughs and shady bits of suspense.The cast is in fine form--especially when MONTAGU LOVE turns up as a European diamond merchant with thick accent, bushy mustache and monocle. The story is all about the theft of a pearl necklace from the safe of Philip Jordan (Perry's father) and his murder. The Lone Wolf takes the case when the daughter pleads with him and from then on it's standard Lone Wolf fare with the plot leading to a satisfying capture of the killer thieves.Summing up: Delightful entry in the series.Trivia note: For awhile, I thought the actor playing Ralph Bolton was Craig Stevens, but it turns out it was RALPH WILCOX who was married, first to Florence Rice, and then to Diana Barrymore--who dedicated her book "Too Much, Too Soon" to Wilcox, with whom she went on alcoholic binges during their five year marriage. Very handsome actor who never made it to stardom in Hollywood, probably due to alcoholism.

This is the second of the Lone Wolf series starring the roguish Warren William. While this film includes a positive cast change (Eric Blore is now the butler), the overall level of supporting acting is a big drop off from the last film. In the first one, Rita Hayworth and Ida Lupino were along for the ride as well as the Wolf's daughter (played very well by the excellent child actress, Virginia Weidler). Apart from Blore, the show is all Warren William and while he is very good, the film's chemistry is a bit lacking--making this a pretty ordinary B-detective film. While not quite as exciting or magical as a Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan film, it is roughly on-par with a Saint or Falcon film--and this isn't bad company for this film. A slightly better than average time-passer for fans of the genre--but unfortunately, not a lot more.