The Hidden Eye (1945)

I could never understand why MGM didn't try to have a serious go of making a series about Capt. Duncan MacLain, an urbane private eye, who just happens to be blind. That does not hamper his skills as he has sharpened his remaining senses as well as being an expert wrestler. He also has an extremely smart seeing eye dog in Friday, who is almost MacLain's match in intelligence. Obviously MGM didn't feel that comfortable with private eyes on dark rainy streets, they didn't exactly fit in with the other series - heroic Dr. Kildare and the all American Hardy family. Of course they also had the Thin Man series but Nick Charles was different, he was a witty bon vivant married to a millionairess!!!The first MacLain film "Eyes in the Night" got off to a terrific start, directed by young up and coming director Fred Zinneman and with a top cast of dependable stars including Edward Arnold who fitted the role like a pair of comfy slippers. But the next one, "The Hidden Eye" appeared almost 5 years later and somehow something was missing.Jean (Frances Rafferty) is eager to marry Barry but is meeting stiff opposition from her uncle who is concerned that with a couple of recent deaths in the family it wouldn't look right. When Uncle Rodney, the man who is going to decide their fate is found murdered and Barry is already in the darkened room, suspicion naturally falls on him. Unfortunately for Barry, he seems to be being set up as that happens for the other murders too.As another reviewer says the murderer is revealed half way through but, for me, that only makes it more interesting as now, with MacLain on the case, they know they are looking for a mad man but one who presents a normal respectable front. There is drama aplenty when Friday is kidnapped - the anguish in Arnold's voice as he promises to do exactly as the kidnapper's want proves there was real affection for the dog, a beautiful Alsation, there.Frances Rafferty was just one of the numerous pretty ingenues who seemed to flood the screen in the 1940s, did a few colourless roles then disappeared. Far more interesting was the perfume counter girl - Audrey Totter gave her part as much oomph as her 60 second bit would allow. I believe she was also at the wrong studio and would have progressed quicker at Warner Bros. where her type of hard boiled dame was more appreciated.Recommended for Audrey!!

Courtsey of MGM's prolific/proficient second feature output unit, comes this sequel to Fred Zinnemann's debut feature 'Eyes In The Night', about a visually-impaired sleuth. This time around, the technical team is unfortunately less resourceful than their protagonist who is busy, with the aid of his faithful guide dog, trying to clear an innocent man of murder.The replacement of B-frisson chills with chuckles is a miscalculation on this outing, and stereotype B-movie characterisations abound from vulnerable love interest to seedy villains. The story's gritty, 'urban' settings, replete with dark alleyways and disused warehouses, are never exploited to the full effect of their classic noir trappings.The proceedings are all lighthearted enough if a little too genial. However, although there is some inevitable sentiment, the film is surprisingly unpatronising in its treatment of our blind hero. All in all it's a disappointing sequel, but not an hour-and-a-bit wasted.

I love old B-detective films such as Charlie Chan, The Saint, Boston Blackie and The Falcon. In addition to these very popular series, MGM tried to make a string of films starring veteran character actor Edward Arnold as a blind ex-police captain who now investigates crimes on his own. Unfortunately, while I really liked the first two films of the series, there must not have been much interest as MGM killed the series and only ended up making the two. What a shame, as I found them charming and innovative--something that is lacking in most films of the genre. I liked Arnold's easygoing manner (though my wife felt he laughed too much) and his guide dog, Friday, was a great sidekick--practically stealing the show. The plots were creative, the supporting acting very good and the production values many steps above lower budget Bs. About the only thing that was a deficit was the use of stunt doubles. All too often, it was VERY obvious that it was not the rotund and middle-aged Arnold but a younger and thinner man with significantly more hair! In this regard, it reminded me a lot of the work done on the original STAR TREK television series--where it was obviously NOT Kirk, Spock or McCoy in the action scenes.By the way, if you get a chance, try seeing the first film (EYES IN THE NIGHT). It's really funny watching Arnold's character deliberately trying to be super-obnoxious and irritating!

Capt. Maclain, the blind detective, is called in on a murder case by a young lady of his acquaintance, Frances Rafferty. She is about to be married to Barry Gifford; they've tried twice before, but her father wants them to wait. They hope that three times will be lucky. Father seems to be agreeable over the telephone, and he sets up a seven pm appointment for the two to come and talk it over. But when Barry gets there just a few seconds early, he finds his prospective father in law dead at his desk. He's been murdered and the suspicion of the police has fallen on young Barry. For the sake of young love, we hope that Maclain can prove the police wrong before the picture ends, but it looks very bad for Barry.This is not an exceptional film, but it's better than average for a forties B and the acting holds up very well. The plot is a good one, although the number of good suspects is quite small and the film doesn't cheat. But I think that even if you do figure out who the murderer is early on, the situations and the well acted characters will keep you entertained.