Behind the Mask (1946)

Jeff Mann is a terrible person. He's a part-time new reporter and part-time blackmailer. In other words, as he investigates crimes, he digs up lots of dirt on people and uses it do bleed these crooks. Not surprisingly, he is soon killed--by a man dressed up like the Shadow. Now Lamont Cranston (the real Shadow) is going to prove he's innocent by finding the real killer.This movie came out many years after the pulp magazine and radio versions of The Shadow. That is why it's so inexplicable that the film ISN'T close to being correct--they SHOULD have known the character better. The radio version (the most famous of them) was a practitioner of Asian arts--with the hypnotic ability to cloud people's minds, to influence them to do what he wants and to make himself seem invisible. This was a HUGE part of the character--yet NONE of that is in this film. Instead, he just guides a dumb cop to solve the crime. As a result, he's pretty much like any other B-movie detective--and bears MUCH more similarity to Bulldog Drummond and the Saint--both of which also were always about to become married when crimes strike and distract the hero. As a result of this sameness, the film comes off as much blander than it should. Overall, a typical B-movie that has lost its sense of uniqueness--which it SHOULD have. Not terrible (especially since it has a mildly funny sense of humor about it) but not all that great either.By the way, although it's been used in films and TV, killing someone by injecting air into the veins is NOT an easy thing and is way too impractical and difficult a thing to really be employed. I've talked to doctors about this (since my wife writes thrillers) and they assure me it's just not a way you can easily kill someone--especially not in the manner you see here in the film. Trust me on this one.

My vote is the vote I would have given when I first saw Kane Richmond as The Shadow, not positive that this was that movie, however, it was in the 1940's, then later in the 1950's on television when I saw it. Since that time I have collected quite a bit about this character, and here is some of it.The Shadow was a magazine/booklet that was at news stands/bookstores in the early 1930's. A radio show was brought into being, and at first The Shadow was the person who introduced the drama and the actors. Then at a later date, Orson Welles started playing the lead character of The Shadow who really was Lamont Cranston wealthy man-about-town, who's lovely girlfriend was Margo Lane. Lamont Cranston received schooling in the far east by his teacher known as Tenga who could communicate with Lamont via their minds, and he taught Lamont the "power to cloud men's minds." Of course he could cloud Women's as well. This show was on radio for many years. There were a few movies made with the character of The Shadow.

Kane Richmond returns for his second stint as Lamont Cranston/The Shadow in this fourth movie in The Shadow series.up to this point,this this is my least favourite.for me,it was boring and tedious.i didn't find the story all that interesting,or engaging.and the movie annoyed me at times,especially with how loud it was at times.by that i mean lot of shrill screeching,a lot of it by the character of Margo Lane(Barbara Read).Shrevvy(George Chandler)is fairly helpful to Cranston,having more to do this time,and is less of a dim bulb than in the previous movie.that's a positive,at least.overall though,this was a disappointing entry.my vote for Behind the Mask is a 4/10

Second of three go rounds with Kane Richmond as Lamont Cranston aka the Shadow. In these films Cranston is not like the pulp/radio character with the ability to cloud men's minds, instead he dressed all in black and a mask and stands in the shadows. Ah well.The plot of the film has Cranston foregoing his wedding to Margo Lane in order to clear his name. It seems that some one impersonating the Shadow has killed a blackmailing reporter. The death may have been lucky since it appears the no goodnik was typing out who the shadow really was when he was killed.More comedy then mystery this is a waste of celluloid since the comedy isn't very funny and the mystery nonexistent (you know who the killer is the minute he walks on screen). Mostly this is lots of round and round the various locations for no good reason other than kill time.Much of the first ten minutes is the reporter going around threatening all of his victims in order to lay out the suspects. Its boring. Worse is the clue that reveals who the killer is is so painfully obvious that that no one, not even police as stupid as the ones in this film, would have missed it.If you can take it for what it is (and forgive its deep flaws) you have an okay time killer, but at the same time its an hour you will never get back. Easily the worst of this set of three Shadow films.