A strange little offshoot of the Shadow mythos. Definitely the better of the two Shadow movies starring Rod La Rocque. This time, Lamont Cranston is a crusading crime journalist who writes a daily column entitled "The Shadow"! He does not wear the famous cloak and slouch hat, has no mind powers and everybody knows that he is the Shadow. His assistant is Phoebe Lane, who is cute and dizzy and not much relation to the superior Margo Lane at all. The film is based on the wise-cracking style of "The Thin Man" and occasionally delivers a genuinely funny moment. But for the most part this is a pretty dull murder mystery involving foreign agents. Completely lacking in the film noir, supernatural atmosphere of the radio series and the magazine. A curiosity but hardly The Shadow we know and love.
23 Reviews
Disappointing entry in the annuls of the Shadow
cool_jerk9829 January 2012
Typical Hollywood manipulation of an existing fictional character. This time the Shadow is nothing more than a lure to get kids to listen to police reports. There is no relation between this version of the character or any previous versions. The Shadow is purely imaginary and exists only as a picture on the wall of Lamont Cranston's office and the heading of his newspaper column. The story itself isn't bad, but they could have easily have left any reference to the Shadow or Lamont Cranston out of it and it would have been just as well. If you are seeking a movie containing the beloved pulp fiction character you would be better to ignore this one and look elsewhere.
A strange but entertaining version of The Shadow
crothman11 September 2009
The second of the Rod La Rocque Shadow movies is a vast improvement on the first, and bears no relation to that film or anything else about the character.
In this, Lamont Cranston is a newspaper/radio reporter who writes a column on crime, as well as having a radio show. His identity thus is a secret to no one. He is aided by Phoebe Lane, an aspiring reporter, in unraveling a mystery.
The mystery is interesting enough to hold interest and involves a crime that baffles everyone. There is some good scenes, especially with Cranston and Phoebe. But the characters (other than the Shadow) are all over the place. Phoebe is sometimes a smart protofeminist and also a complete ditz -- often in the same scene. Her final scene makes no sense after what we've seen before it.
But the movie does move along fairly well and the mystery is intriguing enough. It's a decent little film if you want something fun to kill an hour.
In this, Lamont Cranston is a newspaper/radio reporter who writes a column on crime, as well as having a radio show. His identity thus is a secret to no one. He is aided by Phoebe Lane, an aspiring reporter, in unraveling a mystery.
The mystery is interesting enough to hold interest and involves a crime that baffles everyone. There is some good scenes, especially with Cranston and Phoebe. But the characters (other than the Shadow) are all over the place. Phoebe is sometimes a smart protofeminist and also a complete ditz -- often in the same scene. Her final scene makes no sense after what we've seen before it.
But the movie does move along fairly well and the mystery is intriguing enough. It's a decent little film if you want something fun to kill an hour.
Entertaining For a B-Mystery
Snow Leopard13 June 2005
This Rod La Rocque/"Shadow" feature is pretty entertaining for a B-mystery. It combines the main mystery story with the Shadow's running battles of wits with the police and others. The two Shadow features with La Rocque both have a different feel from the radio and print stories, but both are watchable, and this one is the better of the two.
In this story, the Shadow has a radio show and a newspaper column, both of which he puts to use in solving the murder case that arises. The mystery itself is often just a sidelight to the Shadow's personal entanglements with the police commissioner, with his new, overly eager assistant (Astrid Allwyn), and with some of the principals in the case.
It's the kind of interesting, complex setup that a first-class writer could have done a great deal more with. As it is, although there are a couple of missed opportunities, it moves at a good pace and is interesting enough to make it a decent way to spend an hour or so.
In this story, the Shadow has a radio show and a newspaper column, both of which he puts to use in solving the murder case that arises. The mystery itself is often just a sidelight to the Shadow's personal entanglements with the police commissioner, with his new, overly eager assistant (Astrid Allwyn), and with some of the principals in the case.
It's the kind of interesting, complex setup that a first-class writer could have done a great deal more with. As it is, although there are a couple of missed opportunities, it moves at a good pace and is interesting enough to make it a decent way to spend an hour or so.
Standing in the Love of Shadow
Scott_Mercer25 December 2006
Kind of disappointing to realize that these two Shadow films made contemporaneously with the Shadow pulp magazine and the radio show's original releases are far less faithful to the character's mythos than the 1993 film with Alec Baldwin! The pulp magazine is probably the most intense iteration of The Shadow, with plenty of supernatural adventures and mystical side tracks. The radio show is almost as good, with a little more crime busting/film noir attitude and lots more dealings with common thugs or criminal masterminds than with metaphysical foes.
This film and its companion are the most lightweight of the bunch, with a very light tone and no mystical elements whatsoever. Everybody knows LaMont Cranston is The Shadow, who is merely a newspaper columnist and radio show host. None of the "wealthy playboy" secret identity here. None of the secret disguises (unless you count a monocle and a bad German accent), and none of the awesome "metaphysically manipulating the weak minds of criminals" mind tricks. BO-RING! No cool sidekicks; he has only his ditzy assistant, a narcoleptic leg man and a goofy Yiddish-accented cabbie with a gun-shaped cigarette holder to assist him.
Going in to this with no prior knowledge of the Shadow character, I could see how somebody would find this to be an enjoyable puff piece. But I was bitterly disappointed, having read (only a few!) of the original Shadow stories from the 30's, and heard a few of the original radio shows. I won't give it the indignity of a one rating, since they did a fair job on a low budget. But a three is as high as I can go.
This film and its companion are the most lightweight of the bunch, with a very light tone and no mystical elements whatsoever. Everybody knows LaMont Cranston is The Shadow, who is merely a newspaper columnist and radio show host. None of the "wealthy playboy" secret identity here. None of the secret disguises (unless you count a monocle and a bad German accent), and none of the awesome "metaphysically manipulating the weak minds of criminals" mind tricks. BO-RING! No cool sidekicks; he has only his ditzy assistant, a narcoleptic leg man and a goofy Yiddish-accented cabbie with a gun-shaped cigarette holder to assist him.
Going in to this with no prior knowledge of the Shadow character, I could see how somebody would find this to be an enjoyable puff piece. But I was bitterly disappointed, having read (only a few!) of the original Shadow stories from the 30's, and heard a few of the original radio shows. I won't give it the indignity of a one rating, since they did a fair job on a low budget. But a three is as high as I can go.
second in The Shadow series of movies
disdressed127 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
this second movie in the Shadow series is no better or worst than the first one,in my opinion.Rod La Rocque is back as Lamont Cranston.however,in this one,Cranston plays a newspaper columnist,with a column called The Shadow Says and he hosts a short radio show running through the latest crime,as the voice of The Shadow.so if you're expecting Cranston to solve this case as The Shadow,or the Shadow to make an actual appearance you might be disappointed.in this movie Cranston solves another case,this time with the assistance of Phoebe Lane(who works at the same newspaper)who he meets while pondering the case.yes,i said Phoebe,not Margo.(Margo Lane is Cranston's sidekick in the long running The Shadow radio program).
Silly and Weak
Hitchcoc28 September 2006
This time the Shadow has a radio show. Everyone seems to know he is LaMont Cranston. He is at the behest of radio executives and newspaper men and always seems to have trouble getting to the studio on time. There is so much potential in the Shadow's character to come up with a first rate noir film. What do we get. A poor man's Nick Charles who is glib and silly. A plot that is, at best, confusing. There are characters coming at each other from all directions, but ultimately the Shadow knows. He is unflappable and self centered. The problem is that above all else he is dull and uninteresting. I would bet you that given a 1930's audience and a slight rewrite of the screenplay, no one would even know this movie is based on the wonderful old radio show.
very typical newspaper columnist caught up in caper
ksf-24 March 2018
Director Charles Lamont and star Rod LaRocque had both been around for a LONG time in the silents. In this talkie, LaRocque is radio host Lamont Cranston, who thinks he gets a hot tip of a crime about to happen from "citizen" Phoebe Lane (Astrid Allwyn). When things don't turn out right, the cops are upset, so now its up to Cranston to solve the mystery himself. The sound and picture quality are remarkably good, as opposed to some of the other oldies showing on "Moonlight Movies" channel. It's just okay. Sub plot wherePhoebe interferes at first, but then is his ally, and it turns out she is related to the big boss publisher. Mildly entertaining, but very so-so. There are so many better things to watch...
Well, at least Rod La Roque was pretty good...
planktonrules28 January 2011
This is an odd little B-movie--one that at least is different. Rod La Roque stars as "the Shadow"--a combination radio celebrity and amateur crime solver. Using his show, he periodically tweaks the noses of the local police--who respond by arresting him on trumped up charges (wow...I guess the Constitution wasn't created until after 1938). And, along for the ride is one of the most common clichés in crime films of the era--the spunky and occasionally annoying reporter (who also happens to be the daughter of the radio station owner). Together, they investigate a crime AND have a good time!
For the most part, this is light and silly B entertainment. It's not terrible but cliché-ridden and only adequately written--at best. But, on the positive side, La Roque was very good in the movie--and it makes you wonder why he had faded to a B-actor after a relatively promising series of films in the 1920s and early 30s.
Adequate.
For the most part, this is light and silly B entertainment. It's not terrible but cliché-ridden and only adequately written--at best. But, on the positive side, La Roque was very good in the movie--and it makes you wonder why he had faded to a B-actor after a relatively promising series of films in the 1920s and early 30s.
Adequate.
Enjoyable for the characters and gags, not necessarily the mystery.
lge-946-22548723 February 2016
I enjoy this movie and have watched it several times (free on Amazon Prime). The colorful characters and some snappy dialog are what attracts me. The mystery aspects and especially Rod LaRocque's cheesy foreign accent (used in a few scenes) are not.
I like Astrid Allwyn as the young, eager girl-Friday-wannabe-- slightly ditsy, but not outlandishly so. She gets off some good lines, like this: Waiter: More caviar, madame? Astrid Allwyn: Oh, no! If I eat any more of that buckshot, I'll pass out!
Lew Hearn as Moe is a colorful character. He bails out Cranston, and standing outside the cell, Cranston asks how much he owes him. Moe says something like, "Is this a place to talk business? It'll be on your bill."
Thomas E. Jackson is enjoyable as always, as a gruff, put-upon police commissioner. I remember him as the gruff, put-upon editor in "Nancy Drew, Reporter."
And Peter Potter is memorable as Cranston's assistant, with that sleepy-sounding Oklahoma drawl of his.
The mystery, the safe-cracking Honest John, and all that, is not to be dismissed, though there are some corny aspects of the plot. But all in all I like this movie and will no doubt watch it again.
I like Astrid Allwyn as the young, eager girl-Friday-wannabe-- slightly ditsy, but not outlandishly so. She gets off some good lines, like this: Waiter: More caviar, madame? Astrid Allwyn: Oh, no! If I eat any more of that buckshot, I'll pass out!
Lew Hearn as Moe is a colorful character. He bails out Cranston, and standing outside the cell, Cranston asks how much he owes him. Moe says something like, "Is this a place to talk business? It'll be on your bill."
Thomas E. Jackson is enjoyable as always, as a gruff, put-upon police commissioner. I remember him as the gruff, put-upon editor in "Nancy Drew, Reporter."
And Peter Potter is memorable as Cranston's assistant, with that sleepy-sounding Oklahoma drawl of his.
The mystery, the safe-cracking Honest John, and all that, is not to be dismissed, though there are some corny aspects of the plot. But all in all I like this movie and will no doubt watch it again.
"That's right, The Shadow doesn't know"!
classicsoncall19 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This picture has all the slap dash feel of it's predecessor, "The Shadow Strikes" from the prior year, also starring Rod LaRocque. Even movie neophytes can figure out that this Shadow has no resemblance at all to the character made famous in pulp magazines of the era. To make matters worse, Lamont Cranston even utters the line from my summary above, lending credence to the idea that the writers of this picture really had no idea what they were doing. It was simply an attempt to capitalize on the Shadow name by putting together a loosely constructed story around a murder and espionage scheme involving foreign bonds, and it's so convoluted that it's hard to maintain focus while watching.
Case in point - the lounge scene when Phoebe Lane (Astrid Allwyn) intrudes upon Cranston's conversation with the two foreigners. The bad guys want to lure the couple back to their apartment for a drink, Cranston (in a disguise consisting of a single monocle) declines, Phoebe insists on going. Once outside, it looks like rain, can't go, Cranston gives Phoebe the bum's rush, and the pair of international heavyweight crime barons just go along with it.
Believe it or not, the most interesting thing I found about this picture had to do with the posters outside the Metropolitan Theater where Phoebe's phony robbery tip sent Cranston and the police. Still playing from 1937 was Jimmy Cagney's "Something to Sing About". What I couldn't figure out though, was why the film makers decided to place Cranston and Commissioner Weston (Thomas E. Jackson) directly in front of an ad for 'Zino-Pads for Corns'. That my friends, probably said all it needed to about the picture.
Case in point - the lounge scene when Phoebe Lane (Astrid Allwyn) intrudes upon Cranston's conversation with the two foreigners. The bad guys want to lure the couple back to their apartment for a drink, Cranston (in a disguise consisting of a single monocle) declines, Phoebe insists on going. Once outside, it looks like rain, can't go, Cranston gives Phoebe the bum's rush, and the pair of international heavyweight crime barons just go along with it.
Believe it or not, the most interesting thing I found about this picture had to do with the posters outside the Metropolitan Theater where Phoebe's phony robbery tip sent Cranston and the police. Still playing from 1937 was Jimmy Cagney's "Something to Sing About". What I couldn't figure out though, was why the film makers decided to place Cranston and Commissioner Weston (Thomas E. Jackson) directly in front of an ad for 'Zino-Pads for Corns'. That my friends, probably said all it needed to about the picture.
A wonderful line-up of our favorite bit players!
JohnHowardReid22 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Copyright 18 April 1938 by Grand National Films, Inc. New York opening at the Globe 15 May 1938. U.S. release: 2 April 1938. Australian release through British Empire Films: 27 June 1940. 5,874 feet. 64 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Lamont Cranston, alias The Shadow (Rod La Rocque) is a witty Walter Winchell character who writes and broadcasts a newspaper column in which he lampoons the city's bungling police force. The commissioner (Thomas Jackson) is not amused. He retaliates by banning Cranston's newspaper from access to all press release bulletins issued by his department. Cranston rescues the paper by foiling an elaborate murder/embezzlement plot and handing the police a full (if totally undeserved) credit for the capture of the criminals.
NOTES: Second of the seven The Shadow pictures. The first, The Shadow Strikes (1937) also starred Rod La Rocque. Third was a Columbia serial, The Shadow (1940), starring Victor Jory. Monogram Pictures entered the fray in 1946 with The Shadow Returns, starring Kane Richmond, who also played The Shadow in Behind the Mask (1946) and The Missing Lady (1946). Finally, Republic lensed Bourbon Street Shadows in 1958, starring Richard Derr.
COMMENT: One of the best "B" films ever made, it's hard to believe that this movie is so little-known today. Based on an extremely popular radio serial, you'd expect to find a host of fans singing the picture's praises.
Well, perhaps not. The Shadow depicted here cleverly departs somewhat from the comic strip character with cloak and wide-brimmed hat. Instead La Rocque and his ingenious scriptwriter have opted to present the hero as a suave, sarcastic radio commentator who has it in for the police. In fact the skillful debunking of authority figures is so thoroughly amusing, I marvel that International Crime has not been singled out for special attention by the cultists.
The problem here of course is that former matinee idol La Rocque, despite his ingratiating performance (we love the scene in which he runs through a variety of foreign accents in radioese for the benefit of the My Friend Irma-brained heroine, so capably impersonated by Astrid Allwyn), is unknown to the corduroy set. A pity. La Rocque provides a delightful spoof of the conventionally brash hero, his tongue smoothly tripping through polished lines of delicious invective that never flag from start to finish.
La Rocque alone would be worth many times the price of admission. But, as it happens, The Shadow is not the only colorful character in the play. In fact the script allows a wonderful line-up of our favorite bit players many a choice moment. For instance, Thomas Jackson has a great time as the harassed police chief and - though I've not the space to run through the whole cast - William Pawley as a reformed safecracker, Will Stanton as a jail drunk and most especially, Lew Hearn as a too obliging cab-driver are absolute musts for special accolades.
As for the direction, Charles Lamont has rarely been so stylish. His only films which bear comparison to this sterling effort are the much-praised horror spoofs of the mid-1950s such as Abbott and Costello Meet Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Francis in the Haunted House which do have a cult following. International Crime is equally amusing, far more quirky and much more forcefully acted. Furthermore it's superbly photographed by Marcel Le Picard whom I always regarded as one of the worst hacks in the business. I was wrong. It seems that Le Picard was rarely given an opportunity to show us what marvelously atmospheric effects he was really capable of achieving.
SYNOPSIS: Lamont Cranston, alias The Shadow (Rod La Rocque) is a witty Walter Winchell character who writes and broadcasts a newspaper column in which he lampoons the city's bungling police force. The commissioner (Thomas Jackson) is not amused. He retaliates by banning Cranston's newspaper from access to all press release bulletins issued by his department. Cranston rescues the paper by foiling an elaborate murder/embezzlement plot and handing the police a full (if totally undeserved) credit for the capture of the criminals.
NOTES: Second of the seven The Shadow pictures. The first, The Shadow Strikes (1937) also starred Rod La Rocque. Third was a Columbia serial, The Shadow (1940), starring Victor Jory. Monogram Pictures entered the fray in 1946 with The Shadow Returns, starring Kane Richmond, who also played The Shadow in Behind the Mask (1946) and The Missing Lady (1946). Finally, Republic lensed Bourbon Street Shadows in 1958, starring Richard Derr.
COMMENT: One of the best "B" films ever made, it's hard to believe that this movie is so little-known today. Based on an extremely popular radio serial, you'd expect to find a host of fans singing the picture's praises.
Well, perhaps not. The Shadow depicted here cleverly departs somewhat from the comic strip character with cloak and wide-brimmed hat. Instead La Rocque and his ingenious scriptwriter have opted to present the hero as a suave, sarcastic radio commentator who has it in for the police. In fact the skillful debunking of authority figures is so thoroughly amusing, I marvel that International Crime has not been singled out for special attention by the cultists.
The problem here of course is that former matinee idol La Rocque, despite his ingratiating performance (we love the scene in which he runs through a variety of foreign accents in radioese for the benefit of the My Friend Irma-brained heroine, so capably impersonated by Astrid Allwyn), is unknown to the corduroy set. A pity. La Rocque provides a delightful spoof of the conventionally brash hero, his tongue smoothly tripping through polished lines of delicious invective that never flag from start to finish.
La Rocque alone would be worth many times the price of admission. But, as it happens, The Shadow is not the only colorful character in the play. In fact the script allows a wonderful line-up of our favorite bit players many a choice moment. For instance, Thomas Jackson has a great time as the harassed police chief and - though I've not the space to run through the whole cast - William Pawley as a reformed safecracker, Will Stanton as a jail drunk and most especially, Lew Hearn as a too obliging cab-driver are absolute musts for special accolades.
As for the direction, Charles Lamont has rarely been so stylish. His only films which bear comparison to this sterling effort are the much-praised horror spoofs of the mid-1950s such as Abbott and Costello Meet Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Francis in the Haunted House which do have a cult following. International Crime is equally amusing, far more quirky and much more forcefully acted. Furthermore it's superbly photographed by Marcel Le Picard whom I always regarded as one of the worst hacks in the business. I was wrong. It seems that Le Picard was rarely given an opportunity to show us what marvelously atmospheric effects he was really capable of achieving.
Somewhat baffling mystery an excuse for lively comedy
csteidler30 October 2011
Rod Laroque is back for a second film as Lamont Cranston. As presented here, the Shadow is none other than a radio host who does a nightly broadcast commenting on crime in the city and offering theories and suggestions to listeners and police alike—he's a kind of Walter Winchell of crime.
The plot concerns a blown up safe, a murder, and a large sum of money that a pair of shady Europeans are attempting to send or prevent from being sent over to their homeland. Those plot details are not abundantly clear; however, plot here is really secondary to the witty interactions between characters that produce quite an entertaining little film.
There is, of course, the police commissioner who resents the Shadow's criticism but never misses a broadcast; Moe the cabbie always on standby to transport Cranston; and Cranston's crusty news editor.
Most importantly, there is Astryd Allwyn as Phoebe Lane, a sort of unwanted assistant to Cranston who has her job only because she is the publisher's niece. Allwyn brings in misleading scoops, follows her boss around despite his protests, and—when alone in the office studio—practices her own radio broadcasts, imagining herself as the real brains behind the Shadow ("Ladies and gentleman, this is Phoebe Lane, the Shadow's shadow "). Allwyn and Laroque have a nice chemistry and some fun wordplay; especially silly but amusing is the scene in which Cranston tries out on her every European accent he knows as they narrow down the nationality of the mysterious man she had earlier encountered.
This Lamont Cranston is a harder egg than the one seen in the previous year's The Shadow Strikes. Early on in the picture, he is asked, "If it wasn't robbery, what was it?" His one word answer—"Murder"—is delivered while lighting a cigarette and with an edge altogether different from the secretive and somewhat mild character he played in the earlier film.
Whether or not this Shadow is a worthy entry among the uneven ranks of other movie Shadows is for the purists to decide; taken strictly on its own as a low-budget mystery, International Crime is fast-paced, easy to watch and offers plenty of laughs.
The plot concerns a blown up safe, a murder, and a large sum of money that a pair of shady Europeans are attempting to send or prevent from being sent over to their homeland. Those plot details are not abundantly clear; however, plot here is really secondary to the witty interactions between characters that produce quite an entertaining little film.
There is, of course, the police commissioner who resents the Shadow's criticism but never misses a broadcast; Moe the cabbie always on standby to transport Cranston; and Cranston's crusty news editor.
Most importantly, there is Astryd Allwyn as Phoebe Lane, a sort of unwanted assistant to Cranston who has her job only because she is the publisher's niece. Allwyn brings in misleading scoops, follows her boss around despite his protests, and—when alone in the office studio—practices her own radio broadcasts, imagining herself as the real brains behind the Shadow ("Ladies and gentleman, this is Phoebe Lane, the Shadow's shadow "). Allwyn and Laroque have a nice chemistry and some fun wordplay; especially silly but amusing is the scene in which Cranston tries out on her every European accent he knows as they narrow down the nationality of the mysterious man she had earlier encountered.
This Lamont Cranston is a harder egg than the one seen in the previous year's The Shadow Strikes. Early on in the picture, he is asked, "If it wasn't robbery, what was it?" His one word answer—"Murder"—is delivered while lighting a cigarette and with an edge altogether different from the secretive and somewhat mild character he played in the earlier film.
Whether or not this Shadow is a worthy entry among the uneven ranks of other movie Shadows is for the purists to decide; taken strictly on its own as a low-budget mystery, International Crime is fast-paced, easy to watch and offers plenty of laughs.
He Does NOT Turn Into The Shadow - LAME Film
Rainey-Dawn6 September 2016
To me, this is NOT a Shadow film. The Shadow in this case is still Lamont Cranston but "The Shadow" is his persona as a radio news broadcaster! NOTHING like the old radio show at all! Come on, what were they thinking when they made this tripe?!
And that girl - Phoebe Lane drives me insane! I'm sorry I just wanted to slap her for all of her "Wait for Phoebe" lines - among other things. She is the most irritating character, no wonder Lamont Cranston wanted to give her a hard time - but she is the niece of the owner of the radio station so she can do whatever she pleases - including ruin the station I'm assuming (she was doing at great job at that when I started fast-forwarding through the film)! It was her that totally ruined what might have been an okay film for me to watch - I can't stand her!
Lamont Cranston does not turn into The Shadow as he should and this Phoebe chick *deep sighs*! I'm sorry I can't give this one a good review - and it's NOT a "Shadow" film if Cranston does not turn into "The Shadow" - and that Phoebe!! "Wait for Phoebe"!!! -- very unfunny!
1/10
And that girl - Phoebe Lane drives me insane! I'm sorry I just wanted to slap her for all of her "Wait for Phoebe" lines - among other things. She is the most irritating character, no wonder Lamont Cranston wanted to give her a hard time - but she is the niece of the owner of the radio station so she can do whatever she pleases - including ruin the station I'm assuming (she was doing at great job at that when I started fast-forwarding through the film)! It was her that totally ruined what might have been an okay film for me to watch - I can't stand her!
Lamont Cranston does not turn into The Shadow as he should and this Phoebe chick *deep sighs*! I'm sorry I can't give this one a good review - and it's NOT a "Shadow" film if Cranston does not turn into "The Shadow" - and that Phoebe!! "Wait for Phoebe"!!! -- very unfunny!
1/10
Too Congested to Digest
dougdoepke10 February 2020
Maybe you can make sense of the murder plot, I couldn't. Instead, it's dense and spread out enough to dumbfound Sherlock. But then the movie's more about radio broadcaster Cranston's rivalries than anything like a coherent mystery. So move over police commissioner Weston and employer Heath because Cranston's going to get the better of you on this investigation. One notable thing- actor La Rocque does little to make the overbearing Shadow likable, unlike most amateur detectives of the time. In fact, he's pretty much colorless even when pushing poor reporter Allwyn around. Good thing actress Allwyn's there to provide spark and spirit among a generally lackluster cast, along with some of her occasional snappy lines. All in all, the hour's a disappointment, especially for us geezer fans of the old 40's radio show. In fact, I still remember that iconic radio intro spoken in sinister tones: "Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of man. The Shadow knows, heh, heh, heh"- an intro usually followed by a spooky half-hour featuring the invasive spirit of the mysterious title character. Well, none of that here, nor much of anything else engaging. Too bad.
Not the radio's man of mystery who always knew everything
bkoganbing17 January 2012
International Conspiracy is the second of two movies about the famous radio detective The Shadow who on radio has a genius for disguise and for blending into the background. None of that was utilized as in the other Shadow film that Rod LaRocque starred in for poverty row studio Grand National Pictures.
Instead LaRocque is a newspaper columnist with his own radio show where he delights in continually showing up the cops in the solving of crimes. Hardly anything new there. My criticism is the same as it was for the other Shadow film, that audiences were probably buying tickets in anticipation of seeing the Shadow they knew from radio and LaRocque while interesting and entertaining just wasn't it.
The International Conspiracy involves The Shadow battling some foreign counterrevolutionaries who are trying to prevent US banking houses from funding loans to the new government in their country. Do I have to tell you who came out ahead?
LaRocque and girlfriend Astrid Allwyn made a fine pair of sleuths aided and abetted by Lew Hern as a Jewish cabdriver who seems to be on permanent retainer by The Shadow. Hern was quite droll in his characterization.
This Shadow film was slightly better than the other one LaRocque made for Grand National, but it wasn't the regular Shadow that millions of radio listeners expected.
Instead LaRocque is a newspaper columnist with his own radio show where he delights in continually showing up the cops in the solving of crimes. Hardly anything new there. My criticism is the same as it was for the other Shadow film, that audiences were probably buying tickets in anticipation of seeing the Shadow they knew from radio and LaRocque while interesting and entertaining just wasn't it.
The International Conspiracy involves The Shadow battling some foreign counterrevolutionaries who are trying to prevent US banking houses from funding loans to the new government in their country. Do I have to tell you who came out ahead?
LaRocque and girlfriend Astrid Allwyn made a fine pair of sleuths aided and abetted by Lew Hern as a Jewish cabdriver who seems to be on permanent retainer by The Shadow. Hern was quite droll in his characterization.
This Shadow film was slightly better than the other one LaRocque made for Grand National, but it wasn't the regular Shadow that millions of radio listeners expected.
Case of the Missing Shadow: A Light-Weight Mystery Comedy
k_t_t200117 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In the late 1930's Grand National Pictures released two films based on the popular magazine and radio character, The Shadow. The first outing, 1937's THE SHADOW STRIKES saw silent film star Rod La Rocque donning hat and cape, in a rather bland drawing room mystery. Ironically, this crime thriller without the thrills had been very loosely adapted from a legitimate Shadow Magazine adventure. Considering the rather uninspiring result, it is hardly surprising that the studio decided to rethink their approach before putting a sequel into production. The result of this reconsideration, was INTERNATIONAL CRIME.
INTERNATIONAL CRIME is an odd duck of a film. Gone was almost any connection to the Shadow character as he appeared in the magazine series, or even the character from the previous film. This time out, all inspiration was derived from THE SHADOW radio program.
The thing that needs to be understood here is that The Shadow is really a split personality. The hawk-nosed avenger with the blazing twin .45's and the legion of secret operatives existed only in the magazines. On radio he was Lamont Cranston, amateur criminologist and "wealthy young man about town", who in the ancient Orient had learned the "power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." "Friend and companion" Margo Lane was also an invention of the radio series, though she was later shoehorned into the prose adventures as well. INTERNATIONAL CRIME features almost all the standards of the radio Shadow: Lamont Cranston, amateur criminologist, Margo Lane (though here called "Phoebe Lane") as his Girl Friday, cabbie Moe Shrevnitz, and foil Commissioner Weston. In fact, the only significant player missing is The Shadow himself.
Cranston (still played by Rod La Rocque, but with considerably more energy) is now a newspaper columnist and radio personality who goes by the on-air non deplume of "The Shadow". In the middle of a broadcast, his overeager and stereotypically ditzy blonde assistant, Phoebe, hands him an ill advised tip on an upcoming box-office robbery, that is actually a red-herring to draw away the police so that another crime may be more easily committed elsewhere. Already in the doghouse with Police Commissioner Weston for his caustic commentary on the capabilities of the constabulary, Cranston's reputation is now on the line, unless he can solve the real crime, a combination theft and murder, himself. But the sleuthing is never really the main point of the film: the detecting is really just a framework to hang the movie's humorous elements on. At no time is there ever a real sense of danger to the proceedings. From the moment that Phoebe crashes into the middle of Cranston's radio broadcast, the audience knows what kind of film this is supposed to be and just sits back to enjoy the ride.
There is one other very odd element to the film that begs noting one that may have gone unnoticed by the movie going public of 1938. The criminal masterminds of the piece are Viennese nobility, plotting to halt a bond issue from foreign businessmen that will finance military forces in their homeland. On March 12, 1938, Austria was officially absorbed into Germany. Therefore the government that these conniving and murderous villains are working against, is the Nazi regime of Adolph Hitler. Today it is remarkable to consider that such a plot device could have been used in the same year that Neville Chamberlain made his fateful, "peace in our time" speech, and impossible to believe that such an element would have been allowed to stand if this film had been made even a year later.
While fairly predictable, the film nevertheless rolls along at a good clip, providing a light weight, light-hearted and fairly amusing crime comedy in a similar vein, but a lower rent district, to the Nick and Nora Charles or Mr. And Mrs. Smith adventures. INTERNATIONAL CRIME is both a drastic change and a huge improvement over the feeble and stodgy THE SHADOW STRIKES.
INTERNATIONAL CRIME is an odd duck of a film. Gone was almost any connection to the Shadow character as he appeared in the magazine series, or even the character from the previous film. This time out, all inspiration was derived from THE SHADOW radio program.
The thing that needs to be understood here is that The Shadow is really a split personality. The hawk-nosed avenger with the blazing twin .45's and the legion of secret operatives existed only in the magazines. On radio he was Lamont Cranston, amateur criminologist and "wealthy young man about town", who in the ancient Orient had learned the "power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." "Friend and companion" Margo Lane was also an invention of the radio series, though she was later shoehorned into the prose adventures as well. INTERNATIONAL CRIME features almost all the standards of the radio Shadow: Lamont Cranston, amateur criminologist, Margo Lane (though here called "Phoebe Lane") as his Girl Friday, cabbie Moe Shrevnitz, and foil Commissioner Weston. In fact, the only significant player missing is The Shadow himself.
Cranston (still played by Rod La Rocque, but with considerably more energy) is now a newspaper columnist and radio personality who goes by the on-air non deplume of "The Shadow". In the middle of a broadcast, his overeager and stereotypically ditzy blonde assistant, Phoebe, hands him an ill advised tip on an upcoming box-office robbery, that is actually a red-herring to draw away the police so that another crime may be more easily committed elsewhere. Already in the doghouse with Police Commissioner Weston for his caustic commentary on the capabilities of the constabulary, Cranston's reputation is now on the line, unless he can solve the real crime, a combination theft and murder, himself. But the sleuthing is never really the main point of the film: the detecting is really just a framework to hang the movie's humorous elements on. At no time is there ever a real sense of danger to the proceedings. From the moment that Phoebe crashes into the middle of Cranston's radio broadcast, the audience knows what kind of film this is supposed to be and just sits back to enjoy the ride.
There is one other very odd element to the film that begs noting one that may have gone unnoticed by the movie going public of 1938. The criminal masterminds of the piece are Viennese nobility, plotting to halt a bond issue from foreign businessmen that will finance military forces in their homeland. On March 12, 1938, Austria was officially absorbed into Germany. Therefore the government that these conniving and murderous villains are working against, is the Nazi regime of Adolph Hitler. Today it is remarkable to consider that such a plot device could have been used in the same year that Neville Chamberlain made his fateful, "peace in our time" speech, and impossible to believe that such an element would have been allowed to stand if this film had been made even a year later.
While fairly predictable, the film nevertheless rolls along at a good clip, providing a light weight, light-hearted and fairly amusing crime comedy in a similar vein, but a lower rent district, to the Nick and Nora Charles or Mr. And Mrs. Smith adventures. INTERNATIONAL CRIME is both a drastic change and a huge improvement over the feeble and stodgy THE SHADOW STRIKES.
Will Good Prevail Over Evil?
StrictlyConfidential14 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"International Crime" was originally released back in 1938.
Anyway - As the story goes - Lamont Cranston is both a legendary criminologist and on-air crime reporter. Cranston takes on the investigation of the slaying of a wealthy business tycoon. In doing so, he exposes a far larger conspiracy involving a group of foreign saboteurs.
Anyway - As the story goes - Lamont Cranston is both a legendary criminologist and on-air crime reporter. Cranston takes on the investigation of the slaying of a wealthy business tycoon. In doing so, he exposes a far larger conspiracy involving a group of foreign saboteurs.
Better than the first one
Milk_Tray_Guy21 July 2023
This second of Colony Pictures' two Shadow movies again stars the hugely likeable Rod La Rocque as Lamont Cranston (this time spelled correctly with a 'C'). Weirdly, this shares zero continuity with the previous entry, The Shadow Strikes; Cranston here isn't a masked avenger, but a crime reporter, with a newspaper column and his own radio show. Both are done under the title of 'The Shadow', but everybody (readers/listeners, police, criminals) knows he's Lamont Cranston. There is secret no alter ego. The muddled plot involves Viennese criminals who are either a) trying to secure funding for a foreign power, or b) trying to prevent funding for a foreign power; it isn't really clear, but along the way we get murder, burglary, and kidnapping.
What's interesting is that a misfire of the 1940s Shadow movies actually works well here; the banter between Cranston and the newly introduced Phoebe (not 'Margo') Lane, played by Astrid Allwyn, some of which is 'laugh-out-loud' funny. The chemistry between them is first rate, and if you take this as its own thing and not a Shadow movie it's very slick and enjoyable. Of course, it IS a Shadow movie, which comes with certain expectations - none of which are met. All of which makes it difficult to rate. I guess overall... 7/10.
What's interesting is that a misfire of the 1940s Shadow movies actually works well here; the banter between Cranston and the newly introduced Phoebe (not 'Margo') Lane, played by Astrid Allwyn, some of which is 'laugh-out-loud' funny. The chemistry between them is first rate, and if you take this as its own thing and not a Shadow movie it's very slick and enjoyable. Of course, it IS a Shadow movie, which comes with certain expectations - none of which are met. All of which makes it difficult to rate. I guess overall... 7/10.
Three years before the war, Hollywood takes on Nazi spies.
mark.waltz6 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
With an actor by the name of Wilhelm von Brincken, it's obvious who the villain is in this fun but slight crime drama, Rod La Rocque's second entry in the Shadow series, not as well known as Nick Charles or the later Saint or Falcon, and slightly below such other long running detectives series like Boston Blackie and the Whistler. Pretty Astrid Allwyn proved herself to be equal to the shadow, although in the beginning, she makes a mistake while giving false information to La Rocque who quickly discovers why she was told such pivotal hints of pending crime. It's thanks to her however that he stumbles on the ring of Fifth Columnists who knows from the very beginning both Allwyn and La Rocque's identity.
An amusing script has some fun dollops of humor, but when they get down to dealing with the crime and the espionage being attempted, it's all serious. There are quite a few memorable supporting characters, whether the cohorts of the Nazi spy leader or underground figures or cab drivers or other metropolitan types of all walks of life La Rocque and Allwyn encounters. Of course the police of all ranks are portrayed as rather buffoonish, and that adds a bit of silliness to the proceedings, showing that Hollywood even back in the heyday of the golden age had little respect for certain types of law enforcement. The film is entertaining and fast moving so the silliness of certain elements is easy to overlook.
An amusing script has some fun dollops of humor, but when they get down to dealing with the crime and the espionage being attempted, it's all serious. There are quite a few memorable supporting characters, whether the cohorts of the Nazi spy leader or underground figures or cab drivers or other metropolitan types of all walks of life La Rocque and Allwyn encounters. Of course the police of all ranks are portrayed as rather buffoonish, and that adds a bit of silliness to the proceedings, showing that Hollywood even back in the heyday of the golden age had little respect for certain types of law enforcement. The film is entertaining and fast moving so the silliness of certain elements is easy to overlook.
The Weed Of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit!
boblipton25 February 2024
Radio criminologist Rod La Rocque, who broadcasts for newspaper publisher Oscar O'Shea as 'The Shadow' -- yes that Shadow -- has been feuding with Chief of Police Thomas Jackson for years. Things have gotten out of hand recently. Publisher's niece Astrid Allwyn has been assigned to him, against his will, and Jackson thinks his comments are getting out of hand. So when a tip Miss Allwyn turns in has the cops caught flat-footed when a businessman is murdered when his safe is rifled, La Rocque gets thrown into jail as a material witness. But when he gets bailed out, his investigations lead to an international ring; hence the movie's title.
This late Grand National Picture is a good effort under the direction of Charles Lamont, with La Rocque offering a handsome if talky performance, and Miss Allwyn a rare lead. Based on the lead story of issue #118 of the long-running pulp magazine, the supporting cast includes Lew Hearn, Wilhelm von Brincken, and Will Stanton as a drunk.
This late Grand National Picture is a good effort under the direction of Charles Lamont, with La Rocque offering a handsome if talky performance, and Miss Allwyn a rare lead. Based on the lead story of issue #118 of the long-running pulp magazine, the supporting cast includes Lew Hearn, Wilhelm von Brincken, and Will Stanton as a drunk.
Livelier than the first film, but still nothing much
gridoon20241 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
As it happened before, in "The Shadow Strikes" (1937), Rod La Rocque portrays Lamont Cranston as a standard "wisecracking amateur detective / criminologist" of the era: there is nothing shadow-y about him, everybody knows his "secret" identity, he doesn't even wear the black cape once this time. Taken on those terms, however, La Rocque provides a companionable enough presence. This film, his second and last "Shadow", is a bit livelier than the first, mostly thanks to Astrid Allwyn, who plays a "dizzy dame" who glams up really well. The plot is nothing much, in fact there is hardly any detection at all: the Shadow and his "shadow" (Allwyn) track down one suspect and he is indeed the guilty party. It's OK if you have an hour to burn. ** out of 4.
Ever get stung by a dead 'B'?
GManfred7 July 2009
I did. I just watched one. Actually it was in my DVD Mystery set and "The Shadow"s exploits are well-known, even if am too young to have heard his radio shows."International Crime", however, does nothing to enhance his memory or reputation. The biggest shock was to find that Rod La Rocque was such an incredibly bad actor - he must have been better in silents, as here he overacts and seems to have no range and no flair for light comedy. His female counterpart, Astrid Allwyn, is in the same boat as she chews the scenery as a ditzy would-be reporter. The sole bright spot is Lou Hearn as a cabbie with a yiddish accent.
The screen play is embarrassing and pointless, something to do with Nazi agents extorting money from a rich merchant, plus a running (unfunny) gag about an inept local Police Dept.
If you own the same DVD set as myself, skip this one - or turn on the radio.
The screen play is embarrassing and pointless, something to do with Nazi agents extorting money from a rich merchant, plus a running (unfunny) gag about an inept local Police Dept.
If you own the same DVD set as myself, skip this one - or turn on the radio.
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