The 5 Best "B" Movie Detectives

When it comes to celluloid detectives, some of the best ones hail from "B" film series of the 1930s and 1940s. Shown theatrically before a "major motion picture," some of these series gradually established their own fan bases. Their popularity grew significantly when they appeared frequently on local television stations in the 1960s and 1970s. My picks for five best "B' movie detectives:

1. Sherlock Holmes.  Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce first appeared as Holmes & Watson in the 20th Century-Fox "A" productions of The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (both 1939). Three years years later, Universal launched a low-budget series of twelve Holmes films, set in contemporary London, with the same stars. Despite a handful of lackluster entries (e.g., Pursuit to Algiers), the overall quality is above-average, with the standouts being the clever, atmospheric Scarlet Claw (1944) and 1945's compelling The House of Fear. Fans are also fond of the train-set Terror By Night and the creepy Pearl of Death. Few directors got more out of a low production budget than Roy William Neill.

Toler (far right) as Charlie Chan.

2. Charlie Chan. Earl Derr Bigger's Chinese-American detective has been portrayed by several actors, but the most notable ones are Warner Oland and Sidney Toler. Both actors had long runs as Chan, with Oland making 15 films and Toler headlining 22. All of Oland films and Toler's first 11 were produced by 20th Century-Fox. When the studio decided to end the series, Toler boughts the film rights and the new (less costly) Chan mysteries were released by Monogram. The Chan films are admittedly inconsistent, with the comic relief provided by Charlie's No. 1 or No. 2 sons sometimes overpowering the mystery plots. Still, the series produced its share of snappy little gems like Charlie Chan at the Opera and Castle in the Desert. Plus, Oland and Toler were both delightful, especially when delivering wise sayings like: "Small things sometimes tell large story."

Conway (left) and Sanders (right)
both played The Falcon.

3. The Falcon. Gay Lawrence, better known as The Falcon, was a gentleman detective in the same vein as The Saint. In fact, just to make matters confusing, George Sanders portrayed both characters in 1941. Sanders' Falcon films are modestly entertaining, with the most famous being The Falcon Takes Over, which is based on the Philip Marlowe novel Farewell, My Lovely. By 1942, Sanders was ready for bigger screen roles--though RKO wanted to keep The Falcon series going. So, in The Falcon's Brother, Gay Lawrence is killed and his brother Tom Lawrence takes over--the nifty part is that Tom Lawrence was played by Tom Conway, George Sanders' real-life brother. I've always liked Conway, a solid performer who got stuck in "B" films. He elevates most of his Falcon movies, though (again) sometimes the comic relief is overpowering. That's not the case with The Falcon and the Co-eds. Ignore the lame title--it's one of the finest "B" mysteries ever with a great coastal setting, a sharp plot, and comic relief provided delightfully by three young girls from a boarding school.

4. The Crime Doctor. Warner Baxter was one of the biggest stars of the late 1920s and 1930, winning an Oscar for In Old Arizona and headlining classics such as 42nd Street. Yet, by 1943, he was relegated to "B" films like the Crime Doctor series. Based on a hit radio show, 1943's Crime Doctor was about an amnesia victim who becomes a leading criminal psychologist--only to recover his memory and learn that he was a criminal. It's outlandish, but Baxter makes it work and he's solid throughout the series. Most of the entries are quite satisfying, with the best being The Millerson Case. It has Dr. Ordway vacationing in the Blue Ridge Mountains when a typhoid epidemic causes the town to be quarantined...and then a murder is committed.

5. The Lone Wolf. Louis Joseph Vance introduced Michael Lanyard--a jewel thief who became a private detective--to readers in 1914. Vance's book provided popular material for the movies and there were several Lone Wolf films between 1917 and 1939, including The Lone Wolf Returns with Melvyn Douglas in the title role. In the late 1930s, Columbia Pictures launched a "B" detective series with The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, starring Warren William as Lanyard. Like Baxter, Williams was on the downside of a very successful screen career. He brought class and charm to the role, with very able assistance from the always amusing Eric Blore as his valet, beginning with the second entry, The Lone Wolf Strikes.

Honorable Mentions:  Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto and Chester Morris as Boston Blackie.

A Month of Mysteries: The Falcon and the Co-Eds

I love mysteries and films with clever settings. The Falcon and the Co-Eds (1944) offers both in one 67-minute RKO movie. The Falcon, otherwise known as Tom Lawrence (and portrayed by Tom Conway), is entreated to visit Bluecliff Seminary, an all-girls’ school, where a male instructor has died. A student named Jane Harris, the daughter of a friend of the Falcon, seeks him out and tells him that her psychic roommate, Marguerita Serena, said the teacher was murdered. The police arrive as she drives off in the Falcon’s car, knowing he will have to come out to the school to retrieve it.

At the little town just outside where Bluecliff is located, the Falcon meets three fun young girls, who are the daughters of the caretaker at the school, and rides in with them in the school car. They provide information and legwork for the Falcon and some comic relief for movie watchers. The credits refer to them as the first, second, and third Ughs but these talented young ladies sing as well as act.

The story focuses on the young psychic, three members of the faculty (played by Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, and George Givot), and the headmistress Miss Keyes (Barbara Brown). The ivy-covered buildings are charming but it is the seaside setting, complete with the Devil’s Ladder cut out from the rocks and leading to a narrow ledge that lends intrigue and provides the perfect place for the film’s climax.

Technically, Tom Conway took over the reel part of the Falcon’s brother from his real-life brother George Sanders, who is reported to have fatigued with the B-movie role. Conway first appeared in The Falcon’s Brother (1942) and then in nine additional offerings where he was referred to as simply the Falcon.

Jean Brooks appeared as different characters in six Falcon offerings. She and Isabel Jewell appeared together again in The Leopard Man, written by Ardel Wray, who also did the story and screenplay for The Falcon and the Co-Eds. Two of the Ughs were sisters and also appeared in The Falcon in Mexico.