Phantom Killer

Remake of the Linoel Atwill thriller the Sphinx has been rethought so its now a jokey romance between an Assistant District Attorney and a reporter. Its not bad, but where the original was a creepy thriller, this is too light to be truly gripping, especially if you've seen the original.

The plot has ADA Dick Purcell investigating the murder of a wealthy individual. The one suspect, a known deaf mute played by John Hamilton was seen to talk by a janitor (Montan Moreland) at the crime scene, while he was seen by dozens of witnesses, including the reporter, at a dedication ceremony. The solution here is so clumsy as to be obvious well before its revealed making the film unexciting. The result is we're left with the not a great deal to hold our interest, and the feeling that once again a very good original should not have been remade.

Quite average even by Monogram standards, this mystery (a remake of The Sphinx) has an oddball plot which is not unraveled to much effect -- you'll see through it after about ten minutes. The two leads have some nice breezy dialog at the outset, but John Hamilton is hopelessly dull as the villain (perfectly cast Lionel Atwill originated the role) and Warren Hymer's nitwit shtick is pretty annoying. However, it's worth sitting through for a five-minute appearance by the incomparable Mantan Moreland as Nicodemus the janitor, who gets the better of the defense attorney during a hilarious courtroom appearance. You've got to hand it to Bill "One-Take" Beaudine; he wasn't much of a director, but he would always punch up a routine programmer with some goofy vaudeville.

John Harrison (John Hamilton) is a well respected philanthropist. He's also known for begin deaf and a true mute...born with paralyzed vocal cords. However, shortly after the film begins, Harrison (or a guy looking exactly like him) talks to a janitor (Mantan Moreland) as he leaves an office building. Soon, the janitor finds a dead body. It seems that again and again, when Hamilton is at big public charity events, men from finance companies die in the same cities he's in....but it can't be him, as he is seen at the charity events when the murders are occurring. So what gives? How can this be explained away?!

When the assistant DA (Dick Purcell) tries to prosecute Harrison for murder, doctors verify he IS unable to talk and it couldn't have been Harrison as he has alibis. And, as a result, the DA is laughed out of court...and determined to somehow proved Harrison is a killer...one who sure takes a lot of trouble to establish these alibis if this is true!

The solution to this mystery certainly is no mystery....and most folks watching the film will guess it early on in the film. I think having the man assumed to be mute when he isn't could have worked....but being in two places at once...well, unless he's perfected cloning, there's only one obvious answer! Still, it is entertaining and a decent time-passer...even if it all doesn't make sense.

Some things in the film don't make a lot of sense when it comes to deafness. Rarely is a deaf person unable to talk because of any paralysis....and the term 'deaf mute' really doesn't make sense for nearly all deaf people, as they can talk or make vocalizations....just not all that well in most cases. Also in one scene a person says that deaf people ALL can read lips (also called 'speech reading')...which is definitely NOT true! However, what the film did get right is the sign language. It looks as if they have a person who knows sign language do the closeup scenes showing just the hands....although in a few cases, Hamilton obviously had been taught a few signs. I do appreciate this....as, in the original version of the movie, 1933's "The Sphinx", the signing was all a lot of gibberish and they made no attempt to do real American Sign Language or anything approximating it.

Oh, and finally, Warren Hymer played comic relief as a dumb cop. Interestingly, he wasn't ALL dumb and actually was quite competent at the end of the film!

Billy "B-Movie" Beaudine Directed this Monogram Movie with about as Much Creativity as His other 300 Films. Competent and Quick the Man who went on to Helm..."Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter" (1966) and "Billy the Kid vs Dracula" (1966) along with many Others that "Bad Movie" Archaeologists have Dug Up and Poked Fun.

This is a Transparent Plot Paraded Out for Non-Discerning Wartime Audiences. There are some Amusing Cultural References about Sinking the Japs and a Reference to "Superman" that made His Comic Book Debut only Three Years Earlier.

Pop-Eyed and always Poking Fun at Himself and His Race, Mantan Moreland is On Hand for a while, "Feets don't fail me now!", but is Surprisingly Absent after a Brief Gin Guzzling Opening.

John Hamilton (TV's Perry White) is the "Villain" along with Three Leading Actors that no one can or Should Remember, because They basically Show Up, Read Lines and Annoy the Audience.

The Title is Better than the Movie and the Movie is Better than Being on the Bottom End of a Bomb Run.

Note...A Title Card shown at the end of the Movie asks for 80,000,000 Theater Patrons to "Buy Bonds Now", and many did. Movie goers were generous Patriots throughout WWII and helped the War effort substantially.

Note 2…Someone on IMDb should remove the poster on this title page. It is almost as embarrassing as this Movie.

As expected from Monogram, the sets are cheap, the comedy broad, and the acting erratic. Still, the premise is engaging. That is, how can deaf-mute Harrison (Hamilton) manage to be in two places at once. If we're to believe our eyes, he's emceeing big public events in one part of town, while in another part, he's wringing people's necks. Pretty good trick. So the movie's more a howsitdun than a whodunit.

Hamilton's excellent in the pivotal role. Looks like he's been doing sign language for years. Plus there's that unblinking stare, while we wonder what's behind it. Happily, Woodbury (Barbara) injects needed spark as a girl Friday, while Moreland enlivens with his bug-eyed comedic bit. Too bad he soon disappears (as another reviewer points out). Now, if casting had kept Moreland and dumped the unfunny cop Hymer, things would have improved—but then Moreland probably had to get over to the Charlie Chan set. And who is Dick Purcell, the supposed leading man. I kept looking for him, but he's so recessive, he's hard to spot. I guess all the good B-leading men were away at war, but then neither the script nor director Beaudine throws much Purcell's way.

Anyway, despite the drawbacks, there's enough suspense-- especially around the piano-- to keep up interest and maybe even reaffirm the laws of physics.