That was an excellent one.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

A rather unrealistic happy ending prevents me from giving Tell No Tales a higher rating. A lot of the plot premises of this film can be found in the Humphrey Bogart classic Deadline,USA, but that one was far more true to life.Melvyn Douglas is the editor of a respectable paper that has been bought by a Rupert Murdoch like publisher played by Douglass Dumbrille who wants to just close the paper. Well if they got to close the paper Douglas edits will go down in a blaze of glory.A kidnapping that has been sensationalized in Dumbrille's paper and the main witness Louise Platt has become a target because of it is what Douglas uses as his cause. The editor turns detective and of course finds out who the kidnappers were. It's a rather methodical process that puts him into contact with all kinds of people. Back in the 30s kidnapping was a hot issue because of the Lindbergh case and a lot of films were made on the subject.Besides those mentioned look for a good performance by Gene Lockhart as a gambling house proprietor. It's not quite the usual Gene Lockhart role.To bad a lousy ending spoiled a good B film from MGM. There B films could have been A products at other studios.

Leslie Fenton, as an actor, had been around since the late 1920s, mostly as not very likable gangsters or crooks and because he was never the star always disappearing about half way through the movie. I always liked him, mainly I think because he happened to win the heart of one of the most beautiful and unusual of the early thirties actresses - Ann Dvorak. He stopped acting in the late thirties (one of his last roles was in "Boy's Town") and had a brief period of directing shorts. "Tell No Tales" was his first feature and his best.Melvyn Douglas plays Michael Cassidy, a managing editor of a reputable newspaper "The Evening Guardian" that ceases publication on it's 75th anniversary. It has been closed down by Matt Cooper (Douglas Dumbrille), owner of a rival newspaper which happens to be a "yellow" tabloid. Despondent at the thought of all the staff losing their jobs he cashes his pay check at the local bar and receives one of the $100 bills used in a kidnapping ransom - a case that is sweeping the city. It is the first break in the case and Michael is determined to break it so the paper can go out with a bang!!!Ellen Fraser (Louise Platt) a young teacher at a private school was the only witness and is under 24 hour police protection. Cassidy manages to squirrel the girl away from her "prison" but while they begin to hunt for the kidnappers (by tracing the path of the $100 bill) they, in their turn, are followed and it isn't long before Ellen disappears only to re-emerge a few minutes before the ending. Cassidy then plunges into tracing the bill's journey, from a disgruntled would be bride groom (and according to the fight that ensues when Cassidy leaves, never to be!!!) to a wealthy society wife with something to hide ("you told me you were through with him" he husband (Halliwell Hobbes) hisses!!) to a confronting and touching Afro-American wake. It was a dramatic breakaway from the stereotypical depiction of black people at that time. Mantan Moreland was one of the guests and it gave a poignant acting opportunity to Theresa Harris and the marvellous old Griffith actress Madame Sul-te-Wan ("Hoodoo Ann") as the grieving mother.I liked the way the plot led to some tantalising, unrelated gossipy bits (the bridegroom and the society girl) - we never find out whether Hobbes kills his wife as he lunges for her, the camera just continues with the main story. I thought the movie was exciting and fast paced. I also liked the fact that two of the co-stars, Douglas Dumbrille and Gene Lockhart, two very oily villains of the 30s, pop up in quite ambiguous roles - especially Lockhart as Arno, a quietly spoken, canary loving gambling den proprietor!!

This remarkable little action-drama follows newspaper editor Melvyn Douglas as he traces back the ownership of a $100 bill, used as ransom money in a notorious kidnapping case, from hand to hand. The clever premise is absorbing in itself, but also serves as an excuse for a series of dramatically charged vignettes revealing the complex lives of a myriad of well-drawn, idiosyncratic characters, as the investigation descends the social scale. Director Leslie Fenton packs a wealth of detail into the 60-plus minute running time, keeping the camera and actors moving at all times, but knowing when to pause for effect. Many have remarked on the moving sequence of a black boxer's wake (surprisingly dignified and emotional for the time), but just as stunning is the chilling look of murderous intent in the ancient Halliwell Hobbes's eyes as he learns that his much younger wife is being unfaithful. The cast is filled with veteran bit players (including Mantan Moreland in a don't-blink cameo), there are a few nice comic touches, and the small-city newspaper office scenes are authentic looking. By the way, Seinfeld fans should note that Douglas must have been the original "close talker" as he blusters about imposing himself on people's lives.

Greetings & Salutations! Mantan Moreland (1902-1973), native of Monroe, Louisiana, really made a difference in the 134 movies he appeared in in a 40 span, worthy of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Up there with Hattie McDaniel, Bo Jangles, Stepin Fetchet, Spencer Williams, Tim Moore, Ernestine Wade, and so many other great African-American actors and actresses. Just with his wide eyed look he could bring down the entire audience or when he feigned fear in horror/drama films like "Feathered Serpent" (1948), "The Spider" (1945), "The Shanghai Cobra" (1945), and "Phantom Killer" (1942). I collect African-American films on VHS format and treasure mostly Mantan's films. These movies are really timeless and always evoke laughter and are worth collecting!