The greatest movie ever!

Load of rubbish!!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Fortunately, despite his sins in "The Broken Wing". Melvyn Douglas evinces a welcome return to form on another VintageFilmBuff DVD release, "The Lone Wolf Returns" (1935), the tenth and possibly the best of the 24-picture series. In fact, Douglas fits the role with such perfection, it's a shame he was not used again. He enjoys great support from Raymond Walburn (as his Man Friday), Thurston Hall (making the most of a showy role as the pursuing detective), Gail Patrick (the love interest) and Douglass Dumbrille (the villain, of course). Scintillating black-and-white photography by Henry Freulich, attractive sets and remarkably high production values for a 68- minutes series entry, also impress. Roy William Neill's direction is effective, although not in the same class as his later flings with Sherlock Holmes. (The DVD rates at least 9/10 - if you are lucky enough to find a copy).

This combination mystery/comedy/adventure starts off crackling and never lets up. Notorious jewel thief Michael Lanyard (the delightful Melvyn Douglas) wants one more heist to end his career, but blackmail is in order when he falls for a pretty socialite (Gail Patrick) but ends up as part of a scheme by the opportunistic Tala Birell and her co-hort (Douglas Dumbrille). They want him to be blamed for their own attempt at stealing the attractive Ms. Patrick's jewels. This leaves Douglas to work fast to find a way out of his mess with the help of his deliciously funny valet (Raymond Walburn) who has a droll comment for everything.Just as the world of the screwball comedy was about to explode, the old character of the Lone Wolf brought it back, mixing in sophisticated comedy with intrigue and sly wit. Just watch how Douglas deals with the villains and the police inspector (the always amusing Thurstan Hall). Gail Patrick is a far cry from the usually bitchy socialites she plays, commenting that "her kind of people" are not really "her kind of people", indicating that she has a genuine streak underneath all that "blue blood". This is a great way to start a series of witty adventures, although it would take another four years for Columbia to get it right by re-casting the part with Warren William when Melvyn Douglas went onto other ventures.

I had read that this film was well done, but I was a little bit surprised at how well the cast really fitted the parts. Melvyn Douglas is superb as Michael Lanyard, the Lone Wolf. His assistant, played by Raymond Walburn, is excellent in an understated role, something Walburn doesn't usually do. He's much more like a Jeeves to a Wooster here. As Crane, the inspector, Thurston Hall gives an incredibly nuanced performance which at times is so like Lionel Barrymore as to be uncanny. Usually I find Hall over-the-top, but his performance here definitely is a climb way up above his normal outcome. Gail Patrick as the love interest is fascinating as a good girl, this in view of the performances by which she is most remembered, namely "My Man Godfrey", made the next year, and "Stage Door", made a year after that. She's good, and her restrained acting, but intense and telling eyes always have the viewer captivated. Tala Birell and Henry Mollison are just shady enough without being nasty - as in typical serial material - to add charm rather than detraction to the film. Douglas Dumbrille is Douglas Dumbrille, and when he's bad he's a pleasure to watch. Only vipers are more dangerous. I think what is disappointing to me is the fact that this cast was not used in sequel series fashion. It would have been a very formidable combination. No, it's not as good as "The Thin Man" series, but it's very watchable and worth an hour and a half.

When Louis Joseph Vance created the character The Lone Wolf he was a suave, ingenious jewel thief. Most of the films in the Lone Wolf series are `boiler plate' where Lanyard is a `run of the mill' reformed thief who the police are after regardless of how little evidence they have. In the Lone Wolf Returns, Douglas is a very credible Lone Wolf, suave, debonair, intelligent and everything else you would expect. There is sufficient intrigue to keep the viewer interested and a good deal of thought was put into the plot `twists' and the capture of the `bad guys'. Walburn is an excellent Jenkins, very subdued but also ingenious with a touch of larceny in his heart. Thurston Hall is an extremely capable Inspector Crane, crafty and fully aware of everything associated with the case as opposed to his bumbling Crane who needs no evidence at all in subsequent films in the series. One would think that after the Lone Wolf has been on the straight and narrow in seven or eight films and captures the actual `bad guys' in each Crane would finally get the message as he did in this film. I must admit I did have a little difficulty accepting Gail Patrick as the love interest if only because of the characters she played in My Man Godfrey, Stage Door and My Favorite Wife. She was much more acceptable the second time I saw the movie. If you are a fan of the mystery series of the '30s and '40s and do not expect to be culturally enriched by every movie you watch, this is a must see. Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that none of the films in the series made after The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt are worth either the time or the effort.