A different way of telling a story

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

"The Lone Wolf" character was invented by Louis Joseph Vance and came to life on the silver screen beginning in 1917. Many actors have portrayed him throughout the years; but Warren William will play the character in this Columbia picture. "The Lone Wolf" has been identified as Michael Lanyard, retired safe-cracker. Ralph Morgan plays and international spy that is anxious to force Lanyard to bust open a safe that contains plans of an anti-aircraft gun for the U.S. War Dept. When Lanyard refuses, he is set up to take the fall for the theft. The crooks only have half of the plans and still need "The Lone Wolf" to get what is missing.A beautiful brunette named Karen(Rita Hayworth)lures Michael to crack the scientist's safe to get the missing plans. But the wily Lanyard takes the plans and leaves a useless set of baby carriage blueprints for the bad guys to find. Ida Lupino plays Lanyard's girlfriend Val, that seems to be good for getting in the way. Her father happens to be a Senator(Brandon Tynan), who ends up with possession of part of the plans. It becomes a game of cat-and-mouse with each of the two halves of the top secret document. Peter Godfrey directs this fast paced 71 minute drama. Other players in the cast: Virginia Weidler, Don Beddoe, Tom Dugan and Leonard Carey.

Viewed on Turner tonight, and found myself being fascinated with the diction. Especially Lupino and Hayworth (maybe because they're easier to look at). Good (and fun) dramatic emphasis, syllabled but natural. Understood every word from the entire cast. What a contrast from more modern productions where mumbling seems to be in vogue and my wife and I are constantly backing up to catch what was said. So, whatever happened to those diction coaches? This was 1939 sound recording technology for Pete's sake. Okay, now filling out the 10 lines that seem to be required. Yes this was B-movie fare, but good costumes, production values AND, all too rare, some fun for the kids. Also, we enjoy these older films for the time machine aspects, e.g., the cars, the decor, cityscapes and the cultural values in evidence. For instance, lots of furs on the gals in this one--one thing we're well without now, unlike the diction.

WARREN WILLIAM in the first of his Lone Wolf capers manages to be amusing, but IDA LUPINO as his scatter-brained girlfriend gets to be a little grating after awhile and there's too little of RITA HAYWORTH to comment on. It's a wonder Rita reached super stardom at Columbia after meager early roles like this as the sophisticated "other woman" type.The whole thing has the look and feel of "The Saint" series, where a reformed thief is giving the police a hard time in cracking a case. In this outing, William has been set up by the bad guys into looking like the thief who stole some highly important war plans. It's his job to get to the bottom of the mystery and solve it in time for the syrupy happy ending with Lupino batting her eyes at him.It's meager stuff as far as entertainment goes, interesting only to see what Ida and Rita were like at this stage in their careers. William seems at home in the title role and VIRGINIA WIEDLER is believable as his tomboyish daughter crazy about being a little detective herself.

(Some Spoilers) He's at it again The Lone Wolf Michael Laryard, Warren Williams, knocking the ladies dead as well as knocking the bad guy out cold and on the seat of their pants as he does his patriotic duty for Uncle Sam in foiling a spy ring working for either Germany the Soviet Union or Japan, just take your pick,in their attempt of stealing this top secret blueprint for an antiaircraft artillery piece. Laryard despite his heroics in dealing with the spy ring has his hands full with his wannabe bride the cute and pasty Val Carson, Ida Lupino, who would smash any woman over the head with her trusty baseball bat who as much as looks at the suave & debonair Lanyard.The spy ring lead by Spiro Gregory, Ralph Morgan, at first try to blackmail Lanyard, a reformed Jewel thief and safe cracker, to help them crack open the safe at the Plamer Laboratory where half of the artillery blueprint is kept, the other half Gregory has. Only to have the cagey Lone Wolf escape and later with the help of Val crashes a custom party at Gregory's mansion dressed up as a tree branch,and steals the other half of the blueprint right under Gregory's nose.Also in the movie is an absolutely gorgeous 21 year-old Rita Hayworth,Karen,as Gregorys girlfriend who has the Lone Wolf making eyes at her which almost drives Val to belt her for trying to take her man away from her. Among the other characters in the movie is Lanyard's, he's a widower in the film,somewhat spoiled and bratty daughter Pat,Virginia Weidler. Who as a wannabe junior G-girl runs around the house with a cap gun shooting at the imaginary Red Weasel Gang. Not being able to get the Red Weasel she ends up instead plugging the butler Jameson, Leonard Carey, who refuses to roll over and play dead for her.We get to see Lanyard use his fists as well as his brains at the end of the movie as he slug's it out with the bad guys without as much as getting his hair mussed, or tuxedo wrinkled. Lanyard not only saves the day for the good old U S of A but both Val & Pat who ended up being captured by the Gregory Gang. Wanting to finally get as far away from Val as he can Lanyard admits to the police, who came to his rescue, anything that would put him safely behind bars. But his plans of freedom from Val, while losing all his freedom by being locked up in the clink, are soon to fall apart with both Pat and Val having the keys to his prison cell and more then willing, in getting the very reluctant Lone Wolf out, to use them.