The Hat Box Mystery

Unrated

6/12/194744m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Like-a-Jack-in-the-Box----Murder jumped out and claimed its Victim! ~

Overview:

Susan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Susan is charged with murder, but Russ and his less-than-useful associate, Harvard, get on the case and prove that the fatal shot was fired by the killer from across the street.

Director:

Lambert Hillyer

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

private detective

Cast

Tom Neal

~ as ~

Russ Ashton

Pamela Blake

~ as ~

Susan Hart

Allen Jenkins

~ as ~

'Harvard'

Virginia Sale

~ as ~

Veronica Hoopler

Leonard Penn

~ as ~

Stevens, aka John Moreland

Olga Andre

~ as ~

Marie Moreland

Tom Kennedy

~ as ~

Policeman Murphy

Al Hill

~ as ~

Flint

Edward Keane

~ as ~

District Attorney

Zon Murray

~ as ~

Joe

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 2 year(s) ago
5
Pamela Blake is "Susan", the assistant to PI Tom Neal ("Russ") whose business has rather hit the skids. Whilst he is away, she takes on a case trying to prove infidelity and using a hat box that, ostensibly, conceals a harmless camera she follows her target. Unfortunately, her snaps have a fatal consequence and she is charged with murder. It falls to "Russ" and his hapless helper "Harvard" (Allen Jenkins) to get to the bottom of it before "Susan" is toast. It's all just a routine B-drama with little jeopardy or menace, but it does have quite a few quite engaging scenes between "Harvard" and waitress "Veronica" (Virginia Sale) who offers him her body but he'd rather have a goose-burger.... It's short and sweet, and though pretty unremarkable, it does pass 45 minutes easily enough.