Strange Illusion

Unrated

3/31/19451h 27m

Theatrical Release (US)

Overview:

An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

widow
suspicion of murder
film noir
b movie
family tension
college student

Cast

Jimmy Lydon

~ as ~

Paul Cartwright

Warren William

~ as ~

Brett Curtis

Sally Eilers

~ as ~

Virginia Cartwright

Regis Toomey

~ as ~

Dr. Vincent

Charles Arnt

~ as ~

Professor Muhlbach

George H. Reed

~ as ~

Benjamin

Jayne Hazard

~ as ~

Dorothy Cartwright

Jimmy Clark

~ as ~

George Hanover

Mary McLeod

~ as ~

Lydia

Pierre Watkin

~ as ~

District Attorney Wallace Armstrong

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 month(s) ago
7
Shortly after his father dies, the bright young “Paul” (Jimmy Lydon) starts to have nightmares that his mother’s new beau is, in some way, behind the death. Of course, she (Sally Ellers) doesn’t know of his spooky suspicions, but he does confide in his doctor (Regis Toomey) who is sceptical to begin with, but who begins to wonder if this man “Curtis” (Warren William) is indeed whom he claims to be. Might he have had an hand in the seemingly accidental death of the father - who was a judge? As the story develops, the young lad has to take up residence at the asylum of the enigmatic “Prof. Muhlbach” (Charles Ant) and the plot thickens more. Is there any truth to his dreaming or is he just a succumbing to the stresses and strains of his father’s death and of his mother’s impending nuptials? Lydon holds this together enthusiastically and as the mystery deepens, it has a slightly more sinister feel to it than many of these standard afternoon features. It also touches, albeit superficially, on the effects of grief on the young man and offers us something psychologically plausible for a while as “Paul” struggles to conclude himself whether he is correct or just losing the plot. Speaking of plots, yes there are some familiarities with other noir mysteries here, but Lydon does well and this certainly is just a little more menacingly different.