Behind The Mask is a 1946 American comedy mystery film directed by Phil Karlson[1] and starring Kane Richmond, Barbara Read, George Chandler and Dorothea Kent. It was the second in a series of three films released by Monogram in 1946 starring Richmond as the crimefighter The Shadow,[2] the others being The Shadow Returns and The Missing Lady.[3]
| Behind The Mask | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Phil Karlson |
| Written by | Arthur Hoerl George Callahan Walter B. Gibson |
| Produced by | Joe Kaufmann |
| Starring | Kane Richmond Barbara Read Dorothea Kent |
| Cinematography | William A. Sickner |
| Edited by | Ace Herman |
| Music by | Edward J. Kay |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Monogram Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editLamont Cranston, alias The Shadow, has to clear his name of the murder of a blackmailing newspaper reporter by solving the crime himself.
Cast
edit- Kane Richmond as Lamont Cranston (The Shadow)
- Barbara Read as Margo Lane
- George Chandler as Shrevvie
- Dorothea Kent as Jennie Delaney
- Joseph Crehan as Police Inspector Cardonna
- Pierre Watkin as Police Commissioner Weston
- Robert Shayne as Brad Thomas
- June Clyde as Edith Merrill
- James Cardwell as Jeff Marin
- Marjorie Hoshelle as Mae Bishop
- Joyce Compton as Lulu
Reception
editFilm historian Larry Langman dismissed Behind the Mask as a "feeble entry in the Shadow mystery series".[4] Critic Leonard Maltin gave the film a mixed review, describing it as a "decent low-budget whodunit" with "some nice visual touches but way too much 'comedy' relief."[5]
References
edit- ^ Mayer, Geoff (2012). Historical Dictionary of Crime Films. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-0810867697.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2014). From Radio to the Big Screen: Hollywood films featuring broadcast personalities and programs. McFarland. pp. 108–109. ISBN 9781476615585.
- ^ Okuda, Ted (1999). The Monogram checklist: the films of Monogram Pictures Corporation, 1931-1952. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 213. ISBN 0786407506.
- ^ Langman, Larry (1998). The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996. McFarland. p. 33. ISBN 147660925X.
- ^ Leonard, Maltin, ed. (2015). Turner Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965. Penguin. ISBN 9780698197299.