James Raglan Movies

In this comedy, a clever chemist develops a pill that cures smokers of nicotine addiction. Realizing the marketing potential, he makes his discovery public, but encounters strong resistance from the international tobacco industry, which does its best to stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The British The Black Rider was inevitably listed as a "mystery" or "drama" in TV Guide back in the 1950s and 1960s. Don't you believe it! The star is former juvenile actor Jimmy Hanley, who plays a young, bright-eyed (but not necessarily bright) reporter. Hanley investigates reports that a ghostly "black rider" is haunting a local castle. In truth, the castle is being used as a hideout by smugglers. Hanley enlists the aid of a local motorcycle gang to round up the crooks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a physician operates on a man he knows nothing about. The whole thing is terribly fishy, and trouble ensues when his personal secretary is murdered for revealing the patient's identity. Later, with the help of the police, the mystery is solved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Released in Britain as Whispering Smith Hits London, this economically produced whodunit stars Richard Carlson as famed pulp-novel amateur sleuth Whispering Smith. While vacationing in London, Smith becomes intrigued by a suicide case. He suspects that there's more to this than meets the eye, and of course he's right: the so-called suicide was really a murder -- and also the tip of the iceberg in a massive cover-up conspiracy. Greta Gynt co-stars as the Woman in the Case, who may not be All She Seems. For reasons unknown, the British prints of Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard credit the screenplay to John Gilling, while the American prints bestow sole screenwriting credit upon Steve (I Wake Up Screaming) Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dick Barton (Don Stannard) investigates the northern village of High Glen, where every living thing has suddenly died without any apparent explanation. Autopsies reveal that the brains of the victims were all shrunken -- literally dehydrated -- but there is no known scientific process that would explain how this could happen. Barton must not only determine the cause, but also its connection, if any, to the mysterious Mr. Fouracada (Sebastian Cabot) and the murder of Crespin, a British agent who was returning from Prague with news of a plot against England. While Barton is investigating the first tragedy, another village is destroyed, making it imperative that he tie up the ends of the case before more people die -- and figure out what the connection of all of it may be to a traveling fair that was seen in the vicinity of both villages before they were wiped out. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Ken G. Hall, Australia's premiere filmmaker of the 1930s, was responsible for the surprisingly elaborate romantic drama Lovers and Luggers. Former Hollywood film favorite Lloyd Hughes plays famed concert pianist Daubenay Carshott (no, really!) who gives up his musical career for the love of the luscious Lorna (Shirley Ann Richards). At Lorna's behest, Carshott heads to Thursday Island and becomes a pearl diver, allowing Hall to indulge in some pretty fancy underwater footage. Therafter, things move at a rapid pace towards a spectacular finale. Lovers and Luggers was freely adapted from a novel by Gurney Slade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jew Suss was a well-worn stage drama based on an old novel by Lionel Feuchtwanger. The story involves an enterprising Jewish businessman (Conrad Veidt) who gains power and influence in the European community of Wurttemburg. He does this to help his people, who have suffered persecution under the Gentile burgomeisters. To his horror, Suss discovers that he is actually not Jewish at all. The question: Was his own suffering on behalf of the community's genuine Jews worth it, and will he continue to act in their best interest? Filmed as a protest against the rising tide of Anti-Semitism in Germany, Jew Suss (released in the U.S. as Power) was far from subtle, but its heart was in the right place. There would be a reprehensible 1940 German remake of Jew Suss, this time filmed under the aegis of Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels, wherein the story was perverted into an anti-Jewish tract and Suss was portrayed as a drooling rapist! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based upon a detective novel of the same name by Philip MacDoanld, "The Rasp" refers to a wood-rasp, a file-like implement that is used to murder John Hoode, an important cabinet minister. In the best murder mystery tradition, all of the evidence points to only one possible suspect -- Alan Deacon (James Raglan), the secretary of the deceased official. The case seems airtight: Deacon's fingerprints are the only ones on the blood-soaked weapon, his alibi does not hold water (whereas the alibis of all other possible suspects are rock solid), he has a motive for the slaying, and he's physically capable of having committed the deed. Although things look black for him, reporter Anthony Gethryn(Claude Horton) has a hunch that all of the pieces are fitting together a little too neatly. He takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery and discover the real killer, and manages to fall in love along the way. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

In this drama a Chinese mandarin admits that he stole a secret treaty. He does this to protect the true thief who is his friend's wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide