Jan Wiley Movies

This thriller is set in early 20th-century London where a series of nasty murders have recently occurred. An aunt then tells an innocent young girl that the blood of the werewolf flows through her veins and that she is responsible for the deaths. The distraught lass immediately breaks off her engagement. Fortunately, her lover is sufficiently devoted to her to begin investigating the strange case on his own. He soon finds the real culprit and is reunited with his lady love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Without Reservations has to be the least typical John Wayne picture of the postwar era. Top billing is bestowed upon Claudette Colbert as Kit, a best-selling novelist heading westward to oversee the film version of her latest novel. Taking it upon herself to select the man who should portray the hero of her novel, Kit chooses war hero Rusty (John Wayne), whom she meets during her train trip to Hollywood. Unaware of Kit's true identity, Rusty and his pal Dink (Don DeFore) rail against the factual errors in her book. One thing leads to another, and before long Kit, Rusty and Dink have all been thrown off the train for annoying the other passengers. After a hectic stopover at a New Mexico farm, Kit reveals who she really is to Rusty and Dink, who are understandably put out. All is forgiven in the end, of course, with Kit and Rusty altar-bound at fadeout time. The Hollywood scenes feature such guest celebrities as Cary Grant, Louella Parsons and Jack Benny; and yes, that is an unbilled Raymond Burr as Claudette Colbert's dancing partner. Without Reservations was based on Jane Allen and May Livingston's novel Thanks, God, I'll Take it From Here (too bad they couldn't use that title!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After several years' dormancy, the "Cisco Kid" western-film series returned to the screen with Monogram's The Cisco Kid Returns. Duncan Renaldo, actually Rumanian, starred as the Mexican "Robin Hood of the Old West", with Martin Garralaga as his corpulent sidekick Pancho. In the tradition of 20th Century-Fox's earlier "Cisco" efforts, our hero comes to the aid of an orphaned child, clears himself of a kidnapping charge, and proves that a "solid citizen" is in fact a criminal mastermind. After a trio of Cisco Kid films, Renaldo left the series, to be replaced by Gilbert Roland; but when time came in 1950 for a Cisco Kid TV series, Renaldo was back in the saddle again, this time with Leo Carrillo as Pancho. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There Goes Kelly is a followup of sorts to Monogram's 1943 comedy Here Comes Kelly, with Jackie Moran taking over for Eddie Quillan as the title character. In this one, the pugnacious Jimmy Kelly (Moran) is a page boy at a big-time radio station. When the station's star vocalist is murdered, suspicion immediately falls upon aspiring singer Anne (Wanda McKay). In love with the suspect, Jimmy and his fellow page Sammy (Sidney Miller) set about to nab the genuine culprit, much to the dismay of irascible detective Marty (Ralph Sanford). Just as Here Comes Kelly was a remake of He Couldn't Take It (1933), There Goes Kelly was likewise a remake, this time of the 1940 Frankie Darro-Mantan Moreland vehicle Up in the Air. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A machine able to extract gold from the ocean floor is desired by both Axis powers and the FBI in this 13 chapter Universal serial directed by the team of Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins. Milburn Stone -- later "Doc Adams" on television's Gunsmoke -- starred as G-Man Tom Brant, with blond Jan Wiley, as a girl reporter, and Dennis Moore, as an intrepid detective, all three stymied by the mysterious "Master Key," a villain who always seem one step ahead. Five screenwriters worked on the script. Future B-Western star Al "Lash" LaRue made his screen debut in this serial, billed as Alfred LaRue and playing one of the villain's henchmen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The world's nosiest telephone operator is at it again in this murder mystery. This time Kitty overhears the plans for three murders. She and her boy friend decide to investigate and soon find themselves in deep trouble with both the bungling cops and the killers. Despite the mayhem, Kitty prevails and the culprits are brought to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Paramount Pictures did their patriotic duty with this World War II era musical, with a number of the studio's biggest stars making cameo appearances. Tony West (George Raft), his sister Kitty (Grace McDonald), and their father Nick (Charles Grapewin) tour together as The Three Wests, a failing act just scraping by in the latter days of vaudeville. With job opportunities drying up on the East Coast, Tony persuades the family to take their chances in California, and for once luck is with him. Not long after arriving in Hollywood, Tony is hired as a chorus boy on a musical starring Latin bombshell Vera Zorina (Gloria Vance). Cocky Tony offers Vera some much-needed advice on her dancing. She's intrigued by his confidence, and a romance blooms; soon, the two marry. Tony becomes a major star as Vera's on and off screen dancing partner, but when World War II breaks out, Tony's conscience gets the better of him. Tony is 4-F because of a bad knee, but he's ashamed to admit this, even to Vera, who thinks he's avoiding the service out of cowardice. Vera eventually gives Tony his walking papers, and desperate to show his support of our troops, Tony organizes an all-star U.S.O. revue bringing much needed entertainment to America's fighting men overseas. Follow the Boys also features guest shots by Marlene Dietrich, W.C. Fields (demonstrating trick billiard shots), Orson Welles (doing his magic act), Dinah Shore, The Andrews Sisters, Jeanette MacDonald, Sophie Tucker, Randolph Scott, Lon Chaney Jr., and Maria Montez, among many others. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

During the '40s, Monogram ground out musical comedies by the ton, most of them starring their resident song-and-dance cutie Gale Storm. In Rhythm Parade, Storm plays a young, aspiring singer named Sally, who through a series of misunderstandings is assumed to be the mother of an apparently abandoned baby. This plays right into the hands of Sally's bitchy rival Connie (Jan Wiley), who hopes to ruin the girl's career by fomenting a scandal. By the end of the requisite 68 minutes, all is straightened out, with time left over for 9 musical numbers, some performed by such guest acts as The Mills Bros. and Ted Fio Rito Orchestra. Rhythm Parade was produced in conjunction with Hollywood's Florentine Gardens nightclub, run by one Nils T. Granlund (aka N.T.G.), who appears in the film as "Granny". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In their last starring film, The Ritz Brothers play the Three Funny Bunnies, a trio of nightclub comedians. The plot contrives to have our heroes pose as tough Chicago gangsters, which gets them mixed up with genuine hoodlums Tony (George Zucco) and Joey (Jack LaRue), a sexy pickpocket named Flo (Mary Beth Hughes), and a fortune in stolen jewels. With all this going on, who cares about nominal romantic leads Julie Russell (Frances Langford) and Dick Manning (Stuart Crawford)? There are some cute bits during the film's 60 minutes, and a clever closing gag, but all in all Never a Dull Moment seldom lives up to its title. Even so, the film received better reviews than some of the Ritzes' earlier efforts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paramount's So Proudly We Hail, like MGM's Cry Havoc, is a tribute to the Red Cross nurses trapped behind enemy lines in the early days of the Pacific war. Claudette Colbert is the self-sacrificing head nurse, struggling to minister to the wounded and to keep her staff (including Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake and Barbara Britton, all of them giving better than usual performances) from buckling under the pressure. Taking into consideration the regular fans of the film's female cast, the producers thoughtfully include several scenes in which the ladies pursue their romantic lives. The story culminates with the fall of Bataan, ending on a resigned but optimistic note; this finale was designed to lift the spirits of the audience, which in 1943 wasn't so certain as Hollywood of final victory. So Proudly We Hail was not only effective propaganda (though not as effective as Cry Havoc), but it also enabled Paramount to introduce its new crop of male hunks--including the estimable Sonny Tufts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hot on the heels of his starring turn in The Mad Doctor of Market Street, Lionel Atwill was top-billed in another chiller-diller, The Strange Case of Dr. Rx. Somebody has been going around murdering known criminals who've escaped prosecution thanks to crooked lawyer Dudley Crispin (Samuel S. Hinds). That someone has also left a calling card at the site of each murder, signed "Dr. Rx". Private eye Patric Knowles suspects at first that the elusive murderer is sinister Lionel Atwill, whose "red herring" status is so obvious from the outset that his character name is Dr. Fish! Before the actual killer's identity is revealed, the audience is kept awake by the comic antics of Mantan Moreland and Shemp Howard, both of whom are far funnier than their material. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thunder River Feud is the latest adventure of "The Range Busters," aka Ray "Crash" Corrigan, John "Dusty" King and Max "Alibi" Terhune. This time, the heroic trio come to the rescue of pretty rancher Maybelle (Jan Wiley), who is stuck in the middle of a deadly range war. Causing all the ruckus is villain Pembroke (Jack H. Holmes), who pits the cattlemen against the homesteaders in hopes of wiping out both factions for his own financial gain. The Range Busters quickly figure out what the bad guy is up to, and from then on in it's "Katy bar the door!" Somewhere along the line, John King gets to sing "What a Wonderful Day". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide