It must have seemed strange to Richard Dix that after a career of playing dependable heroes his career was given a new lease of life with the Whistler series in which he portrayed a number of neurotics and psychotics. In this excellent entry he is a man with a ghastly mission - until he is knocked over by a car and when he wanders into a bar, unknown to him, is Jean (Janis Carter), who reads his fortune and predicts his death within 24 hours. Armed with this information she makes his acquaintance and together, with different items found in his pocket, they try to find out who he is. The first stop is the Civic Theatre where Constantina (Tala Birell) denies knowing him (he had sent her roses).
Jean is trusting in the extreme - even after leaving a little girl crying over her dead cat, "George" (that's what Jean calls him) had been looking after it - she still invites him to stay at her flat until they find out his true identity!! After another unfortunate incident involving a pet bird (there is also a scene with a squirrel - you don't see their deaths, but you do see Dix's face), Francie (Jeff Donnell), Jean's sister and flatmate, is even more skeptical about him.
Bit by bit he slowly starts to remember but while Jean is hampered by her closeness to George, Francie, who is far more "cluey" is succeeding in leaps and bounds. She finds out he has bought poison at the chemist then ordered a birthday cake to be delivered to the warden of the local mental hospital. It is now clear that George is a homicidal maniac who has escaped and is trying to rekindle an old romance (Birell did know him but didn't want to admit it) and settle old scores!!! There is a last minute rescue to stop the birthday cake being eaten and a showdown in a deserted barn!!
Janis Carter who was unforgettable as the psychotic Jill Merrill in "Night Editor" here plays a trusting victim and pulls it off equally well. Also playing a stereo typical maid was an actress who in 1930 seemed to have a huge future in films. She was Nina Mae McKinney who because of the color of her skin was unfortunately destined to play maids, no matter how talented a singer she was.
Highly Recommended.
Jean is trusting in the extreme - even after leaving a little girl crying over her dead cat, "George" (that's what Jean calls him) had been looking after it - she still invites him to stay at her flat until they find out his true identity!! After another unfortunate incident involving a pet bird (there is also a scene with a squirrel - you don't see their deaths, but you do see Dix's face), Francie (Jeff Donnell), Jean's sister and flatmate, is even more skeptical about him.
Bit by bit he slowly starts to remember but while Jean is hampered by her closeness to George, Francie, who is far more "cluey" is succeeding in leaps and bounds. She finds out he has bought poison at the chemist then ordered a birthday cake to be delivered to the warden of the local mental hospital. It is now clear that George is a homicidal maniac who has escaped and is trying to rekindle an old romance (Birell did know him but didn't want to admit it) and settle old scores!!! There is a last minute rescue to stop the birthday cake being eaten and a showdown in a deserted barn!!
Janis Carter who was unforgettable as the psychotic Jill Merrill in "Night Editor" here plays a trusting victim and pulls it off equally well. Also playing a stereo typical maid was an actress who in 1930 seemed to have a huge future in films. She was Nina Mae McKinney who because of the color of her skin was unfortunately destined to play maids, no matter how talented a singer she was.
Highly Recommended.