Intrigued by the economic decline of a Minnesota resort-town following the inexplicable death of all the fish in the lake, a reporter (Elliot Reid) stumbles on a deadly secret. Directed by William Cameron Menzies, the film has an interesting etiology. Originally, the plot involved a group of Nazi survivors lead by a flame-scarred Hitler planning revenge on the United States. Apparently, RKO owner Howard Hughes decided that Nazis were no longer a bankable threat and ordered that the villains be switched to American communists acting under orders from Moscow. The metamorphosis was done reasonably adroitly, with a new opening showing a number of Russian generals discussing their evil plot backdropped by a huge (and somewhat inaccurate) map of North America. Der Führer is left on the cutting-room floor and the malignant German scientist is explained away as an unrepentant totalit-Aryan who fled to the Reds rather than the Yanks when the Third Reich fell. This intriguing back-story is more interesting than the movie itself, which is a simplistic poli-thriller featuring what was once one of Hollywood's favorite characters: the intrepid and resourceful wise-cracking reporter. Raymond Burr manages to bring a sense of hefty-menace as the lead heavy and the rest of the cast is functional in non-demanding roles. Although the ending is somewhat abrupt (as is the obligatory romance), there are some reasonably handled twists-and-turns and Menzies' direction gives the low-budget thriller a moody feel. Not great but an interesting 'what might have been' - nasty Commies may have played better to early 50s' audiences but 'The Whip Hand' would likely be a cult classic these days if it starred a disfigured Hitler.
Review of The Whip Hand
