SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

GazerRise Fantastic!

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

ksf-2 Director Charles Lamont and star Rod LaRocque had both been around for a LONG time in the silents. In this talkie, LaRocque is radio host Lamont Cranston, who thinks he gets a hot tip of a crime about to happen from "citizen" Phoebe Lane (Astrid Allwyn). When things don't turn out right, the cops are upset, so now its up to Cranston to solve the mystery himself. The sound and picture quality are remarkably good, as opposed to some of the other oldies showing on "Moonlight Movies" channel. It's just okay. Sub plot wherePhoebe interferes at first, but then is his ally, and it turns out she is related to the big boss publisher. Mildly entertaining, but very so-so. There are so many better things to watch...

cool_jerk98 Typical Hollywood manipulation of an existing fictional character. This time the Shadow is nothing more than a lure to get kids to listen to police reports. There is no relation between this version of the character or any previous versions. The Shadow is purely imaginary and exists only as a picture on the wall of Lamont Cranston's office and the heading of his newspaper column. The story itself isn't bad, but they could have easily have left any reference to the Shadow or Lamont Cranston out of it and it would have been just as well. If you are seeking a movie containing the beloved pulp fiction character you would be better to ignore this one and look elsewhere.

MartinHafer This is an odd little B-movie--one that at least is different. Rod La Roque stars as "the Shadow"--a combination radio celebrity and amateur crime solver. Using his show, he periodically tweaks the noses of the local police--who respond by arresting him on trumped up charges (wow...I guess the Constitution wasn't created until after 1938). And, along for the ride is one of the most common clichés in crime films of the era--the spunky and occasionally annoying reporter (who also happens to be the daughter of the radio station owner). Together, they investigate a crime AND have a good time! For the most part, this is light and silly B entertainment. It's not terrible but cliché-ridden and only adequately written--at best. But, on the positive side, La Roque was very good in the movie--and it makes you wonder why he had faded to a B-actor after a relatively promising series of films in the 1920s and early 30s.Adequate.

classicsoncall This picture has all the slap dash feel of it's predecessor, "The Shadow Strikes" from the prior year, also starring Rod LaRocque. Even movie neophytes can figure out that this Shadow has no resemblance at all to the character made famous in pulp magazines of the era. To make matters worse, Lamont Cranston even utters the line from my summary above, lending credence to the idea that the writers of this picture really had no idea what they were doing. It was simply an attempt to capitalize on the Shadow name by putting together a loosely constructed story around a murder and espionage scheme involving foreign bonds, and it's so convoluted that it's hard to maintain focus while watching.Case in point - the lounge scene when Phoebe Lane (Astrid Allwyn) intrudes upon Cranston's conversation with the two foreigners. The bad guys want to lure the couple back to their apartment for a drink, Cranston (in a disguise consisting of a single monocle) declines, Phoebe insists on going. Once outside, it looks like rain, can't go, Cranston gives Phoebe the bum's rush, and the pair of international heavyweight crime barons just go along with it.Believe it or not, the most interesting thing I found about this picture had to do with the posters outside the Metropolitan Theater where Phoebe's phony robbery tip sent Cranston and the police. Still playing from 1937 was Jimmy Cagney's "Something to Sing About". What I couldn't figure out though, was why the film makers decided to place Cranston and Commissioner Weston (Thomas E. Jackson) directly in front of an ad for 'Zino-Pads for Corns'. That my friends, probably said all it needed to about the picture.