Synopsis
A private detective is offered a job protecting a rich business man from suspected blackmail. Before he can accept the case a murder is uncovered.
Blackmail
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Theatrical
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USA
Releases by Country
USA
24 Jul 1947
- Theatrical
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Neat little B mystery from Republic Pictures. William Marshall plays wisecracking shamus Dan Turner who is hired by show business big wheel Ziggy Cranston (Ricardo Cortez) to stop a blackmail attempt. In no time, there is a murder, a missing body, and enough suspects to confuse Raymond Chandler. Dan even thinks his client might be the killer. In on the plot are Adele Mara, Grant Withers, Stephanie Bachelor, Roy Barcroft, Richard Fraser, and Tristram Coffin. Ricardo Cortez once played detective Sam Spade in the first film version of THE MALTESE FALCON (1931). Director Lesley Selander was mainly known for fast-paced Western programmers. The way this movie plays out is very similar to such a Western, or even one of the serials Republic was famous for. All that's missing are the cliffhangers. Consider this to be 67 minutes of B flick fun. The mystery will be solved before your popcorn gets cold.
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Note this is a placeholder for the film I actually watched, as I'm unsure about whether I can talk about it - or, indeed if I even should, if I should recuse myself from discussing it entirely. Suffice to say: There's interesting stuff in what I saw, always was, and now it's easier to pick out.
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Zippy pulp crime with fast-lipped PI William Marshall hired by Ricardo Cortez to hunt for a blackmailer. Fun, cheap stuff with many fights, a missing corpse and some great dialogue. Worth a spin.
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William Marshall stars with Adele Mara and Ricardo Cortez in "Blackmail," a B movie from 1947.
Marshall plays Daniel Turner, who has been hired by a wealthy man, Ziggy Cranston(Cortez) to obain some photos for him - he's being blackmailed. Things are strange from the beginning. While he is meeting with Cranston, both men are attacked.
The man runs from Cranston's house and winds up dead. Turner believes that Cranston killed him. He calls the police and, when they arrive, guess what, the body has disappeared.
I have to say, William Marshall's private life was much more exciting than his one-note acting. However, that was the style of the detectives in these B movies - a tough, no nonsense voice and attitude.
This film had a couple of fight scenes that were doozies! Big ones that never seemed to end, and quite exciting. Enjoyable film.
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There certainly was enough twists to keep the story alive, and Ricardo Cortez was a interesting enough actor to get something out of this Blackmail (1947), but it didn't shake-off the B-movie smell, if you catch my drift.
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This little adventure featuring P.I. Dan Turner is delightfully bad. And if you've read any of Dan Turner's adventures, this will come as a surprise to no one. All the elements of your classic hard-boiled potboiler are present. And clocking in at just over an hour, Blackmail doesn't overstay its welcome. If "delightfully bad" suits your fancy, then look no further.
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A hardboiled wisecracking PI (William Marshall) gets mixed up with an entertainment mogul with the unlikely name of Ziggy Cranston (Ricardo Cortez).
Cranston is being blackmailed, the blackmailer turns up dead, then there's another murder, then that body disappears....
There are several vigorous and unconvincing fistfights as we make our way through the noirish (aka baffling) plot. The pacing is not bad for Poverty Row, and the ending is actually not bad either. If only the rest of it made a little sense.
I'm a big fan of old-timey slang, but yikes...this stuff stinks, and is hard to listen to. But you know what? I didn't hate it.
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It feels like an earnest effort, but the acting is so wooden and the dialogue is so goofy. I guess I recommend it for cheapie detective fans, but it's kind of painful.
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Cheaply made and flatly directed. It gets the job done in its brief running time but there are dozens of others just like it that tell the same story much, much better.
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