Criminal Investigator (Monogram) (1942)

Murder Mystery Drama Is Thrilling Screen Story (Review) A wealth of dramatic action was revealed on the screen =) Oke COOP Sn RRA 1 lai theatre last night, with the opening of the engagement of the Monogram murder mystery, ‘“‘Criminal Investigator.”’ The film is definitely to be classified as an unusually thrilling murder mystery. Robert Lowery appears in the» title role, and delivers a good performance as the newspaper reporter who is swept into an intensive hunt for the perpetrators of a great crime. The same is true of charming young Edith Fellows, who brings sincerity and animation to her role as the sister of a girl whose murder furnishes the basis for the story. Heading the company appearing in support of this pair, John Miljan is convincing as an attorney involved in ‘the case, and others in the case are Charles Jordan, John Maxwell, Jan Wiley, Lawrence Creighton, Paul Bryar, Vivian Wilcox and George O’Hanlon. Plot developments of. the story bring an atmosphere of intense}! drama as the picture progresses, | and many of its incidents are thrill-_ ing in the extreme. Another mur-' der leads to an absorbing situa| tion, which is finally solved by a| belated confession, and this bang-up mystery thriller comes to a surpris| | CUB REPORTER | ing conclusion. “Criminal Investigator’ was directed by Jean Yarbrough, who has succeeded admirably in turning out a swiftly moving film. His efforts have been ably supplemented by Lindsley Parsons, whose production of the picture is thoroughly satisfactory from every standpoint. George Jeske wrote the original sereenplay, with additional dialogue by Edmond Kelso, and the story forms the basis of an arresting film. First class photography is attributed to Mack Stengler. Mystery Drama On Local Screen A swift succession of thrilling events features “Criminal Investigator,’ the Monogram murder mystery which comes. to-the..i20 2.0.0: theatre on Robert eee ewe eee sane Lowery and Edith Fellows play the| featured roles, and the supporting cast includes John Miljan, Charles Hordan, John Maxwell, Jan Wiley, Lawrence Creighton, Paul Bryar, Vivian Wilcox and George O’Hanlon. Jean Yarbrough directed under the production supervision of Lindsley Parsons, and the screenplay was written by George Jeske, with additional dialogue by Edmond _ Kelso. | CUPID PAYS OFF WITH BULLETS Robert Lowery finds that romance with a menaced heiress leads to a tryst with murder in “Criminal Investigator,” Monogram’s crime drama rh Rigi 6 « | cee a Theatre. Robert the experiences trials and tribulations of a cub reporter when he goes sleuthing in Lowery “Criminal Investigator,’ Monogram’s ace crime drama at the ie inke Baan Theatre. One Col. Cut or Mat No. 1 ACCOMPLISHED Since earliest childhood Edith Fellows had studied singing and dancing, and has become such an outstanding performer in both these specialties that she has on more than one occasion considered transferring her activities the screen to the musical comedy stage. Miss Fellows comes to the.......... theatre One. es.) in the principal feminine role of “Criminal Investigator,” the Monogram murder mystery in which she is featured with Robert Lowery. from ATHLETE The leading athlete at Paseo High School in Kansas City a few years ago was Robert Lowery, who comes COs GRE erase GNCACLE MOM ie eaie wars in “Criminal Investigator,’ the Monogram drama in which he is featured with Edith Fellows. Lowery was an outstanding star in football, baseball, basketball, boxing, tennis, and swimming. Edith Fellows has the feminine lead. Two Column Cut or Mat No, 20 THE CAST Martin... ROBERT LOWERY Phen oe EDITH FELLOWS Padsor so JOHN MILJAN Brannigan rea POS a CHARLES JORDAN Brandt ... JOHN MAXWELL Miss Drake..... JAN WILEY Joyce .... VIVIAN WILCOX Powers....... PAUL BRYAR PERCE 08 aah ae ae es .... GEORGE O’HANLON |) Fe Pod PERE RRORe Uerakt ee BeBe ER aL LAWRENCE CREIGHTON Thriller Opens At Local Theatre (Advance) Action-filled drama of the most exciting description is promised in “Criminal Investigator,’ the .Monogram picture which opens an engagement, “at athe sac oo as theatre Robert Lowery and Edith Fellows are featured in the leading roles of this thrilling film, and other important parts are enacted by John Miljan, Charles Jordan, Jan Wiley, John Maxwell and Lawrence Creighton. The story opens with Miss Fellows’ sister, released after serving a term in prison on a trumped-up charge, being mysteriously murdered as she leaves tthe gates of the penitentiary. Lowery, a newspaper reporter assigned to cover the girl’s release from prison, joins with Miss Fellows in tracking down the murderer, and the pair become the center of a fast-moving series of dangerous situations and thrilling events. The underworld of a great city comes into the plot, and the story works up to a smashing climax. “Criminal Investigator” was directed by Jean Yarbrough, noted action director, and produced under the supervision of Lindsley Parsons. ThoseNerve Racking Window Washers “Ever watch those nerve-wracking window washers?” “No, sir,” says dainty Edith Fellows to Bob Lowery, as they lounge around the set during the filming of Monogram’s “Criminal Investigator,” due for an early screening Neenah Ne ere Mees es theatre. “Every time I see one of those window cleaners _ nonchalantly swinging on those almost-invisible straps, it’s like the old days when as a frightened child I used ‘to close my eyes as Harold Lloyd slithered around window ledges on skyscrapers in his exciting thrill films,” continued Miss Fellows, who is no longer a child actress and is quite a young lady of 19 years. In her new Monogram thriller Miss Fellows plays the role of a junior college miss, while Lowery is the cub reporter, and in one sequence he takes the place of a window washer in order to eavesdrop on the villain of the plot. Of course the action was all on studio levels, but from the Edith Fellows viewpoint, at the camera angle through a window, Lowery was apparently swinging in mid-air, with many stories between his perch and the ground. And this is only one of many equally thrilling moments AY. SCONCu a OR cr ss ens theatre patrons next week. “Criminal Investigator” is from an original by George Jeske, while Lindsley Parsons and Jean Yarbrough are again credited with another hit in their now recognized producer-director string of Monogram features. Young Actor Looks Back On Easy Conquest of Studios The task of ‘crashing the gates” of Hollywood film studios presented little difficuity to Robert Lowery, who COMGS 10. ANOs ee CREACHO “OW hoetine in “Criminal Investigator,” the Monogram drama in which he is featured with Edith Fellows. He still finds himself somewhat amazed at the ease with which he em-¥ barked on a screen career that has already established him as a young leading man of rapidly increasing importance. Five years ago Lowery arrived in Los Angeles, and shortly afterward went to work in a paper factory. One night a friend took him to a “little” theatre performance, and he found himself so greatly interested that he forthwith decided to become an actor. He managed to secure roles in a number of little theatre productions during the next three months, and before the expiration of this period had already attracted the attention of several motion picture studios. Responding to an offer, Lowery made his screen debut in the Samuel Goldwyn picture, “Come and Get It,” and he was placed under contract by Twentieth Century-Fox after he had played a small but important role with James Cagney in “Great Guy.” He played many “bit” parts while he was groomed for a year in the Fox studio training school, and emerged with much valuable experience. Among _ the many picture in which he has since appeared are “The Mark of Zorro,” “Lure of the Islands,’ “Private Nurse” and “She’s in the Army.’’ “I just happened to be one of the, lucky gate-crashers,” says Lowery. “TI never had to suffer for my art.” Among the players appearing with Lowery and Miss Fellows in “Criminal Investigator’? are John Miljan, Charles Jordan, Jan Wiley, John Maxwell, Vivian Wilcox and George O’Hanlon. Jean Yarbrough directed for Producer Lindsley Parsons, and the screenplay was written by George Jeske and Edmond Kelso. e | CONSPIRATORS | | John Miljan and Jan Wiley plot the murder of a beautiful heiress in “Criminal Investigator,’ fast-moving melodrama at the............ Theatre. One Col. Cut or Mat No. 2 LITTLE FELLOW(S) Hollywood’s tiniest adult actress is Edith Fellows, who is four feet, eleven inches tall and weighs 84 pounds with a rock in each hand. The diminutive screen player is featured with Robert Lowery in “Criminal Investigator,’ the Monogram murder mystery now playing on the screen of the theatre. “TI. never know,’ says Edith, “whether to bill myself as Hollywood’s smallest giant, or. its. largest midget.” THE EXCITING STORY (Not for Publication) Pat Martin, cub newspaper reporter, wins a berth on an important newspaper when he scoops his rivals by securing an interview with Black, a criminal confined in prison, who is afterward released. As his first assignment, Martin goes to the prison to cover the release of Joyce Greely, former showgirl wife of the late millionaire, Van Camp. She has been unjustly railroaded to the penitentiary. Arriving in time to see Joyce enter a cab at the gates, he sees her dead body thrown out a few blocks away. Learning from a letter on the body that the girl's sister, Ellen, does not know that Joyce has been in jail, and intends to meet her at the New York railroad station with the key to a safe deposit box containing the will of Van Camp, Martin boards the train for New York and accosts Ellen. A few moments af terward two henchmen of Judson, the dead girl's attorney and administrator of her late husband’s will, try to abduct Ellen, but she is rescued by Martin, who secretes her in his apartment. Judson succeeds in getting in touch with her by phone, and arranges an appointment for her to meet Joyce, of whose death she has not yet heard. With the police, Martin follows her to the rendezvous, but before Judson can make good his promise to explain matters, he is mysteriously killed by a knife thrown from the upper darkness of a theatre where Judson had been watching rehearsals of a show he was backing. Miss Drake, Judson’s accomplice in misappropriating funds from the Van Camp fortune, is captured rifling Joyce’s deposit box and brought to the back stage rendezvous where she explains that her employer had to secure and destroy the Van Camp will in order to escape detection. The mysterious assailant in the darkened theatre is apprehended in a thrilling chase with police resorting to the use of tear gas and bullets, and he turns out to be an accomplice in the murder-for-money plot. The wills of Joyce and Van Camp are located and the remaining fortune goes to Ellen—and in the final fade-out, it looks like Ellen goes to hero-reporter Pat Martin.