''The Notorious Lone Wolf'' is a 1946 American

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring

Gerald Mohr Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows. Early years Mohr wa ...

, Janis Carter and

Eric Blore Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appe ...

. It is the twelfth Lone Wolf film produced by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

. The picture features Mohr in his inaugural performance as the protagonist detective Lone Wolf alongside Janis Carter and Ian Wolfe as Adam Wainwright, the film's antagonist. The screenplay was written by Martin Berkeley, Edward Dein, and William J. Bowers. The film centres on former jewel looter Michael Lanyard, also known by his alias "Lone Wolf", aiming to clear his name after he is accused of murdering a bar dancer. At the same time, he races to retrieve a stolen piece of jewellery. Filming took place in October and November 1945. ''The Notorious Lone Wolf'' was theatrically released in the United States in February 1946. It was followed by '' The Lone Wolf in Mexico'', in 1947.

Plot

Having left the Army, reformed jewel thief and current detective Michael Lanyard (Gerald Mohr), or the Lone Wolf, returns to New York from England to find his lover Carla Winter ( Janis Carter). On the way, he is tipped off by Inspector Crane ( William Davidson) of the looting of the Shalimar, a diamond co-owned by the Prince of Rapur (

Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten (3 March 1888 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1955. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, while sitting in his car ...

) and Lal Bara (

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbo ...

). It is revealed that the jewel thief is Stonely (

Don Beddoe Donald Theophilus Beddoe (July 1, 1903 – January 19, 1991) was an American character actor. Early years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe was the son of Dan Beddoe, a Welsh classical singer, and his wife Mary. He graduated from the ...

), owner of a bar. Meanwhile, Winter's sister Rita (Adelle Roberts) requests Lanyard's help. Her husband, Dick Hale ( Robert Scott), has been cheating on his wife and is having an intimate affair with Lilli (

Virginia Hunter Virginia Hunter (née Reed; February 17, 1920 – March 23, 2012) was an American model and actress. She appeared in over 20 films during the 1940s. Early years Hunter was the daughter of Freeman A. Reed. Hunter grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, bef ...

), a performer at Stonely's bar. The Lone Wolf and Hale go to the bar together, only to find Lilli murdered. Lanyard is pinpointed by the suspicious police as the perpetrator. He manages to escape and sets out to find the mastermind. Disguised as the Rapurian prince, Lanyard meets jeweller Adam Wainwright (

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...

), who promises to retrieve the stolen Shalimar in exchange for a promised reward. Lanyard quickly receives news from Wainwright that he has found the looted piece of jewellery. However, it is swiped away by Stonely when Lanyard meets Wainwright at the latter's shop. The Lone Wolf alerts the police; both Stonely and Wainwright are caught, with the jeweller being found guilty of murdering Lilli. Lanyard returns home to Winter but their residence catches fire halfway into their love-making so as to end the intimacy in accordance with the prevailing censorship of the time.

Cast

as Michael Lanyard / The Lone Wolf * Janis Carter as Carla Winter *

as Jameson *

as Lal Bara * William B. Davidson as Inspector Crane *

as Stonley * Adele Roberts as Rita Hale * Mark Roberts as Dick Hale *

Peter Whitney Peter King Engle (May 24, 1916 – March 30, 1972), known professionally as Peter Whitney, was an American actor in film and television. Tall and heavyset, he played brutish villains in many Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood fil ...

as Harvey Beaumont *

as Adam Wheelright *

Edith Evanson Edith Evanson ( ''Carlson''; April 29, 1896 – November 29, 1980) was an American character actress of film, stage and television during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Life and career She was born Edith Carlson in Tacoma, Washington."Coinciden ...

as Olga, Carla's Maid *

as Prince of Rapur *

as Lili, Nightclub Dancer * John Tyrrell as Pierre, the Chauffeur *

Eddie Acuff Edward DeKalb Acuff (June 3, 1903 – December 17, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. He frequently was cast as a droll comic relief, in the support of the star. His best-known recurring role is that of Mr. Beasley, the postman, in ...

as Detective Jones *

Eddy Chandler Eddy Chandler (March 12, 1894 – March 23, 1948) was an American actor who appeared, mostly uncredited, in more than 300 films. Three of these films won the Academy Award for Best Picture: ''It Happened One Night'' (1934), '' You Can't Take ...

as House Detective

Production

After a sickly

Warren William Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Per ...

decided to discontinue playing the title character Lone Wolf, Gerald Mohr was roped in by Columbia Pictures, the production company and the distributor, to replace William. Mohr had previously acted as a minor figure in '' One Dangerous Night'' (1943), the ninth Lone Wolf film.

continued playing Lanyard's butler Jamison, his ninth time doing so, while Janis Carter acted as Lanyard's lover. A kissing scene between Carter's character and Mohr's one was described as "daring" for the time period it was made in. While still a work-in-progress, the film was referred to as ''The Lone Wolf on Broadway''. D. Ross Lederman served as director of the film. Ted Richmond was in charge of production for Columbia Pictures, while Martin Berkeley and Edward Dein wrote the screenplay based on a story by William J. Bowers. Burnett Guffey signed on as cinematographer. The set decorator was Frank Kramer. Mischa Bakaleinikoff headed the musical direction, and Richard Fantl edited the film. Principal photography officially began on October 22, 1945, and ended on November 5, 1945.

Release

''The Notorious Lone Wolf'' opened in American cinemas in February 1946. A reviewer for the magazine ''Variety'' lauded the "high-polished routine material" by the "able cast". In evaluating the film in his 2012 book ''Columbia Pictures Movie Series, 1926—1955: The Harry Cohn Years'', Gene Blottner expressed disappointment at most of the cast's acting skills. He wrote that the comedy in the film was "clumsy and forced" and it was only a "so-so effort in the renewal of the Lone Wolf series."

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Notorious Lone Wolf, The 1946 films Films directed by D. Ross Lederman 1946 crime films American crime films Columbia Pictures films American black-and-white films The Lone Wolf films 1940s American films 1940s English-language films 1946 mystery films American mystery films Films scored by Mischa Bakaleinikoff English-language crime films English-language mystery films