Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

kidboots Nina Foch was another actress who had to flee to Broadway ("John Loves Mary" 423 performances) to prove her acting dedication - in Hollywood, even though she was terrific in "My Name is Julia Ross" she just wasn't given a go. "I Love a Mystery" is typical, a nice little noir and Foch was outstanding as the wife with a secret but Hollywood didn't seem to take any notice. "I Love a Mystery" had started life as a radio serial in 1939 and was about three friends who manage a detective agency and travel the world in search of adventure but when the movie was released it seemed only two of the friends made it to the silver screen.When a flaming desert is almost spilled on a trio of men, Jefferson Monk (George MacCready) informs the others, two detectives, Jim Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough) that it was meant for him and explains a prediction that prophesies he will die in three days. Doc and Jim become his unofficial minders - they meet his invalid wife whose behaviour is calm and hysterical by turns. Monk tells of their travels in the Middle East and of a strange street musician with an eerie song who he encounters again back in New York. He is lured into a secret society where he finds that the face of their founder who died 1,000 years before is a mirror image of himself. The Leader begs Monk to sell him his head!!! - hence he is now running for his life!!Jim is suspicious of Ellen Monk's (Foch) debilitating illness and he is not wrong as Ellen is up and walking around when she is sure no one is in the house. The plot thickens when the pegleg stalker is killed and the girl who had initially picked up Monk at the "Silver Samovar" is revealed as the stalker's daughter. But you know that with George McCready as the star, he is going to make everyone, both goodies and baddies, feel mighty uncomfortable!!Introduced by a narrator as "The Decapitation of Jefferson Monk" this would have made a good series in "The Whistler" vein. Columbia made a tentative go at it with "The Devil's Mask" and "The Unknown" both from 1946 and both with Barton Yarborough and Jim Bannon - it's just a pity the studio didn't pursue it.

collegeofuselessknowlege The "I Love A Mystery" radio series starred three heroes--Jack, played by Jim Bannon. Doc, played by Barton Yarbarough, and the British Reggie, played by an up and coming American radio voice actor named Tony Randall.The three films that were based on the series starred the original actors who played Jack and Doc--but Reggie was nowhere to be seen. What happened? Maybe Bannon and Yarborough physical appearances resembled their radio voices, but poor Randall didn't and the radio show didn't want him in the movie because it might ruin what listeners imagined what Reggie looked like.Whatever the cause, Tony Randall would have to wait about another ten years or say to get his movie fame,while Jim Bannon and Barton Yarborough would fade to nostalgic obscurity of what-ever-happened-to-land and answers to Trivial Pursuit Games.BTW. in case you're wondering. I liked the movies. They're from an age of long ago when you based movies on pulp stories and radio shows. Cheese, you say? Well, I LOVE cheese! :) Class Dismissed!

Michael_Elliott I Love a Mystery (1945)** 1/2 (out of 4)The first of three films from Columbia based around the popular radio program I Love a Mystery. In the film, detectives Jack Packard (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough) meet a man (George Macready) who fears he's going to die in a matter of days because a secret cult wants his head to put on the body of their mummified master. The detectives begin to unravel clues that might lead to the man's wife (Nina Foch) who is also being stalked by the cult. Due to how they were showed on TCM I ended up watching the second film in the series, THE DEVIL'S MASK, first and hated it from start to finish so I really wasn't sure what to expect from this film. Turns out that it's one of the more unique murder/mysteries from this era due to dark, foggy streets, a rich atmosphere, interesting characters and a rather ugly subject matter. The word decapitation is used throughout this film and one of the biggest plot moves is that this man is going to have his head cut off. How this got past the censors is beyond me but it's these dark touches that really make this film stick out, especially when compared to other films like this. Director Levin does a very good job at building up the atmosphere as we get several classic touches from the dark streets, people hiding in shadows and of course one plot twist happening after another. The movie actually manages to be very believable in all the twists that happen and it's helped even more by the fact that the mystery itself is a good one. Bannon is very good in the role and his laid back approach makes for an interesting leading man. Yarborough, playing pretty much a country bumpkin, isn't too bad either. Macready does a real good job playing the scared man who feels he's about to die. The film belongs to the ladies though as Foch is terrific in her few scenes as the wife and we also get a great femme fatal in Carole Mathews playing a strange woman who Macready meets in a bar. At 69-minutes the film runs just long enough to get enough right and it doesn't over welcome itself by going for too long. Fans of this genre will want to check this out just for the darker than normal subject matter and the fun performances.

steve050 I am a fan of mystery movies, and this is one of my all time favorites. I love the plot twists and the eerie atmosphere. I remember when I first saw this film, many years ago, how astonished I was when the villains are murdered one by one. My only complaint with the film is the phony arrest and jail break of Jack Packard. This was silly and unnecessary. Jack Packard should have been able to nail the killer without these shenanigans. This being said, I recommend this film, especially if you like mysteries and are looking for something different. Jack Packard, played by Jim Bannon, is an excellent screen detective, and Doc Long, played by Barton Yarborough, is a likeable sidekick who provides some comic relief, and best of all is Jefferson Monk played by George Macready.