mark.waltz For private detective Richard Carlson, a job is a job, and a risk is an every day occurrence. But in his latest assignment, he is forced to go behind locked doors as a patient in a private institution. Reporter Lucille Bremer hires him for the assignment with the hopes for getting the scoop on a crooked judge whom she believes to be hiding there. Danger lurks around every corner here, and the film only briefly details the reasons why some of these dangerous patients are there. But the majority of the staff is ruthless and abusive, and the head of the agency is clearly up to no good. An evil orderly gets the goods on Clarkson which leads to a violent scene where he locked in the same cell as the silent (but deadly deranged) Tor Johnson (of all people!) for a fist-pounding workover.At just over an hour, this poverty row film noir takes you into the mad world of a madhouse gone nuts thanks to stop at nothing to put some extra cash into their pocket. Even though this is obviously made on the cheap, it keeps you glued because there just isn't time for nonsense. The actors do their best to flesh out the characters with little help from the stream-lined screenplay, but tight editing, excellent photography and a tense atmosphere makes for a surprisingly gripping thriller.One of the patients is played by Dickie Moore who, like in "Out of the Past", plays a character that never speaks and is protected by an overworked orderly, perhaps the only compassionate character working in the private institution.

oldblackandwhite That is, the private detective who agreed to pretend he was a nut case so he could get locked up in private loony bin where the pretty reporter who hired him suspects a corrupt judge on the lam from the law is hiding out. Only a beautiful dame and a healthy hunk of dough could entice a private eye to take on such a tough case. The dame was beautiful enough, if somewhat distant, and the ten thousand dollar reward was healthy enough. That's the plot of minor 1948 noir thriller Behind Locked Doors, and it works well enough in the hands of tough action specialist director Bud (billed Oscar) Boetticher. His taut direction, a tight script by Eugene Ling and Malvin Wald, and good work by the supporting cast, overcome low production values and lackluster leads.Richard Carlson, the detective, was a competent actor, but if somebody gave an award for the blandest leading man of all time, he would be in the running. Lucille Bremer, the beautiful reporter, was indeed beautiful, but she was undoubtedly at her best as a dancer (she could keep up with Fred Astaire!). As an actress, her talents were suspect. She is not even at her best in Behind Locked Doors. Since she was set to marry a millionaire and retire from the screen, it is likely that this, her last picture, was just fulfilling a contract obligation. It shows in her unenthusiastic performance. The obligatory romance between her and Carlson is sort of like a cigarette lighter with a used-up flint -- no spark. Lucille is more convincing when she's resisting his advances in the early going than when eliciting them in the later reels.No Matter. This is an action, suspense picture, and their is plenty of both. Solid support to prop up the flaccid leads is provided by Thomas Browne Henry as the troubled doctor in charge of the institution, Douglas Fowley as a sadistic warder, and the always interesting (in a bizarre way) Tor Johnson as a homicidal maniac. Shadowy cinematography by Guy Roe heightens the sinister mood of the story and no doubt at the same time covers up cheap sets. Boetticher's sharp direction keeps the pace snappy and the suspense taut with nary a wasted shot in this little 63 minute programmer.Take a gander at the poster pitching Behind Locked Doors. Beautiful Miss Bremer is pictured apparently swooned and lying limp and seductive while being carried by menacing hulk Tor Johnson. Nothing of the sort happens in this picture! Hollywood didn't invent the art of deceptive advertising -- surely it goes back at least as far as the early Roman Empire -- but the movie studios of Old Hollywood were certainly among its top exponents. Lurid and often sexy "promo shots" bearing little or no relation to the actual content of the picture were standard fare for movie posters of the era.Nevertheless, much does happen in a short time in Behind Locked Doors, much of it lurid, though none sexy -- except perhaps for those of the persuasion that gets a kick out of seeing a woman tied up. If you're looking for a short, filler type of movie, this well-made thriller will keep your attention for and hour and three minutes.

blanche-2 Richard Carlson goes "Behind Locked Doors" in this 1948 film also starring Lucille Bremer. Carlson plays detective Ross Stewart who enters an insane asylum as a patient at the behest of a reporter Kathy Lawrence (Bremer) to find a judge who is on the lam from the police. For his trouble, there is a $10,000 reward, which he and Lawrence will split, but she has to make sure the Judge is in the asylum first. They play man and wife, and she has him committed. Once inside, Stewart discovers that the place is run somewhat inhumanely, and that the judge may be in a ward of the asylum that is locked and inaccessible to other patients.This is a B movie all the way with decent performances by Carlson and Bremer, Douglas Fowley and Tor Johnson and good direction by Budd Boetticher. I sort of hoped that, although the Bremer character was on the trail of the judge, that she might have been interested in some of the bad conditions at the asylum and wanted to expose them. Though things don't stay as they are there, it would have been nice if earlier, she had mentioned having any interest in it. Guess she just wanted the big story.Good but not exceptional.

JoeKarlosi An entertaining little item, if not with a very original plot line. It's a noirish low budget film starring Richard Carlson (THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) as a private eye pretending to be mentally ill so he can be admitted to an asylum called "La Siesta Sanitarium". A woman reporter believes that a corrupt judge is hiding out there and wants Carlson to investigate. Naturally, once our hero gets inside it is revealed that despite its seemingly comforting name, this sanitarium is anything but warm and cozy with its underhanded coordinator and nasty attendants.This is a very short (62 minutes) and tightly wound film that moves and is well photographed with shadowy detail. Carlson is quite good in it, and I spotted former Our Gang child star Dickie Moore as a patient. Also on hand is Tor Johnson as a hulking punch drunk inmate in a padded cell who goes into his wild boxing antics whenever sadistic guards taunt him by tapping bell-like ringing sounds from outside his cage! This film is sometimes known as THE HUMAN GORILLA, which was its reissue title. *** out of ****