MartinHafer Tiny studios like Monogram, PRC and First National made tons of B- movies--short, quickly written and generally super-cheaply made. However, the big studios also made Bs--and despite slightly bigger budgets and bigger named actors (in some cases) they also were super-cheap and looked an awful lot like their poverty row versions. In the case of "Phantom Raiders", the prestigious MGM has made a B-- starring their A picture leading man, Walter Pidgeon. And, not surprisingly, it's just as goofy and entertaining as many of the cheapo B detective films.This is the second Nick Carter film and it's plot is very goofy. It seems that lots of merchant ships are being blown up and Nick and his weirdo sidekick Beeswax (Donald Meek) are sent to investigate. But HOW are these ships being blown up? Here's where it gets REALLY goofy. An oddly named Al Taurez (Joseph Schildkraut) has some sort of weird electronic device that causes bombs on the ships to explode...and he can activate these bomb via remote control many, many miles away! Plot-wise, this is as goofy as any of the wild plots in the Charlie Chan films from Monogram--way out, for sure.So is it any good? Well, despite the silly plot, the film IS entertaining. It also features one of the strangest Donald Meek performances you'll ever see--with him pretending to be a psychopath. The bottom line is that the film is silly, breezy entertainment but something that doesn't make a lot of sense or is for an audience who isn't willing to cut the film a lot of slack. You like B detective films, you'll like this one...otherwise, it's easy to skip.

Paularoc The other two entries in the Nick Carter detective series focused on spies or Fifth Columnists; this one is about an evil insurance scam whereby cargo ships, with their crews, are blown up. Llewelyn's of London, the insurer of the ships, hires Carter to investigate. Joseph Schildkraut as the suave but vicious gangster leader behind the bombings easily outshines the rather uninspiring performance of Walter Pidgeon as Nick Carter. The most striking scene in the whole movie is the brief scene showing the crew of the cargo ship amiably chatting with one another moments before their ship is blown up. An incredible scene. As with the other two entries in the series, this one has an excellent supporting cast with Florence Rice, John Carroll, Nat Pendleton, Cecil Kellaway, and Schildkraut. Donald Meek is on hand as Carter's sidekick, the wacky Mr. Bartholomew. It's a matter of taste whether one finds the Bartholomew character annoying or welcome comedic relief. Either way, he certainly is a memorable character. I think this is the best of the Nick Carter movies and certainly worth a watch, but the series itself is not as good or entertaining as many another B detective series.

tedg In between the start of talkies and about the time of this, there were all sorts of experiments with the detective form. An amazing number, just absolutely amazing, of discrete types were invented. It was a heady time, much more ambitious and adventuresome than what we have today.Most of the experiments failed, or course. And that's true even of experiments that were profitable enough to spawn a series. Success in this way means more than just selling tickets, which is easy enough. Its knowing when you find the bones to something you can understand and rebuild over and over in different ways. Its the difference between copying and creating and the creators will always win.To win you need to understand and to understand you need to try and fail. This is a failure of an interesting type. It sticks to the normal three component model: the detective, the villain, the causal mechanism.We usually these days are presented with a cool detective, in part because we rely more on actors and personalities. Unfortunately that's not very cinematic usually, so it doesn't reward. This movie treats us to pretty uninteresting detective, pretty much a dope. And his assistant is too, both comic. Most of the attention — so far as character — is on the villain. He's supersmooth, always calm and anticipating the next move until towards the end. His weapon is the knife, which he can throw perfectly. At the beginning, he even throws a pen across a room and hits the center of the target.Incidentally, the causal mechanics of the plot are somewhat incomprehensibly complex. There isn't much complicated in the device, but it is peculiar in a way. Its a radio that sends a triggering signal to bombs concealed on ships. These are blown up for the insurance money. What's unsettling, strange, is that the bombs are concealed in radio receivers. There's no reason for this except to make it easier for us to read.But the business behind the scenes is what makes the plot work, all sorts of business about swapping cargo, forging inspection documents and manifestos. I admit that THIS was difficult to read because nothing could be shown. It could only be explained.An interesting fossil, but a bad movie, even though the director had some reputation.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

ORION THE HUNTER If you're a fan of the old private dick movies from the 30s & 40s then I'll bet you a wooden nickel that you're gonna like this one. It has plenty of cliche's, but remember, when this film was new a lot of the plot devices were not quite so hackneyed. The use of lighting and shadow is nicely done noir, all in glorious black & white of course. Walter Pidgeon is fine as Nick Carter. This is apparently his second time playing the streetsmart, wry humored, skirt chasing gumshoe. The rest of the cast is just fine too. It's not Bogart, Astor, Greenstreet, & Lorre; but it was released a year before that film, against which all in this genre are inevitably compared to. I really liked Nat Pendleton as tough guy "Gunboat". To sum it up, I love the corny humor and tidy endings of the films from this era. That old timey slang really cracks me up too. Say you birds, give dis picture show an even break and don't take it too seriously... I wouldn't kid ya, I'm on da level here.