bnwfilmbuff What do you get when a prison escapee, a thief, a gangster, and a crime boss meet one stormy night at an out-of-the-way inn? The Black Raven which is the name of not only this movie but this inn and also the pseudonym by which George Zucco is evidently known in more nefarious circles. There's no plot to this movie. The rain has washed out the bridge to Canada and is forcing these folks, plus a couple trying to elope, to stay at the Black Raven Inn. They've all got separate agendas until it's known that there's $50,000 floating around and that changes everything. There is some terrific atmosphere and a semi-eerie old dark house setting. There is also some unwelcome comic relief, which is a staple of these 1940s mysteries, this time mainly from handyman Glenn Strange. It's nothing too special but enjoyable B fare.

Panamint George Zucco is grand in "The Black Raven", giving a dignified and poised performance rising above his budget as always. The rest of the cast is also good with Glenn Strange especially noteworthy as Zucco's bumbling helper.The production is cheap of course but features some fine thunderstorm effects, with an astonishing amount of water filmed very expertly.By stripping away any excessive humor or cuteness or any other gimmicks and focusing on being a basic mystery, this film succeeds so that you really won't notice any budget issues. Fundamental soundness in its production and the sheer stature of Zucco's work make "The Black Raven" a surprisingly good movie.

classicsoncall Here's a perfect movie for a dark and stormy night, primarily because it takes place on a, well, dark and stormy night. The atmosphere of this flick might be it's best recommendation, with the added emphasis of a washed out bridge and travelers stranded at the Black Raven Inn. Great atmosphere throughout, even if you have to strain through some of the scenes where it's so dark you can't tell what's going on - part of it's charm so to speak.George Zucco does the lead honors for this PRC programmer, with an unusual assist by veteran 'B' movie and TV Western character actor Glenn Strange. Strange is strange as a comedic foil, out of character for him so his bits fall flat, even as he tumbles down a set of stairs a couple of times. Byron Foulger is well cast in his role as a milquetoast bank cashier on the lam with a fifty grand stash of stolen money. That provides him with all the motivation he needs to pull off a murder that you might see coming - but then you might not - as there are plenty of suspects in the death of businessman/gangster Tim Winfield (Robert Middlemass). Did anyone else think it just a bit odd that Winfield wound up at the exact same hotel on the Canadian border as his runaway daughter and fiancée? Speaking of which, I found it curious but appropriately correct for the era to have Lee Winfield (Wanda McKay) and Allen Bentley (Robert Livingston) sign in as guests for separate rooms, since they weren't married yet. You know, they could have just as easily been returning from Canada as newlyweds, and could have used that as a ruse to really freak out old man Winfield. That would have been something, huh? I've read on some of the other posts that this is a hard one to get hold of, but it's just one of many on a great sixty DVD/two hundred fifty film box set from Mill Creek Entertainment as part of their Mystery Collection. It's tucked way back in the latter third of the package, but worth picking out for an early look see. If it's a dark and stormy night, your timing will be perfect.

Woodyanders A motley group of people are forced to seek shelter at a remote inn run by the snooty, sarcastic, but suave Amos Bradford (a perfectly unctuous George Zucco) because of a raging thunderstorm that has flooded out the bridge and the roads alike. These eclectic individuals include a vengeful escaped convict whom Bradford put in jail, a meek geeky bank teller who's trying to embezzle $50,000 bucks, a mean, ruthless mobster who also wants to get his grubby paws on the hot loot, a young couple who are planning to get married, and the huffy, overbearing, disapproving father of the bride-to-be. Naturally, a vicious killer starts bumping folks off. Efficiently directed in a briskly straightforward and economical no-frills manner by Sam Newfield, with an endearingly hokey script by Fred Myton, plenty of sharply sardonic dialogue, stark, gritty black and white photography by Robert Cline, a booming, melodramatic score by Charles Dunworth, and game acting from a solid cast (Glenn Strange in particular contributes an amiable performance as Bradford's clumsy, cowardly, oafish assistant Andy while Charlie Middleton registers strongly as a jerky ramrod sheriff), this wittily enjoyable Grade B mystery thriller potboiler delivers a reasonable amount of cheap thrills. A fun little quickie.