JohnHowardReid Cesar Romero is also the star of Lady in the Fog (1952) (Scotland Yard Inspector in the USA), competently directed by Pat Jackson and Sam Newfield for Hammer/Lippert. (Jackson and Newfield did not work in tandem. My educated guess is that Jackson was replaced by Newfield when wanted for a more prestigious assignment). The movie also boasts moody photography by Walter J. Harvey. After a slow start, the film gradually picks up pace, coming to a terrific climax in a movie studio. Geoffrey Keen gives a great performance, while Bernadette O'Farrell easily steals the female honors from the nominal star, the surprisingly colorless (at least in this assignment) Lois Maxwell. Available on an excellent VCI DVD.

mark.waltz Cesar Romero is an American detective in England who takes over what Scotland Yard won't when the troubled brother of a young woman (Lois Maxwell) he meets is murdered. The brother is briefly seen in the very beginning, being run down by a car in the night fog. The murder is declared an accident, and Romero takes it upon himself to try and help the sister prove her brother was killed. It's an exciting beginning that unfortunately becomes as convoluted as one of those mazes scientists let mice run through for experimentation. Initially intriguing, it eventually becomes monotonous and after a while, one ceases to care and looses interest, and is begging to be let out. Still, I pondered on through the tedium, feeling I needed a score card to follow this plot which introduces several possible suspects yet truly lacks in a believable motive. By the time the killer(s) were revealed, I was wearing the battery out on my DVD remote seeing how much time was left. Yet, the great beginning, which lead to a ponderous middle, finally had a rather thrilling conclusion, a chase sequence that results in two brutal deaths. But there were some moments where I wondered if Romero could possibly cross the street without getting hit with how many times he peaked out from behind a wall right after a bullet barely missed him. Maxwell is a believable heroine, and Romero, with his Yankee Doodle Dandy "Get Up and Go", is very much out of place in this staid British atmosphere where not one British character shows any sign of life outside of walking and talking. It's a characterization of the English that is totally untrue and an insult to some of the marvelous British character players that show how lively they really are.

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- 1953, Scotland Yard Inspector, A Yank newsman in London sets out to solve a murder, American style with a twist. The rest of the plot includes assaults, mysterious tape recording, a visit to an asylum, and even a plot to steal an inventor's secrets.*Special Stars- Cesar Romero plays the news reporter lead. Lois Maxwell plays the damsel in distress. Bernadett O'Farrell plays the baddie dame. Campbell Singer plays the comedy relief.*Theme- The Americans can do it better.*Based on- BBC Radio serial "Lady In the Fog'.*Trivia/location/goofs- English Hammer mystery and cinema noir film. James Bond's "Mrs Moneypenny" Lois Maxwell early film. Some lost seldom seen English film noir of the early 50's. The comedy relief in this film is over played and very hard to watch and accept. It is most theatrical and over-the-top most times.*Emotion- Enjoyable and even bouncy mystery that keeps a nice pacing with Cesar Romero playing a bumbling but persistent American reporter showing up the famous London's Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigate Department on a murder. Nice to see Mr. Romero's excellent acting 'chops' for mystery and his role being completely natural such that his other American film roles were seldom the same. This is a very nice change and the viewer is rewarded by watching his ease with this role with this simple plot.

blanche-2 "Lady in the Fog" is a 1952 film starring Cesar Romero as an amateur detective, Philip O'Dell, an American currently in London. He helps a woman (Lois Maxwell) whom he meets in a bar - her brother was run down by a car in the heavy London fog, but she is convinced that it wasn't accidental. O'Dell investigates, and finds himself involved with an old case, a mental hospital, a filmmaker, and a nightclub.Romero is a delightful actor, and this story has a lot of comedic elements which he acquits very well. He was very underrated, which is clear if one sees him in "The Captain from Castile" and "Julia Misbehaves." The story of "Lady in the Fog" is about as lame as it gets and pretty easy to figure out. It's made on the cheap. Romero is always worth seeing, though.