The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939)

Director:

Peter Godfrey

Writers:

Louis Joseph Vance (story)
Jonathan Latimer (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 May 1939 (Denmark)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

THE LONE WOLF'S TURNED SPY-SMASHER!

Plot:

A group of "spies" is after the plans for an anti-aircraft gun, and the leader uses the opportunity to embroil the Lone Wolf in the plot...

Plot Keywords:

Broken Window | Foreign Agent | Blueprint | U.S. Capitol Building | Spy

Cast

Warren William	...	Michael Lanyard
Ida Lupino	...	Val Carson
Rita Hayworth	...	Karen
Virginia Weidler	...	Patricia Lanyard
Ralph Morgan	...	Spiro Gregory
Tom Dugan	...	Police Sergeant Devan
Don Beddoe	...	Police Inspector Thomas
Leonard Carey	...	Jameson
Ben Welden	...	Jenks - Henchman
Brandon Tynan	...	Senator Carson
Helen Lynd	...	Marie Templeton

Also Known As:

The Lone Wolf's Daughter (UK)

Runtime:

71 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4927) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Although the literary source of the film was the unpublished script of Columbia's The Lone Wolf's Daughter (1929), the story was so completely changed it could hardly be considered a remake.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gromar comes down the staircase, from the second floor, the burglar alarm goes off. He runs back upstairs to check out the alarm. As he does so, the Lone Wolf is standing on the ground outside the window watching him - even though Gromar is supposed to be on the second floor.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Lone Wolf in London (1947)

Routine caper is typical '30s serial B-film with two unusual leading ladies...

WARREN WILLIAM in the first of his Lone Wolf capers manages to be amusing, but IDA LUPINO as his scatter-brained girlfriend gets to be a little grating after awhile and there's too little of RITA HAYWORTH to comment on. It's a wonder Rita reached super stardom at Columbia after meager early roles like this as the sophisticated "other woman" type.

The whole thing has the look and feel of "The Saint" series, where a reformed thief is giving the police a hard time in cracking a case. In this outing, William has been set up by the bad guys into looking like the thief who stole some highly important war plans. It's his job to get to the bottom of the mystery and solve it in time for the syrupy happy ending with Lupino batting her eyes at him.

It's meager stuff as far as entertainment goes, interesting only to see what Ida and Rita were like at this stage in their careers. William seems at home in the title role and VIRGINIA WIEDLER is believable as his tomboyish daughter crazy about being a little detective herself.