Kid Glove Killer (1942)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

John C. Higgins (story)
Allen Rivkin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

April 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

First feature film from director Fred Zinneman is a snappy little "B" feature that features Van Heflin...

Plot Keywords:

Mayor | Murder | Evidence | Marriage Proposal | False Accusation

Cast

Van Heflin	...	Gordon McKay
Marsha Hunt	...	Jane Mitchell
Lee Bowman	...	Gerald I. Ladimer
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Mayor Daniels
Cliff Clark	...	Captain Lynch
Eddie Quillan	...	Eddie Wright
John Litel	...	Matty
Cathy Lewis	...	Bessie Wright (as Catherine Lewis)
Nella Walker	...	Mrs. Daniels

Also Known As:

Along Came Murder (USA) (working title)
Then There Were Two (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #8051) | Australia:PG

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Some cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names, if any): Connie Gilchrist (Mrs. Harrison Chetwode), Naomi Childers (Miss Huser), Mary Currier (Manager), Charles Wagenheim (Martin), 'Florence Wright' (Saleslady), Harry Strang and Ted Oliver. Childers was apparently replaced by May McAvoy.

Movie Connections:

Remake of A Crime Does Not Pay Subject: They're Always Caught (1938)

B movie from an A director

Van Heflin is a forensics man trying to solve a couple of murders in "Kid Glove Killer," a 1942 MGM film also starring Marsha Hunt and Lee Bowman. As in "The Grand Central Murder," it's Heflin's performance that puts this film across, though this time he is aided by the lovely Marsha Hunt as his assistant, whom he calls "Mitchell." Lee Bowman plays a crooked politician pretending to be a good guy, and as a result, he's eager to see an innocent man put away for murder. He also is after the aforementioned Mitchell, who is waiting around for Heflin to make a move. Hunt's role is somewhat dated (or maybe not) - she's on her way to becoming a good forensics person, but says that the job is not for a woman and she wants to get married. Evidently that will put an end to her career.

Heflin was an interesting actor who could do character roles and leads. This film was made around the time of his breakthrough role in "Johnny Eager," after which he hung up his B movie mantle and moved on to bigger things. He always brought wry humor and subtle characterizations to his roles as well as excellent timing. Lee Bowman was a mustached actor who looked like he came from the Warren William era. He's solid but not terribly exciting. Hunt brings warmth and sparkle to her role.

There was, in my opinion, a major problem with the plot having to do with Heflin testing to find particles in the hair of various suspects some time after the crime - wouldn't the particles have come out when they washed their hair? You really end up thinking no one ever took a shower.

Nice beginning for Zinnemann, who would go on to direct some big features such as "High Noon."