Ellery Queen Master Detective 1940
Plot Summery
he
mysteriously ill John Braun (Fred Niblo) makes a new will, leaving out
his daughter Barbara (Marsha Hunt), over the protests of his wife (Ann
Shoemaker). The trouble began when the daughter wanted to marry Mr.
Braun's doctor, James Rogers (Michael Whalen). Mrs. Braun asks
Inspector Queen to help find the long-missing Barbara. The inspector's
son, Ellery (Ralph Bellamy), works on the case. He goes to a home
frequently visited by Dr. Rogers where the bell is answered by Nikki
Porter (Margaret Lindsay) who Ellery mistakes for Barbara and insists
she return to the Braun home. Nikki does, to protect Barbara, and a
short time later finds herself alone in a room outside Braun's bedroom.
She finds him dead - his throat cut. No weapons are found and the door
to the room where Nikki had been is locked, and she is suspected.
Ellery hides Nikki in his apartment. Braun's body, sent for an autopsy,
disappears and in its place is a life-sized statue of the dead man.
Ellery finds the body in a closet, the police prepare to send it
downtown but someone drives off with the ambulance. Ellery, with Nikki,
visits Braun's bedroom that night and discovers that a pet raven flies
in and out taking items.

The Devil's Mask  1946
From the  "I Love a Mystery" series.Detective Jack
Packard and his sidekick Doc Young investigating the identity of a
shrunken head that was discovered in a downed cargo plane. The head was
one of four others discovered in the wreckage. It was notable as having
belonged to a red-haired white man believed to be a missing explorer.
The two sleuths are hired by the explorer's daughter who has them
follow her mother and her father's associate. The detectives soon
reveal that the murderer was a taxidermist on the expedition.

THE DAY THE SKY EXPLODED  1958

This movie is very good considering what a low budget it must have had. A combined Italian-French effort this film was the basis for Meteor, Deep Impact, and Armageddon many years later. The special effects are very good for the era. One of the most interesting aspects of the film is that it showed U.S.-Russian cooperation for peaceful means at the hight of the cold war, very different than most movies of the time. The other similar movie of the 1950's about a collision with Earth is When Worlds Collide. However even though When Worlds Collide is in color this is the better and more realistic of the two films. Also there is less damage to the Earth in this movie than in Meteor, Deep Impact, and especially When Worlds Collide where the earth gets completely destroyed. It is interesting to see primitive computers and airplanes of the time. If you like Deep Impact and Armageddon you need to see this film that those two movies were based on.
Comments Written by Craig Gerard from North Little Rock, AR USA