I Killed That Man (1941)

Expected more

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A Masterpiece!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

"Shadows of Sing Sing" director Phil Rosen's murder/mystery "I Killed That Man" boasts a provocative premise that the film doesn't live up to in the long run. Public officials, reporters, friends, and an Assistant District Attorney gather at the prison to witness the execution of a convicted murderer in the electric chair. The condemned killer, Nick Ross (Ralf Harolde of "Horror Island"), makes a public statement before his execution. According to Ross, the dastard who hired him to commit murder has double-crossed him by not helping him escape. Since the unknown man hasn't held up his end of the bargain for Ross, Ross plans to reveal the identity of the man who contracted him to commit murder. Before he can utter that name, a poison dart sinks into his neck, and he collapses stone dead beyond any chance of resuscitation before the room of witnesses. Obviously, this means that one of those witnesses pulled off the crime and killed Ross without alarming anybody else during the crime. Mind you, nobody has left the death chamber before the warden ushered Ross into the premises. Similarly, before anybody can leave the death chamber, Assistant District Attorney Roger Phillips (Ricardo Cortez of "The Walking Dead") intervenes and requests that the warden keep everybody confined until he has questioned them and arrested the guilty suspect. Initially, Phillips asks everybody remove their clothes. Naturally, this doesn't endear any of the witnesses to Phillips. Indeed, Phillips must be reminded that he must disrobe, too. Sadly, Rossen doesn't exploit this opportunity for comic relief. Afterward, Phillips quizzes each about what prompted them came to witness the execution. Ultimately, Phillips cannot make up his mind who killed Ross, but he finds a cigarette holder on the person of an older gentleman who knew Ross in his youth. Phillips suggests Lanning (Harry Holman of "Meet John Doe") is responsible for Ross' murder. The newspaper reporters disperse to type out their respective stories, while Phillips contemplates the mystery. Eventually, Phillips teams up with his girlfriend, reporter Geri Reynolds (Joan Woodbury of "Phantom Killer"), to trap the suspect that they initially least suspect. Rossen does wring considerable comic relief from the District Attorney's Office switchboard operator, T0mmy (George P. Breakston of "Oriental Evil"), who allows them to confirm the identity of the killer when they listen on a two-party telephone line. Once Phillips arrests Lanning, he remains off-screen. One of the suspects, Lowell King (George Pembroke of "Red Snow"), compliments Phillips on his sleuthing savvy but then has to convince the Assistant District Attorney that he isn't the guilty party. Phillips and his newspaper girlfriend think they have the drop on him when they trace a mysterious phone number to his home. Later, they learn that King's loyal butler, Thomas Gordon (Willy Castello of "Mad Youth"), had called Nick Ross from King's phone to place a wager on a horse. My chief complaint about "I Killed That Man" is that the resolution of the mystery isn't that compelling and it is rather complicated, too. You never get to see how the villain killed the condemned man without incriminating himself. Eventually, we are shown how he smuggled the poisoned dart into the room. Moreover, when he does demonstrate how easy it is to shoot the dart with a rubber band, it seems that somebody might have seen him. At least, when the culprit isn't exposed too early, although the film runs a mere 71 minutes. The big break that leads to his arrest occurs all because one of Geri's fellow reporters believes in female equality! Altogether, "I Killed That Man" is interesting, but it would have worked better had they reenacted the crime right after they catch the killer.

I Killed That Man is a fairly typical Poverty Row mystery film. It tells the tale of a man on his way to execution on Death Row who is suddenly killed by a poison dart by an unknown assailant while in a crowded room. The remaining film details the investigation into who is responsible.To be honest there's nothing new here. It delivers what anyone familiar with Poverty Row productions will have come to expect, i.e. not too many thrills, not too many sets and not too many surprises. The film does pick up pace towards the end but it takes it's time getting there unfortunately. I've seen another obscure film from director Phil Rosen – Man With Two Lives – and that one was quite a bit more entertaining in my opinion. Having said that I have seen a lot worse than I Killed That Man, it's not exactly a bad watch for a rainy weekend morning.

I'm beginning to find that the poison dart must have been quite popular in early mystery films. This is at least the fourth such movie I've seen. This one involves one of these darts cheating the hangman. A convicted murderer is about to enter the death chamber when he collapses. There are news people and an array of characters in the room, so one of them must have done it. After that it's the usual stuff. There is the aggressive young female reporter who would rather be married than continue her career. She gets in a bit over he head, of course, and sets things on edge. This is better than most. The acting is fine, there are some famous character actors, and the movie has a sense of humor. You can tell the production value is pretty good. If you don't think too much you can sit back and enjoy this like a bad TV show.

This entertaining mystery is a remake of "The Devil's Mate" (1933) starring the delectable Peggy Shannon. While she had the main role in the earlier version, in this film the emphasis shifts to the versatile Ricardo Cortez.A number of people from different walks of life gather to see the execution of Nicholas Ross (Ralf Harolde), but pandemonium breaks loose when he is murdered on his way to the chair!!! Just moments before, he has delivered a speech in which he is about to name his partner in crime. Anyone of the group could be guilty - but who??? Roger Phillips (Ricardo Cortez), from the DA's office, is on the spot and starts to solve it by requesting that everyone remove their clothes!!! Roth was killed by a poisoned dart and Phillips thinks whoever killed him may have the weapon hidden on his person. After interviewing each person, he is still no closer to solving the crime so a re-enactment takes place. Laning (Harry Holman), an elderly grocer from Roth's home town, fondly remembers Nick as a boy when "the only racket he knew about then was a tennis raquet". In a scheme to find the real killer Phillips places Laning under arrest.Phillip's girlfriend, Geri (Joan Woodbury), is running her own investigation and tracks down Verne Drake (a particularly lovely Iris Adrian) - she remembers a phone conversation Nick had that he was particularly keen on keeping quiet. She also remembers part of the number -1313. Reed (Gavin Gordon) is the person he was talking to and Verne confronts him about a loan of $5,000 that he owes her. When Verne takes him to town to get the money, she dies under suspicious circumstances. Honking the horn to scatter some pedestrians, she collapses at the wheel, poisoned by a dart hidden in the horn. Reed pleads innocent!!!!As the hunt for the murderer narrows the film employs a three way split screen as Phillips realises who the real murderer is!!! You always knew what to expect from Ralf Harolde - villainy, and the slimier the better. Although never a big star, in 1937, he was involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of his friend, Monroe Owsley (another actor who excelled in oily villains). He left films and when he returned, gaunt and with his hair completely white, it was shown that the stress of the accident had taken it's toll. George Breakston is memorable as the young crime reading receptionist. George Pembroke continues his portrayal of sinister types (he was extremely scary in "The Last Alarm" (1940) He plays Lowell King. John Hamilton, who became familiar as Perry White in the TV series Superman, plays the D.A.Recommended.