SECRET OF THE WHISTLER
US, 1946, 65 minutes, Black-and-white.
Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane, Mary Currier, Mona Barrie, Ray Walker, Claire Du Brey.
Directed by George Sherman.
A series of eight films began in 1944, small supporting features at Columbia. Four of the films were directed by William Castle who, during the 1950s, directed small budget action adventures like Slaves of Babylon, Saracen Blade. From 1958 to 1968 he made a number of exploitative horror films with all kinds of gimmicks to scare audiences, House on Haunted Hill, I Saw What you Did. He also produced Rosemary’s Baby.
• The Whistler - 1944, directed by William Castle
• The Mark of the Whistler - 1944, directed by William Castle
• The Power of the Whistler – 1945, directed by Lew Landers
• Voice of the Whistler – 1945, directed by William Castle
• Mysterious Intruder – 1946, directed by William Castle
• The Secret of the Whistler – 1946, directed by George Sherman
• The Thirteenth Hour – 1947, directed by William Clemens
• The Return of the Whistler – 1948, directed by D. Ross Lederman
As with the radio program, the films are introduced by a shadowy figure walking across the screen, with his signature whistling, which sometimes recurs throughout the film is. He begins to speak, is a narrator of stories about crime, sometimes intervening with narration during the action of the films.
The star of seven of the eight of the films was Richard Dix who had begun his silent film career in 1917, was a popular star for the next 30 years, appearing in the 1931 Academy Award winning Cimarron.
The interesting point about Richard Dix’s presence is that he portrayed a different character in each film. Most of the characters are not entirely sympathetic, ambiguous in their moral attitudes, sometimes swinging between the law and working outside the law.
This is a six film in the series. At the opening of the film, Richard Dix portrays an older, serious artist. He has a strong reputation and seems a genial person. His friendly with another artist (played by Michael Duane who appeared in the last of the Whistler films after Richard Dix retired and died years later). The friend also has a glamorous model, played by Leslie Brooks, who is intrigued by the artist and poses for him.
The complexity is that the artist has an ill wife, to whom he seems devoted. She is cared for by doctors and a loyal maid. However, the artist becomes more infatuated with the model who resists his attentions at first, enjoying his company, but then resisting the idea of marrying him what his wife is sick.
She, is looked after by the doctors and recovers. She goes to visit her husband in his studio, hiding to surprise him, then overhearing his talking to the model and promising to marry her and for her to wait because his wife will die soon.
The wife confronts her husband, threatens to cut off his supply because she has supported him all his career. He offers to move out, back and tries to put poison in her medication. She dies – and he marries the model. But, he is worried of the possibilities wife left a diary. The new wife finds it, discusses it with the loyal maid, with her artist friend – and, ultimately, the artist trying to strangle her is apprehended by the police.
A fairly evident moral tone.
