London Blackout Murders (1943) User Reviews

As quick as they get

[the_mysteriousx · 6/10 · 18 October 2010]

'London Blackout Murders' is a 50 minute suspense B-picture from early 1943 about the then-current war in London. I'm always amazed at how Hollywood would make so many films in the early 40s about the war, whereas today it took them until 2006 to release anything on the Afghan and Iraq wars. This film definitely embodies the one-for-all and all-for-one spirit that films of this era did, but in this quick running time, there isn't much time for anything.

The story involves a man (John Abbott - an excellent actor) who is murdering select individuals during the German bombings of London. He uses a hypodermic needle that is embedded in his pipe. So, the film is not about who, but why. We follow a young lady (Mary McLeod) who, after her parents are killed in bombings, is boarding in his building. She sees the needle in the pipe and is suspicious of him as newspapers say the killer used such a needle. Upon his second murder, Abbott is witnessed by a police officer (Lloyd Corrigan) who looks into his character further.

This is somewhat reminiscent of what Hitchcock was doing around this time - 'Suspicion' and 'Foreign Correspondent'. It is interesting and neatly directed by the journeyman George Sherman. One only wishes it were longer. By the 40 minute mark we are in the final lap and are about to find out the why. I understand there seems to be a 59 minute version that originally came out, but I would think that would be hard to ever see again. Paramount owns these old Republic films and seem pretty stingy on releasing them. You can only find them through collectors.

That all being said, 'London Blackout Murders' is recommended to suspense fans (there are absolutely no horror moments despite what you may have read elsewhere), and fans of the WWII era.

Intellectually more interesting than emotionally

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 25 June 2011]

Moody murder mystery set during the early days of the Blitz. As people huddle in bomb shelters someone is going around killing well placed people. Who is doing it and why? Could it be the kindly tobacco salesman? Off beat film has mood and an odd plot that keeps you watching but there is something off about it that makes it more an intellectual candy than an emotional one. I like the film but I don't love it, part of the problem is the film is talky and oddly paced. The things that make it intellectually intriguing are the same things that make it prickly.

If you want a mystery that doesn't feel like any other this is it. If you want one that is warm and snuggly this isn't it.

definitely worth seeing for the intellectual intriguing nature of it.

Bomb shelters aren't totally safe.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 14 December 2010]

A more or less predictable 50 minute B-picture from Republic. Taking place in London during WWII, where bombs are falling hard and heavy. Terrified people seek out the closest shelter with something else to fear...a sly lunatic seems to have a murderous agenda of killing people with a hypodermic needle. There soon becomes comparisons with the legendary Jack the Ripper. A tobacco store owner (John Abbott)suddenly draws attention as curiosity grows about the selection of the rich men being murdered during the German bombing raids. All of the victims do have something in common and in the eyes of the law...murder is murder. Other players include: Mary McLeod, Lloyd Corrigan, Anita Sharp-Bolster and Lester Matthews.

"The pubs still open and Mrs. Pringle not having a drink. That's alarming"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 30 June 2020]

In the London blitz a tobacconist, nice Jack Rawlings, uses a hypodermic needle concealed in a smoking pipe to murder several people. Eventually he is caught. The best part of the film is the end where his motive is revealed and this makes several people sympathetic to what he has done. It sets up a tension between murder as a crime and murder as a defence of the realm, which is salient because there is bombing happening above their heads. In the end what Rawlings did may have been in some ways laudable, the killing of traitors in wartime, but in the film the law concerning murder has to be upheld.

One does indeed sympathise with Rawlings partly because he is played very well by John Abbott, who is self-effacing and helpful but also determined to do the killings. Lloyd Corrigan is also good as Inspector Harris. The ubiquitous Olaf Hytten has an uncredited role as a court official.

At the end before he is taken away to prison Rawlings offers a character Peter Dongen the means to carry on with his homicidal work. The character turns him down but it would have been interesting if had Dongen decided to continue unabashed with the unlawful killing of traitors. Though am not sure the Hays Office would have approved.

A Few Nice Touches but a Dud

[Michael_Elliott · 4 December 2010]

London Blackout Murders (1943)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Bland, boring and rather predictable "mystery" from Republic set during London as WWII is at full steam. The people are terrified about the bombs dropping from the air but they've also got to worry about murders happening in the streets by a nut with a hypodermic needle. It turns out the killer is a store owner (John Abbott) who is considered one of the nicest men around so it's not who is doing the crimes but why. When you watch a Republic film you know very well not to expect anything overly special. At best you hope for a slightly entertaining film but sadly that's not the case with this thing, which even at 55-minutes seems way too long and pointless. The film tries to be clever and there are a few nice touches but in the end there's just not enough going on with this thing to make it worth viewing. Some of the interesting aspects is having it set during the war with the people of London having to deal with the air raids. This also leads to a couple nice scenes showing the women in the factories working while the men are off fighting in the war. This was something that was happening and it's rather shocking that so few movies mention it. We even get some talk of Jack the Ripper but outside of this stuff London BLACKOUT MURDERS is very flat. The entire reasons as to why this nice man is killing people should be obvious within the first few minutes of the film so when the big twist happens it comes way too late. Abbott is a fine actor and does what he can with the role but even he can't work miracles. Mary McLeod plays the woman renting a room from him but she can't add much either. The final courtroom stuff is rather embarrassing so needless to say there's not really any reason to check this one out. Universal horror vet Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay.

Creepy Blitz mood

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 6/10 · 10 March 2021]

This is a little B movie directed by George Sherman and written by Curt Siodmack. The story of murders during the London Blitz is original, but the script is too much talky with no real action. I prefer Sherman as a western director with Hell bent for leather, Dawn at Soccorro, or Sam Bass and Calimity Jane.

disappointing WW II noir

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 9 October 2019]

For a noir fan, "London Blackout Murders" from 1943 sounds exciting. It isn't.

A young woman (Mary McLeod) is bombed out of her house and moved into a place that apparently has an unsavory reputation. The man downstairs, Oliver Madison (Leslie Matthews) is helpful, but when news of the London Blackout Murders, which seem to take place in bomb shelters hits, Mary believes he may be the blackout murderer. The murders were committed with a hypodermic, and Mary saw that he had one.

A Scotland Yard Inspector (Lloyd Corrigan) believes Madison might be guilty too and uncovers a secret he's keeping. However, if he is indeed killing these people, why?

This film is not much on action, tension, or suspense. What it does have is that foggy British atmosphere and certainly puts forth the idea that London during WW II was a scary place. Not very impressive.

Who Will Watch When The Watchers Are At War?

[boblipton · 5/10 · 1 September 2019]

Mary McLeod moves to London to work in a war plant. She takes up residence in a flat over a closed tobacconist. John Abbott welcomes her, puts a shilling in the meter for her ht water and invites her and her boyfriend to a dinner of pre-war tinned sardines. Of course, she suspects him of being the Blackout Murderer, who's been killing random strangers during air raids. So does Scotland Yard inspector Lloyd Corrigan. Dogwalker Anita Sharp-Bolster doesn't know anything about murders. She wants him arrested for leaving the dogs she parks in his shop while she's out getting drunk.

Working from a script by Curt Siodmak, director George Sherman offers a bizarre tale of morality far afield from normal practices, and the claim that when the law is helpless to act, then individuals must do so. I can't tell if the story was this abrupt when it was offered to the produces, or it got trimmed too far by editor Charles Craft, who figured it would never be more than the third film on a triple bill. In any case, it's disturbing.

All Clear

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 13 August 2017]

With hindsight there's a wonderful irony at work here; screenwriter Curt Siodmak (kid brother of director Robert) was born in Dresden, Germany, and turned out this screenplay about the nightly bombings in London a good two years before Bomber Harris orchestrated the almost total annihilation of Dresden (which had no military value) by carpet bombing. Siodmak had made his name writing a different kind of horror with titles like Wolf Man, I Walked With A Zombie and the like and managed to pull off this neat 'why' not so much as 'who' dunnit featuring John Abbot as the cool assassin and Lloyd Corrigan - so memorable in the Jose Ferrer Cyrano de Bergerac and later The Manchurian Candidate - as the intrepid detective who solves the case. At 50-odd minutes it's a nice little curio.

Patriotism via murder.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 17 December 2014]

You already know who the murder is when the first one is committed, so there is no mystery here as far as that is concerned. The mystery is to as why, and that plot point also really comes to no surprise. This is more interesting for its plot set-up, the abundance of eccentric British characters and a twist that comes out from the plot revelation that was obvious a mile away. It all surrounds a frail young woman (Mary McLeod) who witnessed her parents being killed during an air raid and is instantly paranoid of the intellectual man (John Abbott) who owns the house where she is resting. Anita Sharp-Bolster, a British version of Margaret Hamilton, is amusing as a hatchet-faced busybody who suspects Abbott of nefarious deeds, and indeed, he is. The victims are dispatched with the aid of a hidden weapon which literally causes a physical burning that kills quickly after horrendous pain. Portly Lloyd Corrigan (as an easy going detective) is obviously not British, but it is his investigation which exposes everything. While there are some interesting things about this low-budget Republic programmer, it really isn't all that intriguing even though there are some interesting elements about it.