THE INVISIBLE MENACE (1938)

Despite the title, this isn't horror or sci-fi, but a Warners B-mystery, set on an isolated military base on the West Coast. One foggy night, Army private Eddie Craven smuggles his new bride (Marie Wilson) onto the island; it also happens to be the night that a man is found murdered (and tortured, with bayonet slashes across his chest). The island is quarantined and the chief suspect is Boris Karloff, who has a criminal record which he claims is due to a past wrongdoing by the dead man. The commanding officer (Henry Kolker) gets an Army Intelligence man (Cy Kendall) to fly in that night to investigate. It's not hard to figure out that Karloff is a red herring; other suspects include Charles Trowbridge as a civilian doctor who seems awfully dead set against Karloff, and Regis Toomey as an efficient lieutenant who helps Kendall with his investigation. Kendall himself comes off as rather suspicious for a while. Frank Faylen and John Ridgely also appear. Everyone talks very quickly and it's over in an hour, no muss, no fuss. As usual with Warners, the (limited) sets are very good for a B-film, though undoubtedly the fog helps hide any budget limitations. Marie Wilson is good, as she always is, but is underused. The amusing last scene is of Craven and Wilson finally consummating their marriage in a tent, under the watchful eye of a sentry! [TCM]

THE ADVENTURES OF JANE ARDEN (1939)

Fairly undistinguished B-thriller based on a popular 30's comic strip (which ran through the 60's). The title character, played charmlessly by Rosella Towne, is a go-get-'em girl reporter who winds up on tracking down a gang of gem smugglers who use women to bring in the stolen booty, then kill them when the trail gets too hot. What interest the movie has is provided by a decent supporting cast. James Stephenson is very good (slick and ruthless) as the chief bad guy; William Gargan has some charm as Arden's editor, but he doesn't have much to do. Dennie Moore (very funny as Olga the gossiping manicurist in THE WOMEN) and Benny Rubin (Warner's stock Jewish comic) supply solid comic relief. John Ridgely is a reporter. There is a surprisingly brutal killing in the first few minutes of the film, all the more surprising because the victim is a woman. The hour-long movie is not bad, but not terribly compelling, undone mostly by the lead. [TCM]