A Dangerous Game

1941's "A Dangerous Game" actually belies its title, as the atmospheric beginning (a shadowy figure frightening a young nurse) quickly degenerates into a nonstop parade of foolish behavior from the entire 14 player cast. Various inept crooks drop in at an isolated sanitarium to steal the hidden fortune of Silas Biggsby (Andrew Tombes), before Dick Williams (Richard Arlen) reveals himself to be a private investigator, holding everyone at bay in the same living room until the tedious 61 minute running time has exhausted the audience's patience as well. Once the opening credits unspool to the familiar cues from 1939's "Son of Frankenstein," what had the makings of a promising mystery whodunit is sabotaged by a witless script that ranks with Hollywood's poverty row worst. Director John Rawlins certainly had a miserable track record (1938's "The Missing Guest"), but there were 1942's "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror," and 1947's "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" as two definite highlights. The excellent, hard working cast is not at fault for their moronic material (Richard Arlen and Andy Devine a popular team at the time), but when even dependable veteran baddie Marc Lawrence is required to engage in such lowjinks, it's truly a hopeless case. Among the handful of non genre titles included in Universal's SHOCK! package of classic horror films issued to television in the late 50's, "A Dangerous Game" may perhaps be the very worst of them all, quite deserving of its total obscurity.