Disappointing most likely considering the well-made predecessor, "The Lone Wolf Strikes" is slower moving and less well cast. The only plus in this comes with the sudden change with Eric Blore added as butler Jameson, played in the previous three entries by other actors. Blore would remain through most the series, adding some consistency with his dealings with boss Warren William, still suave and ready for anything that comes his way (except the persistent females) which usually does. This time around, it's another jewel theft, switched by the predatory female companion of wealthy Roy Gordon who is suddenly killed in a suspicious car accident. William finds out that there's more to this than just a switch of real and fake jewelery and finds himself getting caught up in something big. Convoluted and frustrating at times, this only gets somewhat amusing for the few moments William and Blore switch comic bits of dialog. Joan Perry and Astrid Allwyn are not memorable replacements for the previous entries casting of Ida Lupino and Rita Hayworth, and the pace is much slower as well.

**SPOILERS**Being strictly a second story man, before retiring form is life of crime, jewel thief Michael Lanyard, Warren Williams, get a bit over his head here becoming involved in two not one murders one of which he's the prime suspect in.Lanyard is asked by his friend Stanley Young, Addison Richards, to retrieve his clients Phillip Jordan, Roy Gordon,$100,000.00 pearl necklace that was stolen by his lady friend and, unknown to Jordan, gold digger Binnie Weldon,Astrid Allwyn. It turned out that Binnie and her boyfriend Jim Ryder,Alan Baxter, pulled a fast one on Jordan switching his necklace that was to be given to his daughter Delia, Joan Perry, as a wedding present when she was to be married.Finding out what Binnie did to him Old Man Jordan gets down to business telling her and Jim to give him back his necklace or else he'll have them arrested for grand larceny. Not using his noodle, head, Jordan tipping off Jim & Binnie to his plans ends dead up in, what's made to look like, a fiery car smash-up engineered by Tim.Getting to work on finding the stolen necklace Lanyard is hampered by Jorden's pesky and annoying daughter Delia who's always sticking her pretty nose in his business in finding her father's, which is really hers, pearl necklace. Lanyard slowly puts all the missing facts in the case together by impersonating, after tying him up in his hotel room, international jewelry fence the Prussian looking Belgium jewelry assessor and fencer Emil Gorlick, Montagu Love. Gorlick was to take, at a very handsome price, the pearl necklace off Binnie and Tim's hands and make a nice profit, as much as 75%, for himself on it.Just when you, and Lanyard, think that it's all over Stanley who Lanyard gave the necklace for safe keeping ends up being murdered with the necklace taken by this other group of crooks lead by Alberts Harland Tucker. Alberts had a plan to get Delia to fall in love and marry handsome Ralph, Robert W. Wilcox, a member of his gang. It's then when Delia gets the necklace, when she announces her engagement, Ralph being her future husband can get it off her by literally leaving her standing alone at the altar.Being the last person to see Stanley alive Lanyard is now wanted for his murder and has to work fast and double-time to prove his innocence as well as retrieve, for the second time, the stolen necklace now, after getting it back from Tim & Binnie, by the Alberts Mob.With the help of his faithful butler Jamison, Eric Blore, as well as spreading a rumor that he still has the real necklace Lanyard pulls off the impossible in getting both the police and the Alberts Mob to chase and track him down on a Hudson River Ferry. With both Alberts and the cops trapped on the New York City bound boat Lanyard can now both prove his innocence in his not murdering Stanley but also get those who did, Alberts & Co, arrested by the police. As for the necklace Lanyard tricked Alberts into thinking that he didn't have the real one where he just, by chasing Lanyard on to the ferry and getting himself and his gang arrested, handed it to him and Delia on a silver platter!

This film starts out with a very rich older man showing a young woman his home and a picture of his wife who is wearing a very beautiful diamond necklace. The man offers the young lady the opportunity to wear this necklace to a party they were going to attend and that is when the story gets interesting. There are a few murders and plenty of laughs with Michael Lanyard the Lone Wolf,(Warren William) and his butler Jamison, (Eric Blore). In this film the Lone Wolf decides to retire from detective work and his big hobby is having all kinds of fish tanks all over his apartment which drives Jamison out of his mind trying to take care of them all. This picture was very entertaining with a film background on a car ferry around Manhattan during the 1940's. Enjoy

This is the second of the Lone Wolf series starring the roguish Warren William. While this film includes a positive cast change (Eric Blore is now the butler), the overall level of supporting acting is a big drop off from the last film. In the first one, Rita Hayworth and Ida Lupino were along for the ride as well as the Wolf's daughter (played very well by the excellent child actress, Virginia Weidler). Apart from Blore, the show is all Warren William and while he is very good, the film's chemistry is a bit lacking--making this a pretty ordinary B-detective film. While not quite as exciting or magical as a Sherlock Holmes or Charlie Chan film, it is roughly on-par with a Saint or Falcon film--and this isn't bad company for this film. A slightly better than average time-passer for fans of the genre--but unfortunately, not a lot more.