It was on a dark stormy night when a wealthy man and his second wife played witness to the bearing of a body. The interruption of his daughter with the news that she has just married brings more problems to her family. Along comes Lloyd Nolan as her old pal, Detective Michael Shayne, who pretends to be her husband, and of course, he finds himself become involves with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the corpse.A delightfully fast moving mystery with both supernatural and comic elements, this is one of the better B mysteries of the golden age of B movies. Nolan gets lots of opportunity to display his knack for street smarts and wisecracks. Paul Harvey is also very good as the wealthy political bigwig with scandal breathing down his neck as well as an obvious opportunistic wife and incorrigible daughter who has given him nothing but trouble. There's also a dumb private detective who needs some education from Shayne as to how to handle such complicated cases. This is truly enjoyable with a great conclusion that isn't quite a surprise but handled quite nicely.

An intriguing and surprising mystery, an exciting car chase, a killer whose eyes glow in the dark, a pretty leading lady, a great femme fatale (I cannot understand why Helene Reynolds did not have a better career - maybe it was her own choice to retire early?), and some well-placed bits of comedy (like Michael Shayne stalling for a moment to see if any more beautiful showgirls will run in front of him, of the butler giving an irritated look when the door bell rudely interrupts his eavesdropping!) make "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" (great and appropriate title for this movie, by the way) one of the best entries in the "Michael Shayne" series - for me, it's between this one and "Blue, White And Perfect" for the top spot on the list of the first five films at least. **1/2 out of 4.

All the Lloyd Nolan Michael Shaynes are worth viewing—and this one rates as close to the best! Breezy, nonchalantly aggressive and off-handedly slick Nolan is not only handed a really spooky mystery but is required to impersonate the heroine's husband as well. This aspect leads into some risible, if innocent fun which the players, the actors and the screenwriter all manage to blend with plenty of flesh-creeping thrills and fascinating intrigue. Olin Howland's equally enjoyable comic turns are also integrated into the action with considerable flair and know-how.Marjorie Weaver, although none too enticingly costumed, makes a winning, convincing, vivacious heroine. Blonde siren, Helene Reynolds, also makes quite an impression, although her role was sufficiently strong to dispense with some last act padding. By "B" levels, production values come across as surprisingly lavish, with lots of action and changes of scene, plus a cavernous main set. Leeds' stylish direction also proves quite an eye-opener, though he was helped along by Joe MacDonald's attractively atmospheric camera-work.

Mike Shayne is back with us in The Man Who Wouldn't Die, one of the last of the seven Shayne movies Lloyd Nolan cranked out in a three-year period. While the acting for the most part is no better than you'd expect in a quickie B, it's got the old dark house cliché down pat. Mike Shayne is called upon to pretend to be the new husband of the daughter of a wealthy businessman, now under investigation back in Washington. The man has a lush, young wife, an obsequious male secretary, an older and discrete butler and a live-in, tall and handsome doctor/scientist. Most of all, the man has a huge, isolated mansion with lots of corridors and rooms. And at night, the shadows are dark, the grounds are scary, a murderer creeps about and a buried corpse has trouble staying buried. Shayne's job is to find out why someone took a shot at his female friend in her bedroom, and why everyone, including her father, insists that it was her imagination. Things get even more dicey when the young lady's real husband shows up.Lloyd Nolan brings all of Michael Shayne's wise-cracking confidence to life as he puzzles out a murderous mystery that involves revenge and slow breathing. Except for Nolan, the acting is B level clunky. Still, it's always fun to see Olin Howland do his gullible hayseed routine, this time as Police Chief Meek. In a small part as the town's coroner is Jeff Corey, a good actor when given half a chance. To see him at his best, watch his performance as Blinky Franklin in The Killers.Like all the Michael Shayne mysteries Lloyd Nolan made in the early Forties, nowadays the reason to watch them is Lloyd Nolan. Shayne's good-natured confidence and shrewd thinking is a perfect match for Nolan.