The spirits flow freely in this good "Boston Blackie" episode where the occult and a blackmail ring go hand in hand, leading to murder. It's a mixture of mystery and comedy, and when George E. Stone says, "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle", you expect the old Bob Hope gag to occur with him. Chester Morris is aiding blackmail victim Jeff Donnell and this leads him into the traps of sinister mediums (Marvin Miller and Forbes Murray) and their sexy but deadly assistant (Dusty Anderson). Richard Lane and Frank Sully spent much of this series switching between smart and stupid, and it's back to buffoonery for them here. I give this one a higher than just average simply for an interesting setup, believable characters, comedy that doesn't grate on your nerves and flowing by seamlessly without unnecessary distractions or needless schtick concerning Morris and Stone's penchant for impressions.

This entry in the Boston Blackie series has Blackie trying to help a young woman who is being blackmailed by a spiritualist, Dr. Nejino, played by familiar Columbia heavy Marvin Miller. When Blackie confronts Nejino, the doctor does something unusual for a spiritualist in these old movies - he admits the whole séance business is an act, but that it is an act that helps his patients deal with the losses of loved ones in their own way and in their own time. In the case of the young woman in question - wealthy Anne Duncan - her father's death has left her terribly lonely in spite of her recent marriage. So Nejino invites Blackie to watch one of his séances. The problem is, during the séance a member of the audience is knifed in the back. Of course, Blackie is suspect number one in the case.This one has plenty of good old fashioned haunted house and ghostly fun, and if it seems that magic is a recurring theme in the Boston Blackie series, it is so for a reason. Chester Morris was a very good amateur magician, even entertaining the troops during World War II with his act. Recommended for anyone who specifically likes the Boston Blackie series or the old B detective movies of the 40's in general.

The Phantom Thief has Boston Blackie and The Runt helping out yet another pal from stir with a burglary problem. Three bodies later including Murray Alper's their friend and they're up to their necks in it. The supremely inept police Richard Lane and Frank Sully get involved once again, but Blackie solves the caper. Would you expect anything else.The series was clearly running out of gas with this episode. The main problem in this film was how George E. Stone could be so dumb in this film. Remember while he's Chester Morris's faithful retainer, Stone is also an a crook and he ought to know about the fake medium racket and the gags they use for the marks. It made no sense to get as hysterical as he did.This by the way was George E. Stone's farewell to the Boston Blackie series. He was a remarkable player doing everything from the Runt to some good drama with playing Edward G. Robinson's retainer in Little Caesar to one of the big shot gamblers who catches Frank Sinatra cheating in The Man With The Golden Arm.As for Blackie who knows carnival tricks in a New York minute it's not long revealed that the real victim of spiritualist Marvin Miller is Jeff Donnell another society dame in distress. Without going into the story let's say Donnell has some real bad taste in men.The Runt is loyal to Blackie, but not as dumb as he's made out here.

The Runt has a friend in a jam—he's stolen some "papers" that turn out to be hot jewels. Boston Blackie is, of course, drawn into the situation; the friend, of course, is murdered; and Inspector Farraday, of course, is right there to practically catch Blackie in the act. It all opens up a case of blackmail, another murder or so, a spiritualist and a couple of séances—and a fair amount of good-natured tough talk and silly banter.By now, Inspector Farraday knows that when he shows up at a murder scene, Boston Blackie is going to be less than cooperative: "All I needed to hear from the men on the beat was that you had a perfect alibi and I took this call myself," he tells Blackie. "Now I'd like to hear some of your best double talk." Blackie and Farraday operate at full speed in this well-written series entry. Their sidekicks, the Runt and Detective Matthews, are faithful but dumb as usual. The Runt's childish squeals do grow somewhat annoying, but I have to admit it's pretty funny watching him and Matthews cower and yelp together at the séance.Two female characters play important roles. Jeff Donnell is Anne, a young woman who suffers from nervous troubles—or is that diagnosis an invention of the sinister Dr. Nejino, the spiritualist? Less passive—more actively looking out for herself—and more interesting is Dusty Anderson as Sandra, the mystic's assistant, whose loyalties are frequently in question but are mainly to herself.A pretty good plot and a handful of good gags keep this episode moving. (My favorite bit: Farraday barking into the phone that "We're getting closer to Boston Blackie every minute," unaware that Blackie is at that very moment—well, much closer than Farraday thinks.) A satisfying hour for Blackie admirers.