The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939)

Reasonably entertaining, but too much comedy, 30 June 2021

The Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard (Warren William), realizes he’s being set-up to take the fall for a series of thefts involving government secrets.  With the police eager to nab him for the crime, Lanyard’s out to clear his name.

Until I watched The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, I’d never seen a Lone Wolf film.  I’ve always been a fan of the 30s / 40s mystery / comedy series like The Thin Man, The Falcon, and The Saint, so I figured The Lone Wolf would be comparable.  While I was reasonably entertained and will most likely seek out other Lone Wolf movies, I had some issues with the movie that keep me from endorsing it whole-heartedly.  My chief gripe is that the movie never strikes the right balance between the comedy and the mystery elements..  There’s just too much funny business.  Between the girlfriend Val, butler Jameson, daughter Patricia, and cop Sgt Devan, there are enough comedic shenanigans for three movies.  As for the mystery elements, they’re about what you expect from this kind of film and not dissimilar from what you find in one of the other series I mentioned.  One plot point  I really did enjoy was the envelope of secret plans passing back and forth, over and over. 

Even if you aren’t into this kind of movie, there are other things that make The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt worth checking out - Ida Lupino and Rita Hayworth.  Both were 20 years old and still looking for their big breaks.  Really neat they’re both in a movie like this.

5/10