Find the Blackmailer

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Jerome Cowan and Faye Emerson in Find the Blackmailer (1943)

John Rhodes (Gene Lockhart)hires private detective D. L. Trees (Jerome Cowan)to track down a talking blackbird owned by Fred Molner, who uses the bird as a means of blackmailing Rhodes. Moln... Read allJohn Rhodes (Gene Lockhart)hires private detective D. L. Trees (Jerome Cowan)to track down a talking blackbird owned by Fred Molner, who uses the bird as a means of blackmailing Rhodes. Molner has taught the bird to repeat "Don't kill me, Rhodes" in the event he is murdered by a ... Read allJohn Rhodes (Gene Lockhart)hires private detective D. L. Trees (Jerome Cowan)to track down a talking blackbird owned by Fred Molner, who uses the bird as a means of blackmailing Rhodes. Molner has taught the bird to repeat "Don't kill me, Rhodes" in the event he is murdered by a member of a gambling syndicate he has defrauded. Going to Molner's apartment, Trees finds ... Read all

Director
- D. Ross Lederman
Writers
- Robert E. Kent
- G.T. Fleming-Roberts
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

339

YOUR RATING

Director
- D. Ross Lederman
Writers
- Robert E. Kent
- G.T. Fleming-Roberts
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

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Storyline

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Trivia
Released at a mere 55 minutes, this was one of the shortest feature films released by Warner Brothers in 1943. Warner Brothers would soon abandon production of B-pictures such as this one.

Goofs
When Trees is in the Westmore Hotel room with Rhodes and Hickey, he is pacing back and forth with his hands inside the pockets of his trousers. But on the following cut, he is now pacing with his hands inside the pockets of his suit jacket.

Quotes
D.L. Trees: Now be quiet, I'm listening to the radio.
Pandora Pines: You, listening to jive? You don't even know what a hep cat is.
D.L. Trees: Sure I do. It's a cat that heps.
Pandora Pines: [rolls eyes]

Connections
Spoofs The Maltese Falcon (1941)

User reviews15

Review

Featured review

6/10

all done in under an hour

Jerome Cowan is a private investigator "Trees", hired by local politician John Rhodes (Gene Lockhart). The plot is pretty wacky and convoluted; There's a talking bird. and a blackmailer. and the blackmailer's girlfriend, Mona (Faye Emerson). Emerson was a bombshell actress during the 1940s, and was married to one of the Roosevelt sons, but moved to mostly television after that. Rhodes wants the PI to locate and steal the talking bird, since its words could hurt Rhodes' political carreer. Corny. but thankfully short, at about 56 minutes. The ongoing music is almost cartoon-caperish, and seldom matches the action. Directed by Ross Lederman. odd.. imdb has him married to Doris, but on wikipedia, he's married to June. The lawyer is played by Mark Kent; was a prize fighter who moved into films, but died quite young at 46. "Blackmailer" moves right along, it's all very okay. the writers try to highlight the clever bickering and banter between Trees and his assistant, but it doesn't really work... there just isn't much chemistry there.