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Best Buy > Music & Movies > Movies > Thrillers > Thrillers > Product Info

Michael Shayne Mysteries Collection, Vol. 1 - DVD

SKU: 8238356 | Release Date: 3/20/2007

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Format
DVD
Length
278 minutes
Genre
Thrillers
Studio
20th Century Fox
Aspect Ratio
1.33:1

Synopsis

Includes:
  • Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940)
  • Blue, White, and Perfect (1941)
  • Sleepers West (1941)
  • The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942)

    Michael Shayne, Private Detective
    Brett Halliday's flippant Irish-American private eye Michael Shayne was first brought to the screen by 20th Century-Fox in 1940, with Lloyd Nolan cast to perfection as Shayne. In dire financial straits as usual, Mike allows himself to be hired by his millionaire pal Brighton (Clarence Kolb) to keep the old man's chronic-gambler daughter Phyllis (Marjorie Weaver). This won't be easy, since Phyllis has been associating with such hardcase types as gambling boss Gordon (Douglas Dumbrille) and his handsome flunkey Harry Grange (George Meeker). To teach Phyllis a lesson, Mike knocks out Harry and makes it look as though the man was murdered. Unfortunately, Harry ends up murdered for real, and soon both Mike and Phyllis are high on the suspect list. Our hero manages to expose the real murderer with the assistance of Phyllis' maiden aunt Olivia (Elizabeth Patterson), an eccentric mystery-novel enthusiast. An expert blend of comedy and suspense, Michael Shayne, Private Detective (based on Halliday's novel Dividend for Death) bode well for the brief "Shayne" series that followed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

    Blue, White, and Perfect
    The high batting average of 20th Century-Fox's Michael Shayne detective series remained intact with Blue, White and Perfect. Having prevented his sweetheart Merle Garland (Mary Beth Hughes) from marrying a bigamous fortune-hunter (Ivan Lebedeff), Mike Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) offers to marry the girl himself (at long last!) Merle agrees, but only if Mike gets out of the private-eye racket and takes an honest job. Shayne manages to land a job at an aircraft factory, only to discover that he's been hired to protect the company's valuable supply of industrial diamonds. When the gems are stolen during a highly suspicious break-in, Mike follows the trail of clues to a fancy dress shop managed by one Mr. Hagermann (Henry Victor). Sending his fiancee off on a wild goose chase, Mike trails Hagermann to a Honolulu-bound ocean liner, where he renews an acquaintance with former lady friend Helen Shaw (Helene Reynolds) and is introduced to overly effusive young playboy Juan Arturo O'Hara (George Reeves). Detective-movie logic dictates that at least one of these characters is inextricably linked with the elusive Hagermann-who is no mere diamond thief but a very clever German spy. All sorts of serial-like thrills await Shayne before he manages to uncover the "Mister Big" behind the stolen diamond racket (and it's a real surprise to boot!) Like most of Fox's Michael Shayne series entries, Blue White and Perfect was based not on a "Shayne" novel by Bret Halliday, but on a whodunit originally written for another fictional sleuth: In this instance, the source was a novel by Borden Chase. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

    Sleepers West
    This second entry in 20th Century-Fox's "Michael Shayne" series was a remake of the 1932 Fox romantic drama Sleepers East. In the original, the detective character was peripheral, but this changed once Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) was written in as the leading character. Dogged by persistent girl reporter Kay Bentley (Lynn Bari), private detective Shayne tries his best to secretly escort murder-trial witness Helen Carlson (Mary Beth Hughes) by train from Denver to San Francisco. Helen's testimony will free a man falsely accused of murder, which will also effectively destroy the election chances of a machine politician. Thus, Mike has to protect Helen from any and all likely assassins, including hired torpedo Carl Izzard (Don Costello), who manages to inveigle Kay's wishy-washy fiance Tom Linscott (Don Douglas) into his camp. Meanwhile, the incognito Helen strikes up a clandestine relationship with fellow passenger Everett Jason (Louis-Jean Heydt), who is harboring a few secrets of his own. Based on a story by Frederick Nebel (or "Torchy Blaine" fame), Sleepers West is full of chock-full of fascinating characterizations and startling little surprises, and is considered by many to be the best of Fox's "Michael Shayne" installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

    The Man Who Wouldn't Die
    20th Century-Fox's The Man Who Wouldn't Die is based on No Coffin for the Corpse, a "Merlini the Great" mystery penned by Clayton Rawson. Alas, magician-sleuth Merlini has been reduced to an expository bit role, and the property has been converted into a "Michael Shayne" series entry. In the first scene, three men-industrialist Dudley Wolff (Paul Harvey), Wolff's secretary Dunning (Robert Emmet Keane) and research scientist Dr. Haggard (Henry Wilcoxon)-are shown disposing of a corpse in the dead of night. Shortly afterward, Wolff's daughter Catherine (Marjorie Weaver) shows up unexpectedly, with news of her recent marriage. Wolff and his confreres manage to keep their body-burying activities a secret from Catherine, but later that night her bedroom is invaded by a gun-wielding stranger-who happens to be the "body" buried in Scene One! Deducing that something is amiss, Catherine summons her old friend, detective Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan), to come to the Wolff mansion to investigate. So that Mike can move about without arousing suspicion, Catherine pretends that he's her new husband-which, of course, inevitably leads to chaos and confusion when the real hubby (Richard Derr) shows up. Before this happens, however, another murder takes place, apparently committed by that very active corpse, and it is this plus several randomly placed clues which prompts Mike to consult his magician pal Radini for advice. The suspect list includes Wolff's young wife Anne (Helene Reynolds) and Phillips the butler (Billy Bevan), while the "official" authorities are represented by bucolic Chief Meek (Olin Howlin) and dour coroner Larsen (Jeff Corey). More interesting for its supporting cast than its story, The Man Who Wouldn't Die is one of the lesser Michael Shayne mysteries, with Shayne seeming to be arbitrarily inserted in the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide


  • Version Details

    Languages/Sound
    Eng
    Subtitle Languages
    Eng/Spa/Fre
    Additional Features
    Michael Shayne, Private Detective special features: The Detective Who Never Dies featurette Restoration comparison The Man Who Wouldn't Die Special features The art of Robert McGinnis: Mike Shayne and Beyon featurette Robert McGinnis gallery Restoration comparison Sleepers West Special features Follow That Lead! An interview trivia guide Restoration comparison Blue, White and Perfect Special features Nabbing Crooks the Mike Shayne Way featurette Restoration comparison
    Chapters
    Disc #1, Side A -- Sleepers West / Blue, White and Perfectt
    1. Main Titles/ Bygones [3:52]
    2. Out of Sight [4:15]
    3. Engaged [5:34]
    4. Sob Sister [1:35]
    5. Got a Light? [1:03]
    6. In Kind of a Jam [1:37]
    7. Spoutting Money [2:10]
    8. Front Page [3:15]
    9. Pretty Smooth [3:17]
    10. A Very Bad Habit [3:28]
    11. The Right Guy [1:38]
    12. Starting All Over [4:01]
    13. Quite a Hall [6:28]
    14. Opportunity Knocks [2:21]
    15. Wreck! [:22]
    16. Bad Bump [1:58]
    17. A Fine Story [2:35]
    18. Breakdown [3:14]
    19. Big-Hearted Hannah [1:47]
    20. Surprise/End Titles [1:51]
    Disc #1, Side B -- Sleepers West / Blue, White and Perfectt
    1. Main Titles [1:01]
    2. Merle the Pearl [1:55]
    3. Heaven Requires Legality [1:14]
    4. Fournier the Faker [2:59]
    5. Riveted to His Job [4:47]
    6. Men on the Move [1:17]
    7. A Southern Gentleman [2:08]
    8. Checking in With Merle [3:45]
    9. Buttoning Down a Plan [1:40]
    10. Shayne Drops In [3:21]
    11. A Thousand-Dollar Down Payment [2:02]
    12. Fellow Travelling Companions [2:20]
    13. Take My Advice [5:45]
    14. Men With Guns [5:18]
    15. Scavenging Cops [2:05]
    16. Down the Hatch [3:47]
    17. Keeping It Quiet [3:43]
    18. Double Dealings [7:15]
    19. Candy-Coated Ice [:18]
    20. End Titles [5:12]
    Disc #2, Side A -- Michael Shayne, Private Detective / The Man Who Wouldn't Die
    1. Main Titles [:53]
    2. A Fifty-Dollar Photo [1:22]
    3. Saved From a Sure Thing [2:49]
    4. Job Offers [4:25]
    5. Benny's Casino [3:25]
    6. Moving In [1:47]
    7. Eliminating Obstacles [3:38]
    8. Dead In Her Car [5:00]
    9. Framed! [1:46]
    10. Looking for Clues [3:11]
    11. Corroborating His Story [3:59]
    12. Pinning It On Marsha [2:06]
    13. The Thousand on the Nose [5:05]
    14. Cornering Benny [3:43]
    15. A Barrel of Clues [1:05]
    16. Aunt Olivia's Best Performance [3:25]
    17. From Murder to Forgery [3:44]
    18. The Gang's All Here [:52]
    19. Permanently Retained [3:44]
    20. End Titles [5:45]
    Disc #2, Side B -- Michael Shayne, Private Detective / The Man Who Wouldn't Die
    1. Main Titles [:56]
    2. The Burial [2:01]
    3. Catherine Comes Home [4:10]
    4. Ghost [3:06]
    5. Michael Shayne [6:22]
    6. Evidence [:45]
    7. The Laboratory [3:35]
    8. Mr. Wolff's Explanation [4:30]
    9. Another Shot Fired [2:35]
    10. Police Chief Jonathan Meek [6:31]
    11. Chasing the Suspect [:57]
    12. The Great Merlini [4:14]
    13. The Body Is Missing [2:24]
    14. The Real Roger [2:20]
    15. Truth [3:17]
    16. Exposing Anna/End Titles [1:17]
    Michael Shayne Mysteries Collection, Vol. 1: AMG Review
    AMG

    Includes:
  • Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940)
  • Blue, White, and Perfect (1941)
  • Sleepers West (1941)
  • The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942)

    Michael Shayne, Private Detective
    Although Michael Shayne, Private Detective has a fine lead in Lloyd Nolan, he's not enough to lift this, the debut title in the B-level Michael Shayne series, above the routine. Fans of hardboiled detective films will certainly enjoy it, but those who are not thrilled by ham-fisted dialogue, overly intricate plots that defy logic and the "man's man" world view evinced by Shayne will be a bit bored. Shayne does have some light moments that will keep non-crime aficionados entertained, and it has an amazingly entertaining supporting performance from dear Elizabeth Patterson, but it lacks the universal appeal of a Maltese Falcon or Big Sleep. It's also true that, as fine as he is, Nolan lacks the star power of someone like Humphrey Bogart, who could make Shayne likeable while still playing up his less appealing aspects. Shayne would also be a better film if a direction with a real feel for the genre, or with an individuals sense of style, were at the helm. Eugene J. Forde's direction is pretty much strictly by-the-numbers, and he can't coax powerful performances from Marjorie Weaver or Joan Valerie. Still, even with its flaws, Shayne will appeal to those who can't get enough of this film genre. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

    Blue, White, and Perfect
    No reviews available.

    Sleepers West
    No reviews available.

    The Man Who Wouldn't Die
    The Man Who Wouldn't Die is an enjoyable little mystery with splashes of horror. At just over an hour, it's definitely a "B" product, but that doesn't keep Man from being an agreeable way to pass the time. Man is part of the "Michael Shayne" films, a series of low-budget mysteries in which Lloyd Nolan portrayed a typically wise cracking private eye. Nolan is great fun in the role, providing a sardonic touch that never gets too heavy and punching the laugh lines with the right mixture of cynicism and playfulness. He doesn't shirk the dramatic chores, either, handling the action sequences with aplomb. The problem is that Nolan's character has been shoehorned into a story that was originally written without him, and the seams often show. The plot twists are frequently confusing, and a little too much has been thrown in for the film's short running time. Still, that doesn't seriously mar the enjoyment factor, and the supporting performances of Marjorie Weaver and Olin Howland also are assets. Cinematographer Joe MacDonald does a fine job of creating atmosphere, especially in one shot in which the killer's eyes emanate a mysterious glow. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide


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