Radar Secret Service (1950, prod. Bob Lippert, dir. Sam Newfield) is a film that gets a bad knock for having been lampooned on Mystery Science Theater; despite its 1.7 ranking on the IMDB, its actually a good little police procedural with a very good cast. The problem is that the only procedure the police use seems to be radar, which, if you can believe them, is replacing forensics, fingerprinting, lineups, and dry cleaning. Why should I walk a beat? Weve got radar! one says. Million-dollar Opening Narration, in part (it goes on for a while): The future of radar? Who can foretell it? Already images are being flashed across wide spaces, extending the range of human vision beyond belief. A prophecy of the unlimited possibilities of radar, particularly in the field of scientific crime detection, is the modest purpose of the picture you are about to witness. John Howard and Ralph Byrd are our Secret Service agents (although secret seems a slight misnomer: they have a metal radar ball the size of the Indiana University basketball scoreboard atop their sedan); Pierre Watkin is their boss. Tris Coffin is the evil criminal mastermind intent on getting a lot of stolen uranium out of the country; Tom Neal is his lieutenant and patsy. Kenne Duncan, Robert Kent, and Sid Melton(!) are the henchmen; Adele Jergens is Neals girlfriend but shes also screwing Tris, and youd think if she read the papers shed know how jealous Tom gets. Myrna Dell is the waitress in love with one of the gang members, and she figures in how all this comes out. Million-dollar Dialog: Radar Secret Service boss to agent: What do you expect to do? Stay home in bed and have radar do ALL the work? At one point, Ralph Byrd makes mention of how Dick Tracy used radar before it was even invented. I was hoping John Howard would say, How do you know so much about Dick Tracy? but he didnt. I should write these things. Speaking of Mr. Howard, a week ago I wouldnt have noticed him if he were in my bathtub when I got home from shopping, and now, having seen The Undying Monster and this thing, I feel as though were best pals. Practically. Variety: The pace and action are good. FL Exhibitor: This is a fine action picture thats just right for a double-header on Fri-Sat. Kevin Murphy, MST3K: Radar was the answer to everything that was wrong with the world, much like Teflon or Naugahyde in our own time. It was a kick saying ...thanks to RADAR! at the end of almost every sentence. I didnt know radar could find a buried gun within three inches in a six-mile radius, or broadcast crystal-clear television pictures, but I guess the Radar Secret Service kept that stuff on a need-to-know basis to keep the Ruskies from finding out. So far, one of my very favorites of all the Lippert films.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 18:52:17 +0000
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