The Hat Box Mystery

Like-a-Jack-in-the-Box----Murder jumped out and claimed its Victim!

3.6
194744m

Susan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Susan is charged with murder, but Russ and his less-than-useful associate, Harvard, get on the case.

Cast

Photo of Tom Neal

Tom Neal

Russ Ashton

Photo of Pamela Blake

Pamela Blake

Susan Hart

Photo of Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins

'Harvard'

Photo of Virginia Sale

Virginia Sale

Veronica Hoopler

Photo of Leonard Penn

Leonard Penn

Stevens, aka John Moreland

Photo of Tom Kennedy

Tom Kennedy

Policeman Murphy

Photo of Al Hill

Al Hill

Flint

Photo of Edward Keane

Edward Keane

District Attorney

Photo of Jack Cheatham

Jack Cheatham

Policeman

Photo of Steve Clark

Steve Clark

Telephone Re-Connect Man (uncredited)

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Reviews

G

CinemaSerf

5/10

Pamela Blake is "Susan", the assistant to PI Tom Neal ("Russ") whose business has rather hit the skids. Whilst he is away, she takes on a case trying to prove infidelity and using a hat box that, ostensibly, conceals a harmless camera she follows her target. Unfortunately, her snaps have a fatal consequence and she is charged with murder. It falls to "Russ" and his hapless helper "Harvard" (Allen Jenkins) to get to the bottom of it before "Susan" is toast. It's all just a routine B-drama with little jeopardy or menace, but it does have quite a few quite engaging scenes between "Harvard" and waitress "Veronica" (Virginia Sale) who offers him her body but he'd rather have a goose-burger.... It's short and sweet, and though pretty unremarkable, it does pass 45 minutes easily enough.

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