zardoz-13 "Shadows of Sing Sing" director Phil Rosen's murder/mystery "I Killed That Man" boasts a provocative premise that the film doesn't live up to in the long run. Public officials, reporters, friends, and an Assistant District Attorney gather at the prison to witness the execution of a convicted murderer in the electric chair. The condemned killer, Nick Ross (Ralf Harolde of "Horror Island"), makes a public statement before his execution. According to Ross, the dastard who hired him to commit murder has double-crossed him by not helping him escape. Since the unknown man hasn't held up his end of the bargain for Ross, Ross plans to reveal the identity of the man who contracted him to commit murder. Before he can utter that name, a poison dart sinks into his neck, and he collapses stone dead beyond any chance of resuscitation before the room of witnesses. Obviously, this means that one of those witnesses pulled off the crime and killed Ross without alarming anybody else during the crime. Mind you, nobody has left the death chamber before the warden ushered Ross into the premises. Similarly, before anybody can leave the death chamber, Assistant District Attorney Roger Phillips (Ricardo Cortez of "The Walking Dead") intervenes and requests that the warden keep everybody confined until he has questioned them and arrested the guilty suspect. Initially, Phillips asks everybody remove their clothes. Naturally, this doesn't endear any of the witnesses to Phillips. Indeed, Phillips must be reminded that he must disrobe, too. Sadly, Rossen doesn't exploit this opportunity for comic relief. Afterward, Phillips quizzes each about what prompted them came to witness the execution. Ultimately, Phillips cannot make up his mind who killed Ross, but he finds a cigarette holder on the person of an older gentleman who knew Ross in his youth. Phillips suggests Lanning (Harry Holman of "Meet John Doe") is responsible for Ross' murder. The newspaper reporters disperse to type out their respective stories, while Phillips contemplates the mystery. Eventually, Phillips teams up with his girlfriend, reporter Geri Reynolds (Joan Woodbury of "Phantom Killer"), to trap the suspect that they initially least suspect. Rossen does wring considerable comic relief from the District Attorney's Office switchboard operator, T0mmy (George P. Breakston of "Oriental Evil"), who allows them to confirm the identity of the killer when they listen on a two-party telephone line. Once Phillips arrests Lanning, he remains off-screen. One of the suspects, Lowell King (George Pembroke of "Red Snow"), compliments Phillips on his sleuthing savvy but then has to convince the Assistant District Attorney that he isn't the guilty party. Phillips and his newspaper girlfriend think they have the drop on him when they trace a mysterious phone number to his home. Later, they learn that King's loyal butler, Thomas Gordon (Willy Castello of "Mad Youth"), had called Nick Ross from King's phone to place a wager on a horse. My chief complaint about "I Killed That Man" is that the resolution of the mystery isn't that compelling and it is rather complicated, too. You never get to see how the villain killed the condemned man without incriminating himself. Eventually, we are shown how he smuggled the poisoned dart into the room. Moreover, when he does demonstrate how easy it is to shoot the dart with a rubber band, it seems that somebody might have seen him. At least, when the culprit isn't exposed too early, although the film runs a mere 71 minutes. The big break that leads to his arrest occurs all because one of Geri's fellow reporters believes in female equality! Altogether, "I Killed That Man" is interesting, but it would have worked better had they reenacted the crime right after they catch the killer.

MartinHafer What a difference a decade could make to a man's career. Back in 1931, Ricardo Cortez was a big name in Hollywood--starring in the first "Maltese Falcon" film as well as many other A-pictures. Now, in 1941, he is working for King Brothers Productions--a so-called 'poverty row' production company. And, he's starring in movies that are clearly low-budget B-films. It's a shame, as I always liked Cortez's easy-going acting style, though it's nice to see that despite the pedigree of this film, he did his usual competent job in the leading role.The film sure grabs your attention early! The film begins as a man is about to be executed for a murder he doesn't deny committing. However, just before he's to die, he starts to unload to the witnesses--telling them that he killed the man because it was a contract killing. And, since his employer did NOT step in to save him (like he'd promised), he wanted to betray his identity. But, at that moment, the convicted killer suddenly dies--victim of a poisonous dart! But who in the room did it?! The why is certainly not in question! Apart from Cortez, the cast is mostly made up of unknowns--some of which were less than stellar in their acting as well as how well these characters were written. In fact, the plot itself (aside from the dandy introduction) was all pretty standard fare for a 1930s-1940s B-murder mystery--nothing particularly inspired to set it apart from hundreds of other similar films. On the other hand, the film does fill a niche and is a decent example of the genre. For fans of this type of film, it's sure well worth seeing. But, if you aren't a B-mystery fan, you probably should look for a better one with which to start--such as Charlie Chan, Boston Blackie, the Crime Doctor or the Falcon.By the way, the prison doctor's description of curare was not correct. It does NOT kill instantly but paralyzes the body--causing the heart muscles to stop and the victim to die due to strangulation. If you know a person was injected with the drug, you COULD perform CPR and actually keep them alive until the substance works itself through the system (I learn the coolest things being married to a suspense author). I DON'T recommend you try this at home to see if I am correct, however!

Hitchcoc I'm beginning to find that the poison dart must have been quite popular in early mystery films. This is at least the fourth such movie I've seen. This one involves one of these darts cheating the hangman. A convicted murderer is about to enter the death chamber when he collapses. There are news people and an array of characters in the room, so one of them must have done it. After that it's the usual stuff. There is the aggressive young female reporter who would rather be married than continue her career. She gets in a bit over he head, of course, and sets things on edge. This is better than most. The acting is fine, there are some famous character actors, and the movie has a sense of humor. You can tell the production value is pretty good. If you don't think too much you can sit back and enjoy this like a bad TV show.

wes-connors On his way to receive a final toast - in the electric chair! - condemned Ralf Harold (as Nicholas Ross) pauses to let the assembled witnesses know he's going to give away the identity of a fellow criminal. But, just as he is about to reveal the crook's name, Mr. Harold is stricken by a deadly poison dart. District attorney Ricardo Cortez (as Roger Phillips) and attractive "Chronicle" reporter Joan Woodbury (as Geri Reynolds) sift through the suspects, banter romantically, and try to solve the murder. You've seen this kind of picture before, but the tired storyline in "I Killed That Man" is enlivened by its cast and crew.Director Phil Rosen and his star, Mr. Cortez, were silent screen veterans (they'd worked together) who found less success after the advent of talking motion pictures; but, their skills are clearly evident, as they make the most of this quickly produced, low-budget film. Today, Mr. Rosen is not well-remembered; but, he worked on some of the most important Hollywood films of the teens and twenties (many are lost). Cortez reached a popularity peak in 1926, after working on films with Greta Garbo and D.W. Griffith. The supporting cast does very well, and Ms. Woodbury is a thoroughly charming leading woman.****** I Killed That Man (11/28/41) Phil Rosen ~ Ricardo Cortez, Joan Woodbury, George Pembroke