The Shadow Strikes (1937) – Review

Writer Walter B. Gibson originally created The Shadow to be nothing more than the “spooky” announcer for a radio drama series, with its sole purpose to boost sales for a flagging pulp magazine, but listeners became so intrigued with the character that they start demanding stories featuring this mysterious figure, and thus a crime-fighting legend was born. Soon he became a star of radio and pulp magazines and eventually made his way to the big screen, today we will look at his less-than-stellar movie debut.

The plot of The Shadow Strikes kicks off when amateur criminologist Lamont Cranston (Rod La Rocque) while operating under his secret identity as The Shadow, thwarts a couple of burglars working for local crime boss Barney Brossett (Cy Kendall) but when the police arrive Cranston is forced to assume the identity of the attorney, Chester Randall, whose office was being burgled, and ends up summoned to the home of Caleb Delthiern (John St. Polis), a wealthy client who wants a new will drawn up, and before you can say “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men” poor Caleb is shot dead and it’s up to Cranston to find out who wanted to stop that new will from being made public.  This new will states that Caleb’s niece Marcia Delthiern (Lynn Anders) will be cut out of the will if she marries Warran Berringer (John Carnivale), the oldest nephew. What follows is your typical mystery with Cranston and his trusty friend Henry Hendricks (Norman Ainsley) wandering around looking for clues while trying to keep the police from realizing he’s not actually Chester Randall, all before the killer or the crime boss but an end to his sleuthing career.

Warning: The Shadow has less than five minutes of screen time in this particular outing.

One of the most glaring issues with The Shadow Strikes is its failure to effectively translate the enigmatic allure of the titular character onto the screen. The Shadow, known for his distinctive voice and uncanny ability to manipulate the minds of criminals, is reduced to a mere caricature in this film and the cast of actors brought to bear on this incarnation are not exactly top-tier in the acting department. The film’s portrayal of Lamont Cranston lacks depth and fails to capture the complexity and internal conflict that made the character so compelling in the original pulp stories. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of The Shadow Strikes is the films’s failure to capture the spirit of the original pulp stories that captivated readers in the 1930s. What we get here lacks the dark and morally ambiguous tone that defined the source material, opting for a more sanitized and superficial approach. This decision robs the film of both the depth and complexity that could have set it apart from other films of its time.

Note: This movie is a loose and condensed adaptation of ‘The Ghost of the Manor’ from a 1933 issue of the Shadow Magazine.  Do yourself a favour and skip this movie and track down the original story instead.

At its core, The Shadow Strikes is a classic detective story that attempts to capture the essence of its source material found in the classic radio show and pulp novels, but ultimately falls short of delivering a compelling cinematic experience, and while the film follows the familiar structure of the genre its use of the formula lacks finesse, failing to create a suspenseful narrative that could properly engage and audience. The appearance of the film is beyond subpar, looking like someone filmed a high school production, and the visual aspects lacked the necessary grit and atmosphere to transport the audience into the shadowy and dangerous world of crime and mystery. Cinematographer Marcel Le Picard’s use of shadows and light is not one would call a good example of film noir atmosphere, failing to evoke the time period and mood required to immerse viewers in the story. The world of The Shadow should be an intriguing and mysterious place and not this dollar store treatment of the subject matter.

Note: Aside from a couple of movies and a serial The Shadow never had much of a successful cinematic career, on the other hand, Bob Kane’s The Batman, which borrowed heavily from Walter B. Gibson’s pulp hero, has gone on to be the star of many successful movies and television shows.

In conclusion, The Shadow Strikes is a lacklustre attempt at adapting a beloved pulp character for the silver screen. Despite its potential, the film’s underdeveloped characters, uninspired direction, and misguided departure from the source material result in a forgettable cinematic experience. Fans of the original stories are likely to be disappointed by this adaptation, and newcomers will find little reason to invest their time in a film that fails to capture the essence of the character and genre it seeks to embody.