Another strong entry in the Whistler series with Dix as yet another dark character, this time an unscrupulous private eye who is hired by a music store owner to try to find Alora Lund (Nina Vale) a young girl who grew up next door. Poor old Richard Dix, after a career of dashing heroes, must have wondered what happened when he found himself appearing in one oddball part after another!! He was very good and gave the parts a lot of gusto!!Don Gale (Dix) is all for fobbing Stillwell off until the elderly man states that if found Alora holds the key to untold wealth. Surprise! Surprise! - that night a girl purporting to be Alora Lund visits Stillwell but she is an imposter, sent by Gale to try to find out about the real girl's inheritance. The night ends with a murder and a kidnapping.Meanwhile the real Alora is recuperating in hospital due to an accident and the police (Charles Lane and the gruffly likable Barton MacLane) contact her, hoping she can fit some of the pieces together. The prize that everyone is after is two recordings of Jenny Lind, worth over $100,000 each and it seems that everyone is on the make. Dale takes Alora to be "looked after" by a feisty old lady, he then goes to have it out with his partner Freda who informs him she is just about to double cross him with Stillwell's killer, then she is murdered. Hovering over the whole show is Freda's creepy building janitor Mr. Summers (Regis Toomey).An involved plot and good performances make this an excellent entry.

The first four "Whistler" films may have been low-budget, but they were neither cheap nor dull; "Mysterious Intruder" is both. It plays more like a run-of-the-mill private-eye film, and the revelation of the killer(s) is pretty ho-hum as well. It doesn't really feel like a part of the series, apart from the ironic ending, which at least remains intact. The cast is pretty unmemorable this time as well; only an uncredited Kathleen Howard, as a vaguely threatening middle-aged lady, manages to make something of her role in about five minutes of screen time. The film is not without interest - however all its predecessors in the "Whistler" series are significantly better. ** out of 4.

The Whistler was both a radio show and a B-movie series from Columbia Pictures. Unlike the usual B-films (which were mostly detective films), this series was more like episodes of the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" television series--each a unique story involving human nature and each one being unique and unrelated to the others. Additionally, all but the final film starred Richard Dix--who played very different characters in all the films.In this film, Dix plays a private detective who isn't especially honest. When a kindly old man comes to him for help, Dix appears willing to use a bit of larceny to cash in on the man's trust. Throughout the film, you see that above all else, Dix is a man out for himself. Additionally, other selfish characters abound--and soon practically everyone wants to cash in on the old man's secret.This film is probably the best in the series because the script is much tighter and without the plot holes that sometimes impeded the series. While there are many twists and turns, the script never becomes too complicated and it ends with a wonderful and ironic twist. Additionally, the supporting staff is much better than usual--having many great character actors on hand, such as Mike Muzurki, Barton MacLane and Charles Lane.The score of 8 is relative to other B-movies. For the genre, it's among the best and not to be missed by old film buffs.

The fifth of the seven Richard Dix Whistler's is a complicated hard boiled affair, coming in at just under an hour with the usual high quota of dizzying plot twists to keep you on your toes. Although be warned if you've never seen it before the IMDb plot summary just about gives it all away, not the ideal thing to do with these films. Nicely noirish and a good print lend a doom-laden atmosphere which the excellent cast make the most of, and at warp speed.Seedy private eye Dix is hired by a trusting old shop owner to find his friend a missing girl who has an intriguing if extremely improbable present worth USD 200,000 awaiting her. From there it unravels in the best sleazy Chandleresque fashion, the sequence of events all logical and believable … mostly. Favourite bits: Dix and his lady … friend tracking down and finding manic Mike Mazurki's house at night; the greed in weak-willed but still a goodie Dix's eyes when the real Elora Lund shows up. Ker-ching! I believe the Whistler himself was never as amused as by the ending of this episode judging by his gleeful sneering at the end. Tremendous fun for the fan, one of my favourites in a series that never failed to deliver.