REVIEWED BY WALTER ALBERT:         


JUST OFF BROADWAY Lloyd Nolan

JUST OFF BROADWAY. 20th Century Fox, 1942. Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Phil Silvers, Janis Carter, Richard Derr. Screenplay by Arnaud d’Usseau, based on the character created by Brett Halliday and an idea by Jo Eisinger; photography by Lucien Andriot. Director: Herbert J. Leeds. Shown at Cinevent 40, Columbus OH, May 2008.

   This sixth, and penultimate Shayne film starring Nolan as the brash private eye, finds the series showing signs of running out of steam. Nolan is as engaging as ever, but the script, which has Shayne serving as a juror and attempting to prove that the wrong person is being tried while he’s sequestered with the jury, requires some stretch of the imagination to find credible.

   I will give the scriptwriter a point for originality (Shayne wraps up the case from the jury box with nary a peep from the judge or lawyers), but nothing for believability. Jim Goodrich, who watched this film with me, added that Phil Silvers, “as always,” brightens up the proceedings.

JUST OFF BROADWAY Lloyd Nolan