Alias Boston Blackie (1942)

Starring Chester Morris, Adele Mara, Richard Lane, George E. Stone, Lloyd Corrigan
Directed by Lew Landers
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Boston Blackie organizes a variety show at the prison he once did time at, unwittingly helping a young convict with revenge on his mind to escape.

One of Morris' long series of Boston Blackie films for Columbia Pictures, and it's a good one, with a nice balance of mystery and humor, and a yuletide setting, making it a perfect film to watch during the holidays.  Although the story of steering a young man from ruining his life was probably a chestnut even back when this film was made, the whodunit portion of the plot kept me guessing, and Morris is engaging as the ex-con who does enough in the movie to warrant a return to prison, but is given a wide berth by the police inspector tailing him.  Larry Parks plays the young convict on the loose but is better known for his impersonation of Al Jolson in a pair of later films.  And a young Lloyd Bridges plays a bus driver!

Curse Of The Faceless Man (1958)

Starring Richard Anderson, Elaine Edwards, Adele Mara, Luis Van Rooten, Gar Moore
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The body of a giant Etruscan gladiator is found in the ruins of Pompeii, and a specialist brought in to examine the body is shocked to discover it's still alive, and has a connection to his beautiful fiancee.

A fun horror film from producer Robert E. Kent, it's unusual in its Italian setting and the presence of a narrator, but basically follows the standard formula for monster fare, although the "faceless man" would probably have made more impact if we could see his eyes or features beneath the volcanic crust he's encased in.  Nonetheless, it's an efficient little thriller, augmented by Gerald Fried's creepy music score and a colorful cast, who while none of them were major stars, play their parts well.