The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942)

Starring Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Helene Reynolds, Henry Wilcoxon, Richard Derr
Directed by Herbert I. Leeds
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Detective Michael Shayne is hired by a young woman to discover if a ghost really tried to kill her in her father's home, but insists that he pose as her husband.

A fun and entertaining entry in the Michael Shayne series, the picture boasts a mystery that kept me guessing for some time, and another engaging turn by Nolan as the amusing and clever detective.  Surprisingly this entry even has some horror elements, with a character feared to be a zombie, "the ghost" possessing eyes that seem to light up, and a laboratory in the basement with Kenneth Strickfadden-like electric equipment.  Familiar character actor Olin Howland plays the dimwitted local chief of police, outsmarted by Shayne at every turn, and other familiar faces like Richard Derr, Billy Bevan, and Jeff Corey pop up as well.  The film's a quality mystery, and well worth your time.

Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940)

Starring Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Valerie, Walter Abel, Elizabeth Patterson
Directed by Eugene Forde
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Shayne is hired by a wealthy friend to watch over his gambling-addicted daughter, but the detective's attempt to teach her a lesson backfires when a man is murdered and he becomes the prime suspect.

We have here the first of several "Michael Shayne" films from 20th Century Fox, starring Nolan as the roguish detective who manipulates evidence to mislead the police while trying to find the real killer.   Nolan was an underappreciated actor who is a wonderful fit for this role, created by author Brett Halliday in a memorable series of novels, and his story and the clever screenplay by Stanley Rauh and Manning O'Connor push and pull the sleuth in and out of trouble very entertainingly.  Composer Cyril Mockridge adds a whimsical Irish theme for Shayne and Donald MacBride amuses as the police chief who matches wits with the detective but never quite catches up to Shayne's trickery.