''Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion'' (also known as ''Booked on Suspicion'') is the eighth of 14

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s starring

Chester Morris John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and received an Academy Award nomination for ''Alibi'' ( ...

as reformed thief

Boston Blackie Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle (1881–1928). Blackie, a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's stories, became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an ...

Plot

Boston Blackie's (

) wealthy friend, Arthur Manleder (

Lloyd Corrigan Lloyd Corrigan (October 16, 1900 – November 5, 1969) was an American film and television actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who began working in films in the 1920s. The son of actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan directed films, usually ...

), purchases an upscale bookstore from aged Wilfred Kittredge (George M. Carleton), but retains his services as a book expert. However, when Kittredge becomes ill just before an important auction he was to conduct, Blackie proves that he can impersonate him, fooling everyone, including Police Inspector Farraday ( Richard Lane). With the assistance of store employee Gloria (

Lynn Merrick Lynn Merrick (born Marilyn Llewelling, November 19, 1919 – March 25, 2007) was an American actress who appeared in over 40 films during the 1940s, mainly for Columbia and Republic Studios. Early life Merrick was born Marilyn Llewelling on ...

), Blackie runs the auction without a hitch. The centerpiece is a rare first

edition Edition may refer to: * Edition (book), a bibliographical term for a substantially similar set of copies * Edition (printmaking), a publishing term for a set print run * Edition (textual criticism), a particular version of a text * Edition Recor ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' ''

Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to s ...

'', which goes for $62,000. However, the purchaser discovers that the book is a fake and demands his money back. $50,000 had already been sent to the book's owner/forger, Porter Hadley. Blackie tracks him down, but arrives just too late. Hadley's partner, Gloria, finds him packed and ready to leave. She shoots him and takes the money. Blackie hears the gunfire, forcing her to flee; in her haste, the money gets stuck in the other doorway. Blackie takes the envelope of cash. By sheer bad timing, Farraday and Sergeant Matthews (

Frank Sully Francis Thomas Sullivan (June 17, 1908 December 17, 1975), known professionally as Frank Sully, was an American film actor. He appeared in over 240 films between 1934 and 1968. Today's audiences know him best as the dumb detective in the ''Bost ...

) arrive while Blackie is examining Hadley's body, and arrest him for murder. Blackie has little difficulty escaping. Still unaware of the identity of the real murderer, he takes Gloria into his confidence. He puts the money in the store's safe while she watches with interest. That night, she and her husband, escaped safecracker Jack Higgins (

Steve Cochran Steve Cochran (born Robert Alexander Cochran, May 25, 1917 – June 15, 1965) was an American film, television and stage actor. He attended the University of Wyoming. After a stint working as a cowboy, Cochran developed his acting skills in loca ...

), break into the shop, but are forced to leave without the cash when Blackie and Arthur arrive. When Jack arranges to meet Blackie, Blackie recognizes him. He agrees to give Higgins half the proceeds, but Blackie's sidekick "the Runt" (

George E. Stone George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in films, radio, and television. Life and career Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Łódź, Congress Poland, into ...

) informs Gloria that he will not be bringing real cash, and that the $50,000 is stashed in Arthur's home safe. Jack and an accomplice tie Blackie up. Jack then leaves to get the money. Blackie gets free, phones Farraday and heads to Arthur's suite. There, he and the Runt capture and bind Jack. Then Blackie forces Gloria to write out a confession, convincing her how coldblooded he can be by pretending to shoot her husband dead (the unseen Runt just knocks him out). Jack regains consciousness and control of the situation, allowing Gloria to burn her confession. When Farraday and his men break in, Blackie presents the inspector with a blank sheet of paper, claiming he switched the pages. Gloria incriminates herself and is arrested and taken away with her husband, Jack Higgins.

Cast

as Boston Blackie *

as Constance Gloria Mannard/Gloria Higgins * Richard Lane as Inspector Farraday *

as Sergeant Matthews *

as Jack Higgins *

as The Runt *

as Arthur Manleder

References

External links

* * * * {{Boston Blackie 1940s crime films American crime films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films Boston Blackie films Films directed by Arthur Dreifuss 1940s American films