''Pillow of Death'' is a 1945

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

mystery

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

directed by

Wallace Fox Wallace Fox (March 9, 1895 – June 30, 1958) was an American film director. He directed more than 80 films between 1927 and 1953. He was born in Purcell, Oklahoma, and died in Hollywood, California. Selected filmography * '' Trail of Co ...

and starring

Lon Chaney, Jr. Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film '' The Wolf Man'' (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard (Dra ...

and Brenda Joyce. The last of the Inner Sanctum

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

s, it is based on a story by Dwight V. Babcock. The "Inner Sanctum" franchise originated with a popular radio series and all of the films star Lon Chaney, Jr. It was the only entry in the series to dispense with the introduction by a disembodied head in a crystal ball, as well as the only one to feature

comic-relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

characters to alleviate the grim tone.

Plot summary

Attorney Wayne Fletcher (Chaney, Jr.) intends to divorce his wife and marry his secretary (Joyce), who comes from a wealthy family. When the wife is found suffocated to death, he naturally becomes the suspect. As others are killed in the same manner and a phony medium (Bromberg) also claims Fletcher is guilty, Fletcher begins to imagine his dead wife is communicating with him, making it even more difficult for him to prove his innocence.

Cast

as Wayne Fletcher (billed as Lon Chaney) * Brenda Joyce as Donna Kincaid *

J. Edward Bromberg Joseph Edward Bromberg (born Josef Bromberger, December 25, 1903 – December 6, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s. Knowledge of his past as a membe ...

as Julian Julian *

Rosalind Ivan Rosalind Ivan (27 November 1880 – 6 April 1959) was an English stage and film character actress. Ivan appeared in fourteen American films from 1944 to 1954. Rosalind Muriel Pringle was the daughter of Stamford and Annie Pringle, who marrie ...

as Amelia Kincaid *

Clara Blandick Clara Blandick (born Clara Blanchard Dickey; June 4, 1876 – April 15, 1962) was an American character, film, stage and theater actress. She played Aunt Em in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). As a character actress, sh ...

as Belle Kincaid *

George Cleveland George Alan Cleveland (September 17, 1885 – July 15, 1957) was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1930 and 1954. Career Cleveland was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His first appearance on the stage ...

as Sam Kincaid * Wilton Graff as Cap'n McCracken *Bernard Thomas as Bruce Malone (billed as Bernard B. Thomas)

References

External links

* *
Review of film
at ''Variety'' 1945 films 1945 crime films 1945 mystery films American black-and-white films Films based on radio series Films directed by Wallace Fox Universal Pictures films 1945 horror films American crime films Film noir 1940s American films {{1940s-horror-film-stub