Crime Street presents Fog Island (1945)

Director - Terrell O. Morse
 

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Plot
Commentary
Cast and Production Credits

The Plot

Dark house mystery meets drawing room mystery. Leo Grainger (George Zucco) was framed for his wife's murder. After serving his prison sentence, he sentences himself to a spooky, foggy island. Determined to discover the real murderers, he invites a group of his old associates to the island, counting on their greedy instincts and lust for his hidden assets for their acceptance. He is not disappointed. Many shadowy hallways and inventive traps greet the guests and scores are settled at a cost.

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Commentary

Fog and More Fog

Fog Island provides what it advertises - fog - lots and lots of fog. A PRC production, one of Hollywood's most prodigious Poverty Row film factories, Fog Island falls into the studio's categories of making the most of not much.

The film was based on the play Angel Island, and has the feeling and structure of an Agatha Christie theater production.

And Yet...

The film has some style. The fog and the low lighting provide the film with atmosphere that the plot and the acting do not quite support. George Zucco always brings a certain amount of insane bug eyed menace to every role he plays.

Though Fog Island in no way feels ambitious, in the way of Detour, another PRC project (and Alameda TV Crime Street offering) it's an easy way to pass 70 minutes if you're a fan of the classic Ten Little Indians genre of mysteries. And there is a somewhat surprising climax to the whole affair.

The Cutter Cometh

Though only credited as director of 18 films in a 40 year plus career, Terry O. Morse was editor of at least another 70. The vast majority of his work as both director and editor was on B movies (or below). He did work on the occasional "A" film as an editor (Ruby Gentry, The List of Adrian Messenger).

He is probably most known for his infamous work as "Director/Editor" of Godzilla King of the Monsters. Morse's assignment was to strip the anti-nuclear and anti-American content from Ishiro Honda's classic film, and then shoot and add American sequences to tie the film back together. Raymond Burr played a reporter covering the monster-made walking disaster. (A DVD release of the original uncut version is due in 2006.)

-- Ed Schneider - Alameda TV

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Cast

Production Credits

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For more on...

George Zucco
PRC Pictures

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