Black Orchid (1953)

Very Cool!!!

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

***SPOILERS*** British Murder mystery where the murder weapon is of all things a rare black orchid that kills without leaving a trace but the smell of nicotine on it's victim. The victim of this fatal flower is the vindictive Sophie Winnington, Mary Laura Wood, who after catching her doctor husband Dr. John, Roland "Son of Leslie" Howard, making eyes on her kid sister Christine Shaw,Olga Edwards,who came to visit her from far off South Africa. Unable to wed Christine because of a British law that forbids a man, that's Dr. John, to marry his wife's sister unless she dies. And that's exactly what happens as Sophie suddenly drops dead on her way to her lawyer's office to file divorce papers against John that will have him leave one third of his money and property to her.With the police arresting Dr. John as the #1 suspect in his wife's murder the poor schmuck makes no attempt to defend himself in him feeling that he's a born loser and more then willing to meet his fate, the gallows, that's until both Christine and her friend Eric Blair, John Bentley, comes to his rescue. The fact that Dr. John was resigned to his sorry fate didn't discourage both Christine and Eric from going out to bat and all tilt to help him and save his life.***SPOILERS***It soon became evident that it was a deadly black orchid that did Sophie in and even more shocking the person who used the flower to do his dirty work was one of her many lovers whom like her husband Dr. John she treated like dirt. Caught by Christine with his pants down in his private green house the killer lost his cool and went all out to strangle her to death only to have Eric and the local police break through the glass before he could finish his job. It was Sophie's killer's love of flowers that gave him away that left a valuable clue, a whiff of the black orchid's nicotine,to his true identity.

BLACK ORCHID is a quickie of a British mystery running almost an hour. Well paced with fine acting. Dr. John Winnington(Ronald Howard)seems very trapped in a loveless marriage. His wife(Mary Laura Wood)feels he is more interested in dinner parties than his duties at the hospital. And he seems to ignore and neglect his wife with no shame. Mrs. Winnington's younger sister Christine(Olga Edwardes)comes into the picture and flirtation and lust commences. The doc's wife is wise to the attraction and has enough; she leaves him with a sly warning that British law will not let him marry her sister...that is as long as she is alive. Guess what? Winnington will soon become the prime suspect in his wife's tragic murder. Christine and John's best friend Eric(John Bentley)will set out to clear his name.This Black & White film is short and sustainable. The best acting comes from Wood. Other players: Sheila Burrell, Russell Napier, Patrick Barr and Mary Jones.

Marvelous isn't it how some bad old movies simply refuse to lie down and die? "Black Orchid" is a British quota quickie that will not surrender. Maybe because it has such a short running time, plus an intriguing title, plus Ronald Howard (whose Sherlock Holmes has a following), it has been a favorite on my local TV station. Hardly a year went by without two or three airings. And it was still running strong in 2006. By some miracle, the rights presumably then expired because it hasn't surfaced since. It's a thoroughly boring movie with absolutely nothing to offer. With the exceptions of Sheila Burrell's fawningly vicious Annette and Mary Laura Wood's preening socialite, the players are a lackluster lot. John Bentley is especially glum and even ever-reliable Russell Napier seems to be playing at half-steam.

I caught this film late one night on the ABC and was pleasantly surprised to find Ronald Howard - best known for his role as Sherlock Holmes in the 1954 television series - playing the main character Dr.John Winnington, a kind hearted doctor who has the misfortune to stuck in a loveless marriage to a selfish woman, more interested in dinner parties than his work in curing disease.I thought Black Orchid was a rather good film, short and sweet (running a little less than one hour). A neat little murder mystery in a who-dunnit structure. The audience is able to participate in attempting to pick who the "real" killer is, following Christine and John's friend Eric as they desperately try to clear Winnington's name and find her sister's "real" murderer, whoever that may be...4 out of 5 stars.