The Bat
Directed by Crane Wilbur
Written by Crane Wilbur from a play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood
1959/USA
Liberty Pictures
First viewing/Amazon Prime
[box] Cornelia van Gorder: [locking their door] Nothing should get us now, I think, this door seems good and solid.
Lizzie Allen: Like the door to a tomb.[/box]
It was fun to watch Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead combine forces in this “old dark house” mystery story.
The story is a remake of The Bat (1926) and The Bat Whispers (1930) and harkens back to a simpler time. Mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder (Moorehead) and her maid/companion Lizzie Lane have rented a country mansion for the season. All her other servants are on the verge of quitting because of rumors that 1) a murderer known as “The Bat” is once again on the loose and 2) The Bat has released rabid real bats in the area. This fazes Cornelia not at all.
Concurrently, $350,000 in negotiable securities have gone missing from a private vault in the bank. Later investigation reveals that $1 million has disappeared from the books. The likely suspect is bank’s president who is also the house’s owner. The smart money is betting that the cash is hidden somewhere in the house. The Bat is clearly after that money. But who is he among the many suspicious characters? With Price as a local physician and rabies researcher.
Both Price and Moorehead are at their slightly hammy best and this is a short and entertaining ride. It is about on the quality level of good late 50’s TV. Multiple complete versions are currently available on YouTube.
