Is Phyllis Allenby (Joan Lockhart) under a curse? Could she be turning into a werewolf in “She-Wolf of London“? What else could cause the grisly murders?
She-Wolf of London (1946) starring June Lockhart, Don Porter, Sara Haden, Jan Wiley, Lloyd Corrigan, directed by Jean Yarbrough
Constable Ernie Hobbs: Well, he’s a barmy one. He’s an idea that there’s a werewolf at the bottom of this.
Constable With Hobbs and Latham: Barmy’s wot I calls it too.
Synopsis
In She-Wolf of London, there’s a lovely young heiress (June Lockhart) who’s about to come into her inheritance. But out of nowhere, there are a series of grisly murders. And she has a series of memory lapses, and blurry memories. Could she be a … werewolf? Or is something else going on?
In short, it’s hard to review She-Wolf of London without doing any spoilers. The heiress is kind, easy to like, and the audience roots for her. Her supportive boyfriend as well. In many ways, the movie is reminiscent of Daughter of Dr. Jekyll. If you’ve seen that movie, you’ll know exactly what I mean by this.
Having said this, the movie’s well done with good acting, atmosphere, and cinematography. I enjoyed it, but there is a bit of a disappointment by the end of the movie. No spoilers. 🙂
“Thou almost makest me waver in my faith / To hold opinion with Pythagoras / That souls of animals infuse themselves / Into the trunks of men. Thy currish spirit Governed a wolf who, hanged for human slaughter / Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet, / And whilst thou layest in thy unhallowed dam / Infused itself in thee, for thy desires / Are wolvish, bloody, starved, and ravenous.”
Cast
- Don Porter (Night Monster) … Barry Lanfield
- June Lockhart (Lassie TV series, Lost in Space TV series) … Phyllis Allenby
- Sara Haden (The Great Rupert) … Martha Winthrop
- Jan Wiley (My Gal Sal) … Carol Winthrop
- Lloyd Corrigan (The Manchurian Candidate) … Detective Latham
- Dennis Hoey (Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon; David and Bathsheba) … Inspector Pierce
- Martin Kosleck (House of Horrors) … Dwight Severn
- Eily Malyon (Going My Way; On Borrowed Time) … Hannah
- Frederick Worlock (Sherlock Holmes: The Woman In Green; Prelude to Murder) … Constable Ernie Hobbs
Trivia
- Released on May 17, 1946 as part of a double bill with The Cat Creeps.
- Dennis Hoey had been cast as Inspector Lestrade in several “Sherlock Holmes” movies when he made “She-Wolf of London.”
- Keen observers might spot former Laurel and Hardy foil, James Finlayson. He has a bit part as a London bobby.
Editorial review of She-Wolf of London courtesy of Amazon
In this elegantly eerie chiller, June Lockhart gives a standout performance as a desperate young heiress convinced that she’s a werewolf responsible for a grizzly series of unsolved murders.