r/CozyMystery

Hi all,

I am looking for mysteries written during World War II that reflect civilian life. (Can also be written later and set in that time period.)

Does anyone have recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

An update to my previous post;

https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyMystery/s/bCHwmiqYOz

Thanks for the friendly comments and suggestions for other movies that would be a cozy fit.

I wasn't sure if adding to the original post would get it noticed again or not; hence a separate update.

I've had a lot of medical issues with my wife in the hospital for the last week, so these kind of movies are a good release from the stress involved there.

More details of some series movies mentioned before;

Up top - A trailer where Nick Charles from "The Thin Man" meets Philo Vance.

Philo Vance - Before William Powell did the Thin Man movies, he did 4 "Philo Vance" ones. I had only known of one, "The Kennel Club Murder" so was happy to find there were 3 more. There are other movies after these with other actors, but I haven;t seen those yet.

I haven't read the book series by S Van Dine either, but I think the Powell movies might be the better versions based off his acting skills. Not too much humor in these except for Philo's interactions with Police Sergeant Heath, played by Eugene Pallette in all four movies.

Sherlock Holmes - He should be well known to everyone. The best set of movies are probably the ones with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce who played Watson. The first couple of films were set in the original Holmes' era and the rest move into the then "modern times", going against spies as well as criminals. Many movies and TV shows made since then including the SF animated show "Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century"

Charlie Chan - Charlie Chan was originally a set of 6 novels about a Chinese Homicide detecting working in Honolulu, Hawaii. Created by Earl Derr Beggars based off of a real detective, the movies were a huge hit at the time. A few early ones didn't do so well and some are even lost, but Warner Oland did 15 with Number One Son Lee , played by Keye Luke. After Oland passed away, 22 more were made with Sydney Toler and Number Two Son, Jimmy, and finally 6 more after that with Roland Green.

These have a lot of humor in them between Charlie and his sons, and with the later added driver, "Birmingham Brown". Charlie also went from a local detective to a world hopper and added spies to hi suspects aw well as crooks.

Probably inspired by Charlie Chan's success, there were other Oriental detective movie series made - Mr Moto with Peter Lorre and Mr Wong with Boris Karloff.

Boston Blackie - 14 movies starring Chester Morris. Based on the character created by Jack Boyle. Blackie is not a sleuth but a jewel thief and crook with a code of honor. I've only seen the first so far, "Meet Boston Blackie" but enjoyed it. Some good humor between Blackie and the police, his sidekick "Runt" and the female lead.

Mike Shayne - 7 films with Lloyd Nolan and other films after with different actors. Shayne is a Private Eye created by Brett Holiday. I've seen the first two but its been a while so I'll have to rewatch. I do remember some humor in them.

The Lone Wolf - 9 with Warren Williams, plus many with other actors. Based on the character created by Louis Joseph Vance. Like Boston Blackie, the The Lone Wolf is a likeable thief. Its been a while on these also but I remember liking them.

The Saint - 5 movies with George Sanders and other movies with other actors .Based off of the character created by Leslie Charteris. I haven't seen the movies yet but did watch the TV series growing up with Roger Moore. These are on my list to watch when I get to them. The Saint, Simon Templar, is a Robin Hood type character who helps others in need.

The Falcon - 16 movies total, most starring George Sanders or his real life brother, Tom Conway. I'm not a fan of Tom Conway so I've skipped this series. These are supposed to be copies of "The Saint" series in many ways and the studio was sued over this

Single movies update;

The Studio Murder Mystery 1929 - a cheating actor is murdered on a movie set. A young girl he was cheating on his wife with is the main suspect. A comedy writer who works with the studio is in love with her and tries to clear her. Lots of humor with his insults and snappy patter with the police. Warner Oland stars as a movie director.

The Unholy Night 1929 - In London on a very foggy night, 4 men are strangled and Lord Montague is almost the next. Scotland Yard gets involved an we learn that all are part of a an old army regiment. 9 others survive and Scotland Yard have all taken to Lord Montague's home. There, Boris Karloff shows up as a creepy lawyer that says another member of the regiment, thrown out in disgrace, has died and left any survivors of the regiment a million pounds among themselves, and another million going to his daughter with the survivors being her caretakers. Not a lot of humor but a good mystery that will keep you guessing. Ends with a seance given by a creepy Asian mystic.

The Bat Whispers 1930 - A very unusual movie. The Bat is a thief and a murderer and kills and robs a man under police protection. His shadow is very bat-like from his mask and costume, but comes years before Batman or the pulp hero, The Black Bat. After the first robbery, the main plot moves to the house of a bank president who's bank has just been robbed. The Bat and others arrive looking for the stolen money in the house that has a few secret doors and passages. The unusual parts of the movie are the many uses of miniature sets and the camera angle that go with it, and the breaking of the fourth wall at the end. The maid and a private detective give some good humor to the film.

The Death Kiss - 1932 - another jerk of an actor killed on stage by a real bullet instead of a fake one. A main suspect is the ex-wife who's still on the life insurance. The lead is a studio writer who loves her and wants to clear her. Some more humor between the writer and the police. Stars Bela Lugosi as part of the studio management. Features some unusual camera work as it doesn't appear steady and some scenes are thus "wobbly"

To those who got all the way thought the wall of text above, thanks. If I do another update it should be much shorter, as long as there's still interesting in the Cozy Cousins and the mods don't mind.

One of the things I really like about watching these is seeing the world as it was at that time, not recreated. The cars and fashions,etc. In "Charlie Chan at the Olympics" we get to see actual 1936 footage from the Berlin Olympics, and some scenes take place on the Hindenburg before it was destroyed. In Hildegarde Withers "Murder on a Honeymoon", we see a seaplane gong from California to Catalina Island back when you could sometimes smoke even on a short hop and you had to climb in and out of the plane.