I was so impressed by "Dressed To Kill", the first Mike Shayne film I saw, that I decided to buy the boxed set of four other Shaynes. "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" was the first I watched and I was disappointed. For some reason it lacked the professionalism of the first in several areas; the script lacked the sparkle and cleverness of "Dressed To Kill" and the acting seemed forced and unnatural. The story is too far-fetched, about a magician who was married to the wife of an important Senator and who comes back to blackmail him through his wife. The magician is thought to be killed and buried, but comes back to collect his blackmail money... oh, never mind. It gets even more confused and loopy as the story continues. Through it all Lloyd Nolan, as the affable title character, tries to solve the mystery for his friend, played in over-the-top fashion by Marjorie Weaver. I thought her acting job particularly hammy and detracted from the movie, as she was an integral part of the story.
Starting a new paragraph for Olin Howland, who was especially bad and out of place as the investigating Police Chief. It was poor casting on Fox's part as Howland acted as if he had wandered on to the set during a break from a Judy Canova picture. The damage, however, was already done with the weak, unbelievable script and plot.
I rated this one a five, due mainly to the presence and efforts of Lloyd Nolan.
Starting a new paragraph for Olin Howland, who was especially bad and out of place as the investigating Police Chief. It was poor casting on Fox's part as Howland acted as if he had wandered on to the set during a break from a Judy Canova picture. The damage, however, was already done with the weak, unbelievable script and plot.
I rated this one a five, due mainly to the presence and efforts of Lloyd Nolan.