The Devil's Mask

{{short description|1946 film by Henry Levin}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = The Devil's Mask | image = "The_Devil's_Mask"_(1946).jpg | caption = | director = Henry Levin | producer = Wallace MacDonald | based_on = {{based on|''I Love a Mystery'' 1939-52 radio series|Carlton E. Morse}} | writer = Charles O'Neal Dwight V. Babcock | narrator = Frank Martin | starring = Anita Louise Jim Bannon Michael Duane Mona Barrie | music = George Duning Irving Gertz | cinematography = Henry Freulich | editing = Jerome Thoms | studio = Columbia Pictures | distributor = Columbia Pictures | released = {{Film date|1946|05|23}} | runtime = 65 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }}

'''''The Devil's Mask''''' is a 1946 American crime film directed by Henry Levin and starring Anita Louise, Jim Bannon and Michael Duane.The film was the second of three B pictures based on the popular radio series ''I Love a Mystery''.<ref>Sterling & O'Dell p.373-74</ref> As well as its crime theme, the film also incorporates elements of horror.<ref>Bansak p.367</ref> It was preceded by ''I Love a Mystery'', and followed by ''The Unknown''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blottner |first1=Gene |title=Columbia Pictures Movie Series, 1926–1955: The Harry Cohn Years |date=2011 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786486724 |chapter=I Love a Mystery }}</ref>

==Plot== Police find a shrunken head in the wreckage of a plane crash. Capt. Quinn of the San Francisco police department visits a local museum to see if any heads are missing from its collection and meet private detectives Jack and Doc. They are meeting Mrs. Louise Mitchell, the wife of museum director Quentin Mitchell, who recently disappeared while on an expedition in South America. Louise is worried a man called Rex Kennedy has been following her and wants to kill her with her stepdaugter Janet.

Janet believes Louise is romantically involved with Arthur Logan, an associate of her father, and that the two conspired to murder her father in the jungle.

Jack and Doc visit the Mitchell house and meet Logan, who shows slides of an expedition in South America. Quinn exposes Rex as a gamber and conman. Rex makes Janet to visit Dr Krager who hynpotises Janet.

Hartman reveals he killed Jayne's father in South America.

==Cast== * Anita Louise as Janet Mitchell * Jim Bannon as Jack Packard * Michael Duane as Rex Kennedy * Mona Barrie as Louise Mitchell * Barton Yarborough as Doc Long * Ludwig Donath as Dr. Karger * Paul E. Burns as Leon Hartman * Frank Wilcox as Prof. Arthur Logan * Bud Averill as Museum Guard * Edward Earle as E.R. Willard * John Elliott as John the Butler * Fred Godoy as Mendoza * Richard Hale as Curator Raymond Halliday * Coulter Irwin as Frank * Thomas E. Jackson as Detective Captain Quinn * Frank Mayo as Gordon R. Mitchell * Mary Newton as Karger's Nurse * Harry Strang as Brophy - Night Watchman

==Production== Filming took place in February 1946.<ref>{{cite news|title=Production chart|newspaper=Daily News |date=13 February 1946|page=26}}</ref>

==Critical reception== ''Daily News'' called it "a gory little number."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Devil's Mask|newspaper=Daily News |date=29 June 1946|page=24}}</ref>

TV Guide called it an "enjoyable programmer".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-devils-mask-112894/review/|title=The Devil's Mask|work=TVGuide.com}}</ref>

==References== <references/>

==Bibliography== * Bansak, Edmund G. ''Fearing the Dark: The Val Lewton Career''. McFarland, 2003. * Sterling, Christopher H. & O'Dell, Cary. ''The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio''. Routledge, 2011.

==External links== * {{IMDb title|0038471}} * {{TCMDb title|id=73008}} * {{AFI film|id=24758|title=The Devil's Mask}} *[https://letterboxd.com/film/the-devils-mask/ ''The Devil's Mask''] at Letterbox DVD {{Henry Levin}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devils Mask}} Category:1946 films Category:American crime films Category:1946 crime films Category:Films directed by Henry Levin Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:American black-and-white films Category:1946 English-language films Category:1946 American films Category:Films scored by George Duning Category:Films scored by Irving Gertz Category:English-language crime films