The Missing Juror (1944)

Directed by Oscar Boetticher Jr; produced by Wallace MacDonald

Young Harry Wharton (George Macready), convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, was pardoned after new evidence of his innocence was uncovered by reporter Joe Keats (Jim Bannon). That didn’t save him, however, as his mind was unhinged by his ordeal and he killed himself. Months later, members of the jury that voted for Wharton’s guilt are being killed off, and Keats is back on the case, trying to solve the murders and save lives.

What made me watch The Missing Juror was principally the fact that it is an early work by Bud Boetticher (here credited under his birth-name). Best known for his westerns, especially those starring Randolph Scott, Boetticher’s straight-forward style is deceptively simple, and here he shows its origins, embellished by some interesting flourishes. One of those is the technique of changing scenes by taking advantage of the three-walled sets that movies use, and simply rolling the camera ‘through’ the set’s incomplete wall, from one room to another. Subtle swings of the camera give movement to otherwise static scenes. In short, the direction did not disappoint.

Almost everything else about The Missing Juror did, however. The principal culprit is the script. It has the makings of a very good mystery story. No attempt is made, though, to put any mystery into it. It gives the appearance, in fact, of being sabotaged in its attempts to mislead the audience in terms of the killer’s identity. Nor is any motive but the obvious one suggested for the killings, thus limiting the possible suspects.

The first problem is that someone’s body is ‘burned beyond recognition’. To any viewer or reader of mysteries, this is a patent sign. Later, an observation is made by a character that links another character to Wharton. I thought at first that this was a red herring, thrown in by a clever writer. There is no clever writer. Basically, it is the writer figuring that his audience is so dumb that they need a huge arrow pointing in the right direction.

As well, when a character in a movie set during a decade when full facial hair was rare has a beard and moustache, in addition to glasses, one knows that the appearance is perfect for a disguise. Again, one might suspect a false trail. Again, one would be let down. An added discouragement is that this particular character is the most interesting.

The acting is adequate, about par for b-level film noir. Bannon was initially a movie stuntman, and makes a decent hero; he later turned to small roles in westerns. He and most of the other performers are unknown today, though Macready - whose real-life culture and erudition comes through in his acting - had a prolific career in a variety of roles.

With much potential and its few good touches wasted, The Missing Juror spends two thirds of its running time as an obvious, rather heavy-handed tale of demented vengeance. Commendable direction only goes so far.