The Mind of Mr. Reeder

The Mind of Mr. Reeder
U.S. lobby card
Directed byJack Raymond
Written byMarjorie Gaffney
Michael Hogan
Bryan Edgar Wallace
Based onThe Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder by Edgar Wallace
Produced byCharles Q. Steel
StarringWill Fyffe
Kay Walsh
George Curzon
CinematographyGeorge Stretton
Music byPercival Mackey
Production
company
Jack Raymond Productions
Distributed byGrand National Pictures (UK)
Release date
  • 13 January 1940 (1940-01-13)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Mind of Mr. Reeder (United States: distributed by Monogram Pictures as The Mysterious Mr. Reeder[1][2]) is a 1939 British mystery crime film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Will Fyffe, Kay Walsh, George Curzon, and supporting roles for Chili Bouchier, John Warwick and Ronald Shiner.[3] It was written by Marjorie Gaffney, Michael Hogan and Bryan Edgar Wallace, based on a 1925 collection of short stories by Edgar Wallace,[4] and was produced by Jack Raymond Productions at the Highbury Studios in London, with sets designed by the art director James Carter.

Ronald Shiner, Will Fyffe and Jack Raymond were involved in another Mr. Reeder film, The Missing People (1940).[5]

Plot

Reeder, an employee of the Public Prosecutors Department, pursues a gang of counterfeiters.

Cast

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The trouble about this film ... is that in it Mr. Reeder is never allowed to communicate any of the fascinating processes of that mind which must have been the core of Edgar Wallace's book. The result is an uneasy sequence of abrupt episodes, some of them quite good in themselves, in which Will Fyffe neither presents an intelligent study of a detective at work, nor yet is given the chance to exploit the more familiar features of his benevolent personality. A disconnected film in which some good acting in minor parts and an adequate command of technical resources show to little advantage."[6]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Detective melodrama taking the form of a keen, interesting and entertainment essay in calculated crime and swift, stern retribution. The story is from the pen of Edgar Wallace, and the author's inimitable style is faithfully and accurately represented. Authentic interpretation is, in the main, due to Will Fyffe, an ideal selection for the title role; he applies the personal touch, and this collaborates effectively with intimate presentation. It will appeal to all and blend with practically any programme."[7]

The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Plot unfolds suspensefully, with regular Wallace trimmings including cold-blooded killing; backgrounds embrace prison, night-club, race-course and low pub locales, and Fyffe's performance is grand tour de force. Excellent popular offering, with big star and title angles, and a gilt-edged proposition for the showman."[8]

References

  1. ↑ Slide, Anthony (1998). Banned in the U.S.A.: British Films in the United States and Their Censorship, 1933-1966. I.B.Tauris. p. 194. ISBN 9781860642548.
  2. ↑ "The Mysterious Mr. Reeder (1940) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie.
  3. ↑ "The Mind of Mr. Reeder". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Mind of Mr. Reeder". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Missing People". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "The Mind of Mr. Reeder". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 6 (61): 40. 1 January 1939. ProQuest 1305802121.
  7. ↑ "The Mind of Mr. Reeder". Kine Weekly. 265 (1663): 22. 2 March 1939. ProQuest 2339721828.
  8. ↑ "The Mind of Mr. Reeder". The Daily Film Renter (3): 7. 24 February 1939. ProQuest 2826357475.
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