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Like-a-Jack-in-the-Box----Murder jumped out and claimed its Victim!
Susan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Susan is charged with murder, but Russ and his less-than-useful associate, Harvard, get on the case.
CinemaSerf
Jul 7, 2022 · via TMDB
Pamela Blake is "Susan", the assistant to PI Tom Neal ("Russ") whose business has rather hit the skids. Whilst he is away, she takes on a case trying to prove infidelity and using a hat box that, ostensibly, conceals a harmless camera she follows her target. Unfortunately, her snaps have a fatal consequence and she is charged with murder. It falls to "Russ" and his hapless helper "Harvard" (Allen Jenkins) to get to the bottom of it before "Susan" is toast. It's all just a routine B-drama with little jeopardy or menace, but it does have quite a few quite engaging scenes between "Harvard" and waitress "Veronica" (Virginia Sale) who offers him her body but he'd rather have a goose-burger.... It's short and sweet, and though pretty unremarkable, it does pass 45 minutes easily enough.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Tom Neal
Russ Ashton
Pamela Blake
Susan Hart
Allen Jenkins
'Harvard'
Virginia Sale
Veronica Hoopler
Leonard Penn
Stevens, aka John Moreland
Tom Kennedy
Policeman Murphy
Al Hill
Flint
Edward Keane
District Attorney
Zon Murray
Joe
Jack Cheatham
Policeman
Steve Clark
Telephone Re-Connect Man (uncredited)
Lambert Hillyer
Director
Carl K. Hittleman
Screenplay
Carl K. Hittleman
Story
Crime Club
Psycho
Chinatown
The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Shall We Dance?
The Thin Man
Cape Fear
Blood Simple
Angel Heart
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Strange Days
Happy Divorced
McDick
Rubber Heels
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
Find the Blackmailer
Spenser: Pale Kings and Princes
Detective Story
Romance on the High Seas
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Terror by Night
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Dancing Man
Devil in a Blue Dress
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The Maltese Falcon
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The Lady in Black
The Fat Man
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Marlowe
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My Gun Is Quick
8 Million Ways to Die
The Falcon in Mexico
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Absolution
Ca$h
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Take Me
Jun 12, 1947
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The Hunter’s Moon
ODD BALL
2025
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
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