Strange Illusion (1945)

★ 5.4 1h 27m IMDb

An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.

Strange Illusion

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Cast

Jimmy Lydon
Jimmy Lydon as Paul Cartwright Died 2022 · Harrington Park, New Jersey, USA James J. Lydon (born May 30, 1923) is an American actor and television producer whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenager during the 1930s..
Warren William
Warren William as Brett Curtis Died 1948 · Aitkin, Minnesota, USA Warren William (born Warren William Krech; 2 December 1894 - 24 September 1948) was an American stage, screen, and radio actor, popular as a film leading man during the early 1930s, and later nickname...
Sally Eilers
Sally Eilers as Virginia Cartwright Died 1978 · New York City, New York, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dorothea Sally Eilers (December 11, 1908 – January 5, 1978) was an American actress. She made her film debut in 1927 in The Red Mill, directed by Roscoe Arbuckl...
Regis Toomey
Regis Toomey as Dr. Vincent Died 1991 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Regis Toomey (August 13, 1898 – October 12, 1991) was an American film and television actor. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, he was one of four chil...
Charles Arnt
Charles Arnt as Professor Muhlbach Died 1990 · Michigan City, Indiana, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Arnt (August 20, 1906 – August 6, 1990) was an American film actor from 1933 to 1962. Arnt was born in Michigan City, Indiana, the son of a banker. He g...
George H. Reed
George H. Reed as Benjamin Died 1952 · Macon, Georgia, USA George Reed was born on November 27, 1866 in Macon, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Huckleberry Finn (1920), The River of Romance (1929) and Going Places (1938). He was married to Julia Ridle...

Audience Reviews

CinemaSerf 7/10 Mar 22, 2025
Shortly after his father dies, the bright young “Paul” (Jimmy Lydon) starts to have nightmares that his mother’s new beau is, in some way, behind the death. Of course, she (Sally Ellers) doesn’t know of his spooky suspicions, but he does confide in his doctor (Regis Toomey) who is sceptical to begin with, but who begins to wonder if this man “Curtis” (Warren William) is indeed whom he claims to be. Might he have had an hand in the seemingly accidental death of the father - who was a judge? As the story develops, the young lad has to take up residence at the asylum of the enigmatic “Prof. Muhlbach” (Charles Ant) and the plot thickens more. Is there any truth to his dreaming or is he just a succumbing to the stresses and strains of his father’s death and of his mother’s impending nuptials? Lydon holds this together enthusiastically and as the mystery deepens, it has a slightly more sinister feel to it than many of these standard afternoon features. It also touches, albeit superficially, on the effects of grief on the young man and offers us something psychologically plausible for a while as “Paul” struggles to conclude himself whether he is correct or just losing the plot. Speaking of plots, yes there are some familiarities with other noir mysteries here, but Lydon does well and this certainly is just a little more menacingly different.

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