Public domain films can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, they are usually readily available to watch on any number of streaming services. On the other, it is often difficult to find a copy that is in watchable condition. Such is the case with The Argyle Secrets, a film that was streaming but in such poor condition that there were times when all that could be made out were a bunch of blurry pixels. It makes for a less than ideal viewing experience, especially when trying to watch it on a decent-sized television. I ended up having to switch over to a mobile device where the screen was small enough to mitigate a little of that ultra-low-quality digital mess. This has to be taken into consideration before anyone decides they want to track down and watch this film.
And that is a shame, too, because there is quite a bit to like about this movie. It presents a mystery that is intriguing, if a little generic. The gist is some information, known as the Argyle Album, goes missing after being stolen out of a locker. A man with information about the whereabouts of the Album is murdered in his hospital bed, poisoned. After he dies, someone else comes in and stabs him to death, unaware that he has already expired. Reporter Harry Mitchell (William Gargan), who was with the man shortly before he died, becomes the number one suspect and has to avoid the police as well as gangsters who assume he must know where to obtain the Argyle Album.
The film is paced at a breakneck speed, never taking much time to allow us to catch our breaths or ponder the clues as they unfold. Consequently, if you are not giving this film your full attention, you will quickly be lost in all the shuffle. Gargan is a serviceable protagonist, helped along by witty one-liners and some well-placed voice-over work, but there is a feeling of been-there-done-that that this film cannot quite escape. It also cannot escape the obviously excessive low budget and rushed filming schedule that amounted to just a week’s worth of shooting time to get this in the bag. Ultimately, while it has some wonderfully odd secondary characters, especially a sarcastic Panama hat-wearing thug with a swordstick, it stumbles almost as much as it succeeds, making it overall a mixed bag. 1948 - 64 minutes
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