This is the fifth of the Saint films, and the fourth with George Sanders as the Saint. What a relief that this is a good one again, after the horrible fourth film in the series which is not worth watching. This film is not based upon a story or a novel by Leslie Charteris, but has a screenplay which uses the character of the Saint ('created by Leslie Charteris') in a story written by the screenwriters Lynn Root and Frank Fenton . The plot is rather complex, and there are five and a half villains. (The half-villain is a woman who wants to kill the other five.) Wendy Barrie plays the half-villain. She wants to avenge the death of her brother, who was killed by the five baddies. They have also framed Inspector Henry Fernack, played as usual by Jonathan Hale. By putting his $50,000 in his safe and then arranging for the police to find it, so that he loses his job because of suspicion of corruption. So Sanders comes to the rescue to try and prove that Fernack is innocent. Paul Guilfoyle as Clarence 'Pearly' Gates has a prominent part in the film, exploiting his comic gifts and ability to act 'stupid'. The director is Jack Hiveley, who directed the previous film of the series and would direct the next one, THE SAINT IN PALM SPRINGS (1941), which would be the last Saint film for both himself and for George Sanders.
Review of The Saint Takes Over
