Antique programmer, a ‘late’ Early Talkie, and on the stiff side for 1932, but not without its amusing angles. From mystery novelist Mary Roberts Rinehart*, one of her once highly popular ‘Old Dark House’ comic thrillers, here with Joan Blondell’s overworked hospital nurse assigned to a murder scene to assist police detective George Brent working a young man’s suicide which may really be murder! And with a houseful of well-motivated suspects. Lloyd Bacon megs around the confusion with a little bit of style (for a change), setting up some neat angles that use natural framing devices found in the house (hall landings; doorways) to allow for all sorts of eavesdropping & ominous shadows. And someone (lenser Barney McGill?) cooked up a great farewell death shot as Elizabeth Patterson goes out for the long count, popping her eyes and then seeing Brent & Blondell do a fast fadeout into the nether region. Quite spooky! For the rest, it’s pretty silly stuff, with many a limp wisecrack. But the leads seem quite taken with each other, and it all wraps in about an hour.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Was this meant as a pilot for a Blondell series? It would explain much.
DOUBLE-BILL: *Rinehart’s best remembered title was filmed as THE BAT/’26, a late silent, and then as a very stiff Early Talkie (in 70mm) as THE BAT WHISPERS/’30. While over @ Universal, James Whale’s ‘old, dark house’ chiller came out as . . . THE OLD DARK HOUSE/’32. Best of the field, and with multiple filmings, goes to THE CAT AND THE CANARY, now out in a fine new restoration on KINO of Paul Leni’s 1927 silent version.
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