Reviews of Shot in the Dark Mystery Parties
An Entertaining Low-Upkeep Mystery Film of the Mid-1930s
This is an entertaining murder mystery of the mid-1930s made on a budget then minor it would fit in a child's pocket. The lack of production values and largely unknown bandage do non however detract from the appeal of this unpretentious offering, for those who like creaky old mystery films and bask seeing the manners and mores of a bygone era. The just functioning which really stands out is by Robert Warwick, who was a cutting above the rest and does superbly well, old trooper and charmer that he was. The plot outline given for this moving picture at the moment is entirely wrong, is obviously that of some other film, and should be replaced, as this movie is not about people in a room existence murdered. Information technology is fix on a university campus, though no classrooms come into information technology, and it is all about someone inheriting when he turns 21 and whether he hangs himself or not. Some novel twists are introduced, an unusual murder weapon appears, and there are some far-fetched solutions. But it is all good fun for those who are not fussy. in other words, people who simply like a good mystery pic and do not demand modern stars, large budgets, car chases, and exploding buildings.
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Well plotted and played out mystery that manages to play pretty fair with the audience and continue y'all guessing to the finish
While at a party at his higher campus Ken Harris gets a call from his dad saying that he'south nearby and would similar to meet him. Ken goes that night to choice up his dad and bring him dorsum to stay in his dorm room. Ken sends his dad upwards to the room while he parks the motorcar. When Ken arrives at his room he finds that the door is locked and neither his dad nor his roommate will answer the knocks. Ken and then crashes for the dark in a downstairs friends room. In the morning time Ken is awoken past a banging outside. It seems that Ken's roommate has committed suicide past hanging himself out the window. It quickly transpires that what appeared to be suicide was in fact murder and the murderer is still on the prowl.
This is a solid little mystery that unfolds in such abroad every bit to keep you glued to the screen wondering whats going to happen side by side. The investigation, nominally headed by Ken's dad moves along at a expert clip and in a logical progression with events, including more murders, coming out of what is revealed in the story. Each clue leads to something else which leads to something else. This is one of the few times that y'all tin feel the source novel actually working well with in the frame work of a 60 minute movie, and where the compression of the story doesn't lead to a moment or two where something seems to come completely out of left field. The film is also unique in that contrary to most mysteries of the catamenia (or mysteries menstruum) the local cops are non buffoons. While they admit that murder is beyond them (the deputy says about all they're used to is speeders) they do brand a go of investigating the criminal offense and acquit themselves nicely.
As good equally the film is its not perfect. The pacing is a tad dull since the film is has a nifty deal of talk (though this is not a bad matter). There is ane moment where the scenes seem to take been placed out of social club with Ken's dad talking about working with the police and in the next scene has a chat with the police near working with them. The picture show's master sin is that while we become all of the required information there are times where characters and situations get the short shrift. There are times when I felt we could accept known a character more than or that maybe they could have added a scene that lead to something (the discovery of the murder weapon for instance).
Still this is a great piddling flick. Worth a handbag of popcorn and some soda on the burrow with some friends.(Possibly as part of Murder on Campus which has some of the aforementioned cast and besides set on a college campus)
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The Students Seemed Awfully Old
The strength of this film is a pretty complex plot. There are a few layers we need to wade through and that's a good affair. One time that was established, the movie becomes worthwhile. There are so many other things that are really difficult for the modernistic viewer. First of all, virtually of the college students seem to be about thirty-five years former, fully mature, looking more similar bank executives. Nosotros take the father who writes mystery novels who merely moves in and takes over. The handling of bear witness and the ignorance of the constabulary is all then contrived. Nosotros have the young adult female who does nothing merely sit in the shadows. Nosotros accept a risk to solve the crime and they transport her into a room where she is almost killed. At that place'due south no reason for this.
I did enjoy Everett Sloan, whom I remember as Van Helsing from the Lugosi Dracula. His voice is delightful. I also got a kick out of all the smoking that the self declared detective did. He was constantly blowing smoke in people'southward faces and couldn't seem to get through ii minutes without lighting up. I wonder what the lung cancer rate was dorsum then. This is worth a watch and has some surprises even with its rough edges.
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a first charge per unit cast lift this film
Warning: Spoilers
An excellent cast and a very intriguing finish lift this film out of the usual poverty row sludge. It was a Chesterfield production simply was filmed at Universal studio and then it had a more polished look. Edward Van Sloan's imposing presence was put to good use in many a programmer mystery. While often a kindly physician (or professor) he also popped up as a surprise villain in quite a few who done its.
Student Ken Harris (Charles Starrett) gets a telephone call from his father (Robert Warwick) to meet up with him in a nearby town. Ken is at a Victory party for Cornwall College Football game team. Jean (Marion Shilling) wants to go with him but her chaperone, Miss Lottie Example (Helen Jerome Eddy) declines the invitation, equally does Jean's blood brother, Byron. On the trip dorsum his begetter voices his disapproval of his friendship with Byron.
The next morn Ken awakens to notice Byron has committed suicide - or so everyone thinks. Ken'south father is an amateur criminologist and quickly discounts that theory. The md'southward examination finds that he was expressionless before the rope went around his neck. Jean is then questioned about her movements that dark - she says she went to bed early simply Ken's dad saw her at his hotel nigh two am. Sam, another boy, knows who visited Byron'southward room that nighttime merely earlier he tin talk to Ken he, likewise, is murdered. Byron's murder was committed for money - he was due to come up into a large inheritance on his birthday which is today!!! A third boy is then killed, John Mesereux, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Byron (they are both played by the same actor - James Bush).
The script, was quite complex and the ending was a surprise. Ken'southward male parent found the solution had to do with a family scandal that only Byron's mother (Doris Lloyd) knew nigh. John was Byron's half brother, who the mother placed with a French family, hoping to put the shame behind her.
Charles Starrett had a mammoth career - as a cowboy!! At the start he was oftentimes in social club dramas but in 1936 he signed with Columbia and establish everlasting fame equally the Durango Kid. Marion Shilling was a lovely actress who started out in an early musical ("Lord Byron of Broadway" (1930)) simply by the fourth dimension she made "A Shot in the Dark" she was well entrenched in westerns. Eddie Tamblyn, who was the begetter of Russ Tamblyn, played one of the college boys.
Recommended.
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The Old College Try
"A death at a college campus appears to exist a suicide only is really a cover for murder. The dead man'south roommate finds himself embroiled in a mystery equally he tries to uncover the truth behind the young man's murder. Twists and turns, besides as some false leads, makes this a tough case for our collegiate hero to solve, let alone (go along) out of the clutches of the killer," co-ordinate to the DVD sleeve'south synopsis.
The stars may exist bigger than the film. Handsome Charles Starrett (as Ken Harris), who has a pocket-sized "lingerie" scene, became one of the pinnacle western stars of the forties, peaking in "The Return of the Durango Kid" (1945). The man playing his father, Robert Warwick (every bit Joseph Harris), was 1 of the most respected actors of the teens, get-go with his performance in "Alias Jimmy Valentine" (1915). Watch out for ruby-red herrings.
**** A Shot in the Night (2/1/35) Charles Lamont ~ Charles Starrett, Robert Warwick, James Bush
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The cause of these murders
Warning: Spoilers
This particular A Shot In The Dark has goose egg whatsoever to practice with Inspector Clousseau. Information technology is however a B film murder mystery from the Poverty Row studio, Chesterfield Pictures. Before Charles Starrett decided to practice westerns and much earlier he became the Durango Kid he starred in this film where he plays a college football star who returns home after a political party and discovers his roommate James Bush hanging from their dormitory window. Information technology was an effort at covering upward a murder of course as Bush was killed with a very sophisticated pistol that fires needle darts. Equally information technology happens Starrett is the son of criminologist Robert Warwick who is retained by the higher to investigate the criminal offense. As information technology also turns out young Bush was about to come into a large inheritance and that fact provides a whole load of suspects. The law which consists of a local sheriff and Barney Fife like deputy realize that they're out of their league investigating a homicide which turns into a cord of homicides before the culprit is nabbed. They grouse a chip, but mostly follow Warwick's lead in the investigation. The lack of first course production values prevent me from giving A Shot In The Nighttime a higher rating. Still the film is not a bad one of its type.
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A sub-par mystery that turns out not to be all that mysterious.
The summary of this film isn't quite right. It is Not virtually an old mansion just students at a higher are killed--the commencement in the dorm, another at an assembly. Will at that place be a third?!
When a student is establish hung outside his room, the coroner rules it'southward a murder--as the trunk was already dead earlier he was hung. It seems some sort of mortiferous needle was shot into the base of the victim's skull! Surely this is a VERY sophisticated murder, so it seems odd that they'd apply the clumsy ruse of a hanging to hibernate the killing. It seems fifty-fifty odder that they'd inquire one of the student's fathers to assistance investigate the law-breaking--specially since he's not a detective but a corporate lawyer! Non-police investigating crimes was mutual in 1930s and 40s films, but commonly they are amateur detectives or adventurers such as the Saint or Bulldog Drummond--here, he'due south just some lawyer who has had dreams of becoming a gumshoe! This weird plot isn't helped any by the crime itself. While information technology's supposed to be a mystery, I figured out who the murderer was almost halfway through the movie. It also was silly how complicated the murders were--they but weren't very practical or believable--more than similar a B-moving-picture show murder than one that could really happen. Overall, a somewhat competent flick that isn't completely bad---it only isn't all that good, either. And, I had to laugh at the sometime cliché where EVERY Time A PERSON WAS ABOUT TO TALK, they were shortly killed!! Gimme a break! Yous could do a lot better than this ane by watching any of the Charlie Chan films!
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A Shot in the Nighttime review
A student'due south suicide turns out to be murder. Murder mystery in which the police are happy to sit down back and let an amateur criminologist, played with authority by grapheme actor Robert Warwick, atomic number 82 the investigation. Passable entertainment despite the inevitable far-fetched resolve.
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Okay mystery lacks nada
Midway through this Chesterfield mystery, I found myself wondering: Is this plot clumsily complex, or just awfully muddled? A suicide that is a murder; a stolen letter; an quondam photo in an album; odd family relations and relationships….Various characters guard foreign secrets of the past and present. Simply I'm still not sure how much sense it makes.
Three male leads are at the center of the story. Charles Starrett is of course the rather upright and dashing young pupil whose roommate is bumped off in the film's opening moments. Starrett immediately calls for assist from his criminologist father, played by Robert Warwick in the all-time Holmesian style. Information technology seems like a promising setup—a father-son team parsing clues, nabbing bad guys. Only, for me at least, Starrett's character came across as overly deferential and Warwick's as annoyingly smug. Third-billed is the great Edward Van Sloan equally a professor (naturally) interested in the parties involved; his grapheme is darkly highly-seasoned merely, alas, not on screen often plenty.
Overall, it's not a bad flick, exactly, but I just couldn't experience it gain any momentum. The comic relief supplied by the moronic sheriff and his deputy is rather lame, and the residuum of the cast seem to have things altogether besides seriously. And there's one big ruby herring that would have added intrigue had it been a "real" inkling....Anyway, early do, I gauge, for director Charles Lamont, who would keep to bigger and better and less serious things.
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This murder-mystery didn't practice likewise much for me
I night in a college campus a man commits suicide. Or rather he is murdered and left for expressionless as if he had. From hither on in his friends try to piece together the mystery and notice who the killer is.
A Shot in the Night is still another 30's mystery movie. These types of films were ten a penny in the decade for some reason. I can't say I idea besides much of this one though unfortunately. While it does movement through its plot-line fairly methodically and logically, and while information technology also mercifully does not have an abrasive comedy relief grapheme I just constitute myself somewhat bored to tell you lot the absolute truth. It was slow and quite uneventful, relying on detective staples rather than thriller ones. Although one thing is for sure, college students take certainly inverse a lot in the past 75 years.
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A Chesterfield indie filmed at Universal
Warning: Spoilers
For another Chesterfield indie produced at Universal (similar 1933'southward "Strange People"), 1935's "A Shot in the Dark" benefits from the presence of studio veteran Edward Van Sloan, here reunited with his "Dracula" co-star, Herbert Bunston (who died a calendar month after completion). Based on a popular serial of the day, "The Dartmouth Murders," top billing goes to former gridiron athlete Charles Starrett, at present 31 and before long to shift into Westerns, where he would play The Durango Kid until 1952 (he had co-starred reverse Boris Karloff in MGM'due south "The Mask of Fu Manchu" 3 years earlier). The actual sleuthing is done by undecayed Robert Warwick, as Starrett's deductive father, who is quickly aiding the local sheriff when a student, Byron Coates, believed to have hanged himself, is revealed to take already been murdered before he was hung. Another student drops dead at the memorial service for Coates, who turns out to take a lookalike fellow classmate whom he despised, John Meseraux (both roles essayed past James Bush). The interesting supporting bandage includes some other Universal regular, Doris Lloyd ("Waterloo Span," "The Wolf Man"), as Byron's female parent, and Eddie Tamblyn, father of Russ, grandfather of Amber, soon to retire from pictures (he died in 1957 at historic period fifty). The killer might accept been more difficult to spot were it non for a sure cast fellow member'south disappearance from the film halfway through.
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Collegiate corpses
The real mystery here is how -- and why -- this movie got made. At a mythical college where almost of the students have evidently been flunking for years -- since they're all in their thirties -- a body is found hanging outside a dorm window. Suicide? Nah! That'd only be a short discipline. The poor lad was bumped off, a murder followed past two more. And if you oasis't figured out who the culprit is nigh five minutes in, it's time to brush up on your 1930s form-C thrillers. Charles Starrett in the days before he rode the range, tin manifestly act. His girl friend (whose name I'll omit out of respect) struggles to say a few lines. Hopefully, she moved on to a more suitable career. 1 last question. Can anyone who's seen the flick tell me why the killings were committed? If so, you lot're way ahead of the screenwriter.
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A serious, plot centered, but failed mystery
While many of the era's murder mysteries incorporated elements of other genres, such every bit comedy, action or those beloved quondam dark house kind of horror movies to milk shake things upwards a scrap (or to make y'all forget most plot holes), this one uses no such things, which results in a quite serious tone and a very plot centered script. Which could be a practiced matter, but unfortunately the picture (which is now in public domain) fails in so many means.
The upkeep was pretty depression (the picture show was produced past Chesterfield, shortly earlier it was merged into Republic, to avoid closure due to their debts), which would not be a problem itself, only the whole picture is manner too talkie, while the confusing plot drags around quite slow, with not much going on: the incompetent, only unfunny law officer admits that they don't know much about murder and exercise not really wish to exist in charge (just what!?) and the son-and-male parent duo that ends up handling the case does not do much detective piece of work either, equally they ofttimes only run across important evidence accidentally.
The acting is besides pretty weak with people reacting to events in totally unlikely ways. For case when they observe the body of Byron, the commencement victim or when later others are told about his expiry, they are all similar "Oh, really?" with well-nigh zero emotion shown. Fifty-fifty when his mother learns near his decease, nosotros see her smiling, showing childhood pictures of the boy just moments later. The mode the other murders are committed is rather unrealistic, the actors that are supposed to play collage boys are quite obviously much older than they should be and the plot, which revolves effectually some complicated family unit matters and a lot of coin is only also muddled and uninteresting to go on up your attention for 70 minutes. Still, it is non a complete waste of time, but not really recommended either.
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