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Review by E.C. McMullen Jr. |
ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT- 1935USA Release: May 1, 1935 Mascot Pictures Rated: USA: N/A |
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In essence, this is a Mystery movie. However, Mysteries in 1935 were played for frights.
Not hard to understand. Edgar Allen Poe is considered a Horror author today, but in his time he considered himself a writer of Tales of Mystery and Imagination. To this day the Mystery Writers Association is represented by the Edgar Award and a Raven as their mascot.
Not for nothing, ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT was made by Mascots Pictures.
Let's get into it!
On a dark and stormy night we see a massive mansion and in that mansion windows blow open, a young man jumps up to close them, as he utters the first words in the movie,
"Swell night for a murder!" says who we will come to know as cousin Tom Dean (Regis Toomey: MURDER BY THE CLOCK, A STRANGE ADVENTURE, THE INVISIBLE MENACE, THE PHANTOM CREEPS, THE MYSTERIOUS MISS X, STRANGE ILLUSION, SPELLBOUND, THE THIRTEENTH HOUR, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, EVIL TOWN).
Inside and sitting at the head of the table is one hell of a bitchy old man, Jasper Whyte (Charlie Grapewyn: THE WOMAN IN ROOM 13, THE NIGHT OF JUNE 13, RETURN OF THE TERROR, THE PETRIFIED FOREST). As the discussion is about the storm, Jasper makes a salty comment to Tom and Laura Proctor (Hedda Hopper: THE MYSTERY TRAIN, THE DARK HOUR, DRACULA'S DAUGHTER, SUNSET BOULEVARD) chides him for it.
Outside a tree falls on the power lines and the lights go out. In the dark, Jasper gets ever more bitchy, shouting for his maid, Elvira (Rafaela Ottiano: THE DEVIL DOLL, THE LEAGUE OF FRIGHTENED MEN).
Growing angrier by the minute, Jasper tells them all to follow him into the library. It's here we find that Jasper invited everyone present to his house tonight. Because this is the last night before inheritance will be taxed, he's decided to give his money away now, while he's still alive.
He's spent his life amassing his fortune and believes that everyone assembled will be fools with the money and broke within the year. Believing them all to be parasites, waiting for him to die, he's going to enjoy his final years watching all the trouble they'll get themselves into once they're millionaires.
Everyone present, his nephew Tom, his daughter Laura, his doctor Denham (Lucian Littlefield: THE GHOST BREAKER [1914], THE CAT AND THE CANARY [1927], HENRY ALDRICH HAUNTS A HOUSESCARED STIFF), and even Elvira will get a check for $1 million dollars.
Jasper has had enough for one night and goes to bed telling all that the only reason they're millionaires is because he never found his long lost granddaughter, Doris Waverly. If he ever did, he'd give all of his money and all possessions to her.
Whew!
What a time for Jasper's lawyer to come out of the storm and into the house with his long lost grandaughter!
Long lost because Jasper disowned his daughter when she fell in love with a man he hated.
25 years later and Jasper has regretted his actions ever since, but until recently was too stubborn and guilt ridden to make the first move toward reconciliation. In these last few weeks he's had his lawyer quietly putting ads in newspapers.
Jasper wants to believe his lawyer Felix (Clarence Wilson: TERROR ABOARD, A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT, SON OF KONG, THE CASE OF THE BLACK CAT [1936], SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, HAUNTED HOUSE) and does, telling his lawyer to tear up all those checks, he's giving his grandaughter everything.
Jasper kindly takes grandaughter Doris (Evalyn Knapp: THE PERILS OF PAULINE [1933]) upstairs to catch up, but not before telling her to mock all the people who just lost any rights to his money.,
Tom has a drink and tells his cousin "Might as well take down your stocking, Laura, Santa won't be here."
Laura's husband, Arthur (Arthur Hohl: THE NIGHT OF JUNE 13, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS [1932], THE KENNEL MURDER CASE, THE DEVIL DOLL [1936], THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME [1939], WHISPERING GHOSTS, THE SPIDER WOMAN, THE SCARLET CLAW, THE FROZEN GHOST) takes exception to Tom's glib attitude,
"You talk as though this were a joke!"
"It is, only we're on the wrong side of it."
Friends, according to the good ol' US Inflation Calculator, $1,000,000 in 1935 dollars is over $24,000,000 today. So its no surprise that the promised millionaires aren't going to just let their money walk away from them.
Soon, nearly all of them are plotting.
And wouldn't you know it? Grandaughter Doris Waverly is soon dead.
That would put everything back on track again except for one thing. Suddenly another woman comes out of the storm claiming SHE is the real Doris Waverly (Mary Carlisle: THE GREAT HOTEL MURDER, BEWARE SPOOKS, DEAD MEN WALK). Old Jasper doesn't know whether to be bereaved or delighted, but begins to believe because this Doris is as ornery as HE is!
Well that just does it! One of them is a murderer, by gosh, tons of money is at stake, so its time to call the cops and have somebody arrested! That way the rest of us can collect!
Here comes the local law enforcement in the form of two doofy half-wits, Sheriff Jenks (Fred Kelsey: THE EMPTY CAB, THE THIRTEENTH HOUR, THE GORILLA [1927], THE LAST WARNING [1928], INVISIBLE GHOST, THE STRANGE MR. GREGORY) and Deputy Abner (Adrian Morris: THE PETRIFIED FOREST) and now, by golly! We've got a movie!
Insanely prolific director of that era, Christy Cabanne (WHEN STRANGERS MEET, RENDEZVOUS AT MIDNIGHT, THE MUMMY'S HAND, SCARED TO DEATH), directed the snappy patter and hijinx typical of that era. Hell, he practically invented them. Best selling novelist and screenwriter, Stuart Palmer (MURDER ON THE BLACKBOARD, MURDER ON A HONEYMOON, FORTY NAUGHTY GIRLS, THE SMILING GHOST) must have loved writing comedy and Mystery, since he did so much of it. Palmer's co-writer, Wellyn Tottman, was experienced and talented in his own right, though he favored writing Navy movies and shitkicker shoot-em-ups.
At only 66 minutes long, which was feature film length for that time, the story moves at a brisk pace, the characters are oddball as all get out, and not a second drags. This is Mystery Thriller family fare, which is why you will probably enjoy, ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT.
3 Shriek Girls.
I give THE FRIGHTENERS three ShriekGirls.
This review copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr.
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