Most of the other reviewers on this board seemed to have fun with this one, and there's no reason not to. I was reminded of Vincent Price's 1959 flick "House on Haunted Hill", but a more likely comparison could be made to another Jack Haley vehicle from 1944 - "One Body Too Many". That one also included an eccentric millionaire, but the stakes are even higher here for heirs of Jasper Whyte's (Charley Grapewin) five million dollar fortune. I always get a kick out of the timing involved in these 1930's era flicks - if the 'true' heir shows up before midnight, she gets the whole bundle, while the five other poor saps who would have gotten a million each are left holding the proverbial empty bag.
The best thing to do here is sit back and relax as the characters go through their motions, because in the best Charlie Chan tradition, the murderer isn't revealed until right at the very end. You can take a stab at it of course, but these pictures always managed to confound anyone who really tried to stay focused and keep track of all the characters. My money would have been on Arthur Proctor (Arthur Hohl), just because he was the creepiest suspect with the most to lose. Hedda Hopper probably would have named him in her gossip column.
I can't say for sure if I'd call it a continuity goof, but keep an eye on the utility pole that gets hit by the falling tree during the thunderstorm. It shows up later in the picture good as new!
For a mystery flick that comes in at just over an hour, you can't go wrong with "One Frightened Night". I'd put it right up there with my other suggestions for a dark and stormy night movie marathon, just like the ones mentioned in my opening comments. If that weren't enough, this movie is the only one I've seen so far that contains the word 'prestidigitator', and that's got to be worth a bonus point!
The best thing to do here is sit back and relax as the characters go through their motions, because in the best Charlie Chan tradition, the murderer isn't revealed until right at the very end. You can take a stab at it of course, but these pictures always managed to confound anyone who really tried to stay focused and keep track of all the characters. My money would have been on Arthur Proctor (Arthur Hohl), just because he was the creepiest suspect with the most to lose. Hedda Hopper probably would have named him in her gossip column.
I can't say for sure if I'd call it a continuity goof, but keep an eye on the utility pole that gets hit by the falling tree during the thunderstorm. It shows up later in the picture good as new!
For a mystery flick that comes in at just over an hour, you can't go wrong with "One Frightened Night". I'd put it right up there with my other suggestions for a dark and stormy night movie marathon, just like the ones mentioned in my opening comments. If that weren't enough, this movie is the only one I've seen so far that contains the word 'prestidigitator', and that's got to be worth a bonus point!