The Second Floor Mystery (1930)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Earl Derr Biggers (novel)
Joseph Jackson (writer)

Release Date:

26 April 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery

Plot Keywords:

London Times | Anarchy | Based On Novel

Cast

Grant Withers	...	Geoffrey West
Loretta Young	...	Marion Ferguson
H.B. Warner	...	Inspector Bray
Claire McDowell	...	Aunt Hattie
Sidney Bracey	...	Alfred
Crauford Kent	...	Capt. Fraser-Freer
John Loder	...	Fraser-Freer's Younger Brother
Claude King	...	Enright
Judith Vosselli	...	The Vamp
Cosmo Kyrle Bellew	...	Wilson

Also Known As:

The Second-Story Murder

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone (Western Electric Sound System)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Vitaphone production reels #4002-4008.

The Romance of the Strawberry Man & Lady of the Grapefruit

Geoffrey West is a vacationing American in London, who notices a young Londoner, Marion Ferguson, sitting at a table nearby and immediately falls in love. Marion, suggested by her Aunt Hattie, is put off by the Yank's glances, but it doesn't faze Geoffrey, who decides to write a personal ad in the newspaper, which Marion reads regularly at the breakfast table. Intrigued, Marion writes back asking for Geoffrey to write tales of his fabulous adventures. Geoffrey, makes up a tale based after hearing an argument from the upstairs apartment he rents, in which he is the innocent American caught in a murder mystery where he is trying to apprehend the killer before he himself is killed with suspects and international intrigue galore. Marion is excited by the letters, sent everyday of the week in a serialized format, but her Aunt Hattie leads her to believe the Geoffrey is really a murderer or spy and sends for Scotland Yard. When confronted with the letters, Geoffrey admits that it was all a joke to amuse Marion, but the joke's on him when the murdered man in the letters is actually found murdered. This was a really fun film from the early talkie period. Withers and Young interpret their roles perfectly. The movie has numerous murder mystery clichés which don't really seem corny in the context of the film. Ruth's direction lacks a clear narrative in the movie and it might put off some viewers, but its still a very humorous script. Rating, 7.