The Crooked Circle (1932)

A group of amateur detectives sets out to expose The Crooked Circle, a secretive group of hooded occultists.

Director:

H. Bruce Humberstone

Writers:

Ralph Spence (screenplay), Tim Whelan (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Zasu Pitts, James Gleason, Ben Lyon

Cast

Cast overview:
Zasu Pitts	...	Nora Rafferty
James Gleason	...	Arthur Crimmer
Ben Lyon	...	Brand Osborne
Irene Purcell	...	Thelma Parker
C. Henry Gordon	...	Yoganda
Raymond Hatton	...	Harmon (The Hermit) (as Ray Hatton)
Roscoe Karns	...	Harry Carter
Berton Churchill	...	Col. Walters (as Burton Churchill)
Spencer Charters	...	Kinny
Robert Frazer	...	The Stranger
Ethel Clayton	...	Yvonne
Frank Reicher	...	Rankin
Christian Rub	...	Old Dan
Tom Kennedy	...	Mike, the policeman

Storyline

A group of amateur detectives sets out to expose The Crooked Circle, a secretive group of hooded occultists.

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Plot Keywords:

amateur detective | mystic | occult ritual | hermit | hunchback | 

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Taglines:

Something happens to someone every minute and when the crazy clock strikes--thirteen--The Lid Is Off!

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1932 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sono Art-World Wide Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first television showing of this film was on Tuesday night, June 18, 1940 in NYC over NBC's W2XBS station.

User Reviews

Old dark house with more than the average number of hidden panels and passageways

The Crooked Circle is a crime organization that meets in a dark room. All the members wear hoods. The group has one female member. They do not like the Sphinx Club, which is a local amateur crime fighting organization that is adding one new member because of the retirement of another. --Okay, if that makes sense so far then the rest of the film will, too.

Over in the old dark house, Zasu Pitts is spooked from the first moment we see her, and that's before the real action of The Crooked Circle has even started. Soon police officer James Gleason arrives, and Zasu spends the remainder of the picture clinging to various pieces of his uniform, much to his annoyance. They make a cute couple.

Other club members—who all end up assembled at the house, of course—include Berton Churchill as a jovial host who thinks it's amusing that the Circle has vowed to kill him; Rosco Karns, who manages a few wisecracks; and C. Henry Gordon as "Yoganda," a mystic of sorts who has just joined the group, claims to have insight to future events, and may or may not be an infiltrator from the other side. Ben Lyon and Irene Purcell are the obligatory handsome young couple who are both—in different ways—deeply involved in the case.

It's totally silly, but plenty of fun.