Eyes of Mystery (1932) Midnight Warning (original title)

Director:

Spencer Gordon Bennet

Writers:

Norman Battle (story)
John T. Neville (scenario)

Release Date:

15 November 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Plot:

Guests at a luxury hotel are horrified when they witness a man literally "disappear into thin air." The vanished man's relatives hire a detective, who goes to the hotel to investigate the disappearance.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Guest | Detective | Disappearance | Relative

Cast

William 'Stage' Boyd	...	William 'Bill' Cornish (as William Boyd)
Claudia Dell	...	Enid Van Buren
Huntley Gordon	...	Mr. Gordon, Hotel Manager
John Harron	...	Erich (as Johnny Harron)
Hooper Atchley	...	Dr. Steven Walcott
Lloyd Whitlock	...	Rankin, Hotel Desk Clerk
Phillips Smalley	...	Dr. Bronson
Lloyd Ingraham	...	Adolph Klein
Henry Hall	...	Dr. Barris - the Psychiarist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Allan Cavan	...	Policeman in Hotel Room (uncredited)
Lon Poff	...	Welsh (uncredited)
Art Winkler	...	Jim (uncredited)

Directed by
Spencer Gordon Bennet

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Norman Battle		story
John T. Neville		scenario (as John Thomas Neville)

Produced by
Cliff P. Broughton	....	supervising producer
George W. Weeks	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jules Cronjager		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Byron Robinson

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ralph Black	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Homer Ackerman	....	sound

Music Department
Lee Zahler	....	musical director

Other crew
Ralph M. Like	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Mayfair Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Mayfair Pictures Corporation (1932) (USA) (theatrical) (states rights system)
• Commonwealth Pictures Corporation (1948) (USA) (TV)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD) (as "The Midnight Warning')
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood's Attic (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

"Midnight Warning" - USA (original title)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Mayfair Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

William 'Stage' Boyd's character has his first name billed as 'Thorwaldt' but is always referred to as 'William' or 'Bill.'

Movie Connections:

Remade as Dangerous Crossing (1953)

A Decent Mystery Movie

Supposedly based on a real incident which occurred at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. This film fits into the "Pre-Code" genre, only because the "baddies" are not brought to "justice" at the end. The acting is pretty good, although I have to smile when I remember that William "Stage" Boyd was shortly afterwards involved in a famous Hollywood sex scandal, which temporarily ruined the career of William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd when his photograph was erroneously printed in a newspaper along with the scandal story; I can understand why reporters thought it was the "Hoppy" Boyd & not the "Stage" Boyd! A bit too talky at times, but an interesting film nonetheless.