Penguin Pool Murder (1932) User Reviews

Things are not always as they appear and appearance isn't everything...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 26 September 2010]

... are the two lessons that this great little precode teaches us. The first lesson I think modern audiences know well, but the second we forget frequently, especially when it comes to romance.

The story is not a remarkable one. Socialite Gwen Parker (Mae Clarke) is unhappily married to stockbroker Gerald Parker (Guy Usher), and she has a lover. Both her lover and her stockbroker husband are broke. Only the stockbroker's life insurance remains as an asset. As the film opens, we also see that the curator of a local aquarium is angry with Gerald Parker because he thinks he ruined him and swindled him as well. We then see Gwen talking to her lover on the phone, but we never actually see who he is. Gwen has an altercation with her rightfully jealous husband that ends with him striking her. She then decides to leave him.

Later that day Gwen meets Philip Seymour (Donald Cook) at the local aquarium. Gwen's husband suddenly appears and accuses Philip and Gwen of being lovers. A scuffle between the two men breaks out and Philip knocks Gerald Parker unconscious and tells Gwen to wait for him downstairs in the aquarium. Philip then takes Gerald upstairs and the last thing we see of that scene are Philip's hands moving toward the unconscious man's throat. A few minutes later Gerald's dead body falls from above into the aquarium's penguin pool.Seems pretty cut and dried doesn't it? Well it isn't at all.

Add to all of this schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers (Edna Mae Oliver) is in the aquarium at the time of the murder with her students conducting a tour of the exhibits, and that she has quite the penchant for solving mysteries as well as agitating the detective on the case, Oscar Piper (James Gleason), and you have a great little precode mystery here.

What really makes this film stand out is the chemistry of the leads, Gleason and Oliver. Here are two middle-aged people, of middling income and less than middling looks in the conventional sense, yet I'll watch this film repeatedly just to see the two interact. You can see a respect and even attraction grow between these people despite the caustic remarks that they trade. Then there are those great precode one-liners from Oliver, not the kind of stuff you'd expect from a prim and proper spinster such as Hildegarde.

Highly recommended as an excellent start to a good series of mystery films starring Oliver and Gleason.

For a B-detective series entry, this one is superb

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 30 March 2007]

It's really too bad that they only made a few Hildegarde Withers mysteries and that only a few of these starred Edna May Oliver. The bottom line is that in the 1930s, no woman in Hollywood was more fun to watch in colorful supporting roles than Miss Oliver, so it was a real treat to see her in a starring role--and one that allowed her cool screen persona to shine! Instead of the usual somewhat insipid detective series films, her Miss Withers was a smart-aleck and tough lady--not some pampered playboy or Chinese detective. Plus, it was a great casting decision to have her work with police detective James Gleason and give him better than usual writing for such a role. In practically every B-detective series, the police are complete morons--so much so that the films lack any suspense or chemistry at times. Usually you KNOW the cops are all idiots and the amateur sleuth knows everything, but here she is assisted by a reasonably capable cop and they work on the case together. Because of this, it was cute to see that through the course of the film, Gleason's character fell for Miss Withers--he grew to love and respect her just like the audience did throughout the film.

For the genre, this is about as good a film as you'll find--plus, it has cute penguins and Edna May Oliver!! What more could you ask for in a movie?!?!

a great beginning

[pyamada · 7/10 · 28 May 2002]

This is the first of three films that Oliver and Gleason made together as teacher Miss Withers and Inspector Piper. It is also the best, though Murder on the Blackboard is also top notch. The series continued without Oliver, but not at the same level. The dialogue is witty, prim, sarcastic and sometimes even suggestive. Gleason and Oliver have a fabulous chemistry, the likes of which would never been seen today, due to casting decisions that have more to do with pretty faces that acting talent and intelligence. If you like early talkie mysteries, this one will satisfy anytime.

Shows just why 1930's movie audiences kept studios and theaters so busy

[Kieran_Kenney · 21 July 2004]

I saw this movie at the Stanford Theater, a restored small-town movie palace of 1925. The Stanford only shows old classics, and often some films show up on the bill that sound completely unfamiliar, but sound like they might be worth a look.

Penguin Pool Murder is just such a film. When I reat a little bit about it, it didn't sound too interesting, but since I like the pre-code period so much, and I'd never seen an Edna Mae Oliver film before (other than a tiny snippet from Saturday Night Kid) I decided that I might as well go and see it.

PPM is a fast-paced and hilarious murder mystery, still as gleefully enjoyable as it was upon it's first release. The lead character, school marm Hildegarde Withers, is brilliantly portrayed by snappy, vivacious and proper Edna Mae Oliver. I'm sure some people might get annoyed by her high-toned and imperious British accent, but I loved it. It lent buoyancy to her already top-notch dialogue.

Despite it's status as a B-production (as opposed to a more prestigious "A" movie with more stars, more crowd scenes and an all-around bigger budget), PPM is a movie that reflect's Hollywood's unending attention to detail, high visual standards and emphasis on glamour whenever possible. Take for instance one of the first scenes: Mae Clarke in her posh boudoir, dressed in a shimmering evening gown, making a telephone call and getting accosted by her husband. Later, when she visits the aquarium, she's swathed in an enormous fur collar and the chiquest of clothes. Imagine how many depression-weary families went to see this, and the mother imagined herself with Clarke's clothes and figure. Dad could fancy himself her husband, and the kiddies would be entertained by the character's antics. This is, if any thing, a family in the best sense of the word.

Edger Kennedy has a small role in this, as the token blundering Irish cop. When I was a kid, I saw him perform his routines in the Our Gang shorts When the Wind Blows and The First Seven Years, and again as the antagonized street vendor in Duck Soup. Recently, I've come to dislike his "slow burn" technique, but I'm starting to like it again. It's an acquired taste, that's for sure. Here, Kennedy the cop has a shaved head, which I thought was a bit unusual.

I hope this movie comes out on video and DVD so I can own it for myself. To my limited knowledge, it's still relegated to the vaults, with the likes of so many great movies. Some day, people will begin to hear more about Edna Mae Oliver and want to see her films. Penguin Pool Murder will surface and be enjoyed by a whole new legion of fans. That day will be a good day indeed.

Don't let Miss Wither's appearance fool you----She's no fool!

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 28 September 2010]

Edna May Oliver was one of a kind. Yes, that sniff of disapproval was funny, and her oh-so-uppity voice could stop fools in their tracks. But this was a woman filled with life and the desire to kick it up a notch whenever she felt like it. Being at the wrong place at the right time was par for the course for Miss Withers who, like Jessica Fletcher afterwards, was a heroine Agatha Christie would love. EMO was the first of four actresses to play the role of Hildegard Withers, and the best. Zasu Pitts and Helen Broderick would add their own take to it for single appearances at RKO, and Eve Arden would bring the character back in a TV movie 40 years later, but other than Arden, who had the benefit of years between the character's appearance, Pitts and Broderick were both too different than Oliver to make the character seem to be the same person, especially with James Gleason around as her initial foe and later beau Oscar Piper for all five of the RKO series.

In "The Penguin Pool Murder", an aquarium is the spot for murder, and leave it to chance for Hildegard Withers to be there. Manager Clarence Wilson is angry over loosing in the stock market, and his broker is having marital spats with his cheating wife (Mae Clarke). When a penguin's feeding time is disturbed by the sudden fall of a dead body, pandemonium erupts. Miss Withers is suspect too when it is discovered that her previously missing hat pin might be the weapon. The way the murder occurred is horrific, so beware of the cringing feeling you will get once it is revealed. Once Oliver and Gleason start going at it as Withers and Piper, you've got a pre-Nick and Nora team that will be filled with exchanges of barbs you'd never expect such a prim and proper lady as Miss Withers to disclose. These two really are the whole show as they are scene-stealers extraordinaire. Even Edgar Kennedy as a cop can't win with Oliver's nose twitching or Gleason's New York drawl answering Oliver's insults with retorts of his own. And as the affection between Oliver and Gleason grows, you know you're in for a treat.

Lively vintage murder tale

[lorenellroy · 7/10 · 20 December 2007]

Edna May Oliver plays the gawky ,spinsterish and bespectacled amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers -the sort of person who always carries a neatly rolled umbrella irrespective of the weather-who teams up with wisecracking policeman Inspector Piper(James Gleason)to solve the murder of Gerald Brooks (Guy Usher).The title derives from the murder location -the Battery Park Acquarium. There is no shortage of suspects-from the Acquarium director (Clarence H Webb)to the ungrieving widow of the deceased (Mae Clark)and one of her lovers (Donald Cook).Together they set a trap to unmask the killer.

Oliver and Gleason work well together and they are blessed with a witty script by Willis Goldbeck as well as some pacey direction from George Archainbaud

This was the first of a series and is a good example of solid studio professionalism from its era

fun movie

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 21 August 2015]

Penguin Pool Murder from 1932 stars Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Mae Clarke, and Donald Cook. It's a B movie, the first of the Hildegarde Withers series.

While Miss Withers is with her students at the aquarium, the body of a stockbroker, Gerald Parker, is found in the penguin tank.

His wife Gwen (Clarke) is suspected, as she had a boyfriend (Cook) there at the time.

The inspector on the case, Piper (Gleason) has to put up with a witness -- Miss Withers, who else -- who has all kinds of opinions and advice. He soon comes to appreciate her keen sense of observation.

Short and lively, this is entertaining, with Oliver and Gleason giving vivid characterizations. I am looking forward to seeing more in this series.

Great start to an all too brief series

[eschetic · 8/10 · 10 August 2005]

With the coming of sound to the movies and "the Crash" to the stock market, musicals, screwball comedies and tightly plotted "cozy" mysteries became staples of 30's film going and frequently a valuable, if unintentional, tour of the decade's culture (one of the potential motives of one of the suspects in THE PENGUIN POOL MURDERS is a "margin call" on a brokerage account about to be wiped out by falling stock prices!).

In 1932, a year after Dashiel Hammett had introduced the "hard boiled" detective to novels and films with his Sam Spade in THE MALTESE FALCON (a decade before the Oscar winning remake we all know today!), while Philo Vance was still at his peak, Charlie Chan had just started his marathon run, and two years before Dashiel Hammett would backtrack to seemingly invent the "comedy mystery" in the first of the THIN MAN series, Stuart Palmer's "Hildegarde Withers" stories were pointing the way to that perfect bantering comedy.

Miss Withers was one of the first screen characters to build on "the little old lady" detectives first introduced by Mary Roberts Rinehart and later to be highly polished - though with fewer comic overtones - in Agatha Christie's Miss Marple tales.

Beautifully acerbic character actress Edna May Oliver first assayed the plum role of Withers in THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER, playing every stereotype of the prim, corseted but observant, spinster school teacher for all they were worth against the background of a solidly plotted mystery and a grand supporting cast headed by perennial mystery fixture James Gleason as the much put-upon Inspector Piper. A New York City now long vanished became an active part of the supporting cast.

While Miss Oliver chose not to be pinned down to the continuing Withers role after only three films (THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER - '32, MURDER AT THE BLACKBOARD - '34 and MURDER ON A HONEYMOON - '35), passing on the part to solid comedienne Helen Broderick for the less well written but enjoyable and frequently aired MURDER ON THE BRIDAL PATH - '36 and (with less effect) fine supporting comedienne Zasu Pitts for a final two (THE PLOT THICKENS - '36, and FORTY NAUGHTY GIRLS - '37), all the Withers' films are fun - but the Olivers are the best of the bunch.

Connoisseurs of period mystery should especially treasure THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER for its location shots of some now vanished (or at least radically transformed) Manhattan landmarks - most notably the then New York City Aquarium (long before the institution decamped to Brooklyn).

The building at Battery Park, at the tip of Manhattan, has since lost its roof and interior to be returned to its original (now landmarked) form as the actual battery (a fort - "Castle Clinton") which protected New York Harbor in the early 1800's. Before becoming the Aquarium shown in the 1932 film it was already a famous roofed building: converted in 1823 to the "Castle Garden" theatre where in the 1850's Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale," made her American debut and Lola Montes danced! From 1855 to 1890, it was the United States' immigration depot before Ellis Island was built, and as such, the first ground in America millions of immigrants set foot on. Then, for years it was the New York City Aquarium where Manhattanites could see examples of aquatic life (and the occasional movie corpse).

The Aquarium would not pass muster today for the cramped, indeed life threatening, conditions its inmates were forced to endure - but that in itself is part of the realistic picture of life in the 30's seemingly minor films like these can offer. While the Aquarium interiors were studio recreations, these had to be believable pictures of the world the audiences they were issued to lived in, and we can learn a lot from them about that world as a result. We have come a long way . . . in some ways.

Today, New York's Battery Park grows out from and around the building which beautifully starts of THE PENGUIN POOL MURDERS. The Park contains - directly in front of the former Aquarium - the most eloquent and complete memorial the tragedy of 9/11/01 could possibly have: the "fractured globe" which originally sat in the Plaza between the Twin Towers - now with an "eternal flame" at its base. If you're going to be in New York, don't miss this increasingly meaningful piece of sculpture - but first see its setting as it looked 70 years earlier in delightful PENGUIN POOL MURDERS!

"boy, and she can cook too!!!"

[kidboots · 7/10 · 6 August 2008]

"I'm a schoolteacher and I might have done wonders for you if I'd caught you early enough!!!" so starts the witty repartee between Hildegarde Withers and Inspector Piper, and a great movie partner- ship was born.

This was the first film in a far too short series. Stuart Palmer created the character of Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver) and the very exasperated Police Inspector Piper (James Gleason). With Oliver's barbed wit and dry one liners and the fact that Gleeson knows he can't solve the case without her, it is a match made in heaven.

Oliver made 3 Hildegarde Withers films - "The Penguin Pool Murder", "Murder on a Blackboard" (1934) and "Murder on a Honeymoon" (1935). After that Helen Broderick took over. She was a great character actress ("Top Hat", "Swing Time") and managed to keep the standard set by Oliver high. However when Zasu Pitts took over it was hard to imagine her as a rational and witty schoolteacher, who would never miss a clue. Even the title "40 Naughty Girls" shows how low the series had sunk.

"hmmm, a pickpocket ", "the man's a born detective!!!"

Gwen (Mae Clarke) is having a fling with Phillip Seymour (Donald Cook). She is married to stuffy Gerald Parker, the director of the Aquarium, but is planning to divorce him. When he surprises them in a secret meeting, Phillip punches him and he falls down the stairs. He later turns up dead at the bottom of the penguin pool.

Piper gathers the suspects together. Hemingway (Clarence Wilson) who has just been sacked because he has been playing the stock market with Aquarium funds, lawyer Barry Costello (Robert Armstrong), Seymour because he has confessed and Gwen because she is acting suspiciously. Rochelle Hudson makes an appearance as a sassy receptionist. Both Gwen and Phillip are arrested hoping to bring the real murderer out of hiding. Costello, who secretly loves Gwen provides enough evidence to prove that only a man could have killed Parker thus exonerating Gwen. You will not believe the ending (it is really good!!!)

"It takes a certain type to be a detective - yes I've noticed that!!!"

Recommended.

Edna May Oliver rules

[tadorsett · 10/10 · 20 December 2004]

I haven't seen this film for many years, but the performances by Edna May Oliver and James Gleason are memorable. Miss Oliver's performance was brilliant enough to command the release of other movies starring her as Hildegard Martha Withers. This group of movies also represented, I believe, an attempt by the studio to make Edna May Oliver (who was not British, by the way, but solidly American) a leading lady. That attempt failed, probably because she was not a sex symbol. But in the Penguin Pool Murder she wins over James Gleason by the sheer force of her character, and when he finally succumbs she characteristically responds, "I thought you'd never ask!" Or perhaps she was not cast more as a leading lady because she was, simply put, unsurpassed as a character actress. It isn't that she wasn't a box-office draw; for, as a gentleman who lived through the golden age of Hollywood once said to me, "Who didn't love Edna May Oliver !"

Delightful still

[Laakbaar · 7/10 · 27 October 2013]

I'm not particularly a fan of old movies, but I liked this one. It's actually sort of delightful, especially for someone who enjoys seeing what NYC was like in the early 1930s. Yes, this movie dates from 1932, and yet I enjoyed it while sitting in my living room over 80 years later.

The dialogue and character development are primarily what make this movie. The star is Edna May Oliver, who plays a no-nonsense, sharp-tongued school teacher, a sort of early, much crankier Miss Marple.

It's interesting to see how our movie conventions about crime and police work have changed over the generations.

A number of obscure 1930s references had me googling during the movie.

I have to tell you that I was guessing right till the very end. However, I can't say the plot was that clever, or the movie that well written. It was a nice old movie with an engaging lead character.

One thing I didn't like was how the animals (especially the seals and penguins) were displayed in an urban aquarium in the early 1930s. Thankfully we've come a long way since then.

A great recreation of a piece of New York history

[duke1029 · 8/10 · 5 January 2014]

As there are many reviews correctly praising the work of Edna Mae Oliver, James Gleason, and RKO studios set decorating department, suffice it to say that this is an outstanding opening entry into the Hildegarde Withers mystery series.

Most of the action of "The Penguin Pool Murders" takes place in a recreation of the beautiful New York Aquarium, which charmed and delighted resident and tourist alike for almost half a century beginning in 1896. The Aquarium was originally located on the southern tip of Manhattan as a leisure attraction for the new immigrant residents of Lower Manhattan for whom Central Park was too far to travel. It opened in the Castle Gardens section of the Park in what was Clinton Gardens, previously Fort Clinton, named after iconic New York State Governor DeWitt Clinton. Originally an island, the land connecting it to Manhattan was later filled in, and Battery Park served as the first stopping point for New Americans before Ellis Island was developed.

Although the Aquarium wasn't large by current standards (only 150 species), and its pools weren't large enough to ensure the well-being and survival of large aquatic mammals like manatees, porpoises, and dolphins, smaller ones like seals fared better.

There was great controversy when New York's "master builder," Robert Moses, who had little respect for preservation and tradition, proposed a bridge from the Battery to Brooklyn. When Moses was frustrated in his efforts for the Bridge, he began preparations for what would become the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in the 1930s. He began the demolition of the beautiful Clinton Gardens, and only its eleventh hour designation as a National, Landmark caused it to be rescued from oblivion and rebuilt as a treasured landmark..

The collection of animals had been relocated, some to the Bronx Zoo and others to other zoos in the Northeast when the Aquarium closed its doors for the last time in 1941. After the War a new aquarium was constructed and reopened in 1957 in Coney Island. The new facility had over 8000 specimens and 350 species. Although it afforded its permanent residents more space and helped to revitalize the Coney Island area, many felt that it was not an aesthetically pleasing place as the old Battery Park facility, and critics claimed that its unattractiveness was the egotistical Moses' ultimate revenge on the city that denied him his bridge.

Those who have seen Ric Burns' wonderful documentary miniseries "New York" realize that Moses' power made him the most influential individual official in.Big Apple history... and nobody elected him.

In recreating what is one of the few visual records of this beautiful piece of New York history in essentially what was only a B-film series, the RKO set set designers deserve tremendous credit. The mystery itself is first rate with Edna Mae Oliver and James Gleason exuding great humor and personal chemistry as two enjoyably mismatched detectives in this very intriguing whodunit.

Murder at feeding time

[greenbudgie · 7/10 · 25 February 2021]

This has one of the most unusual settings for a murder that I've seen in a long time. The body of Gerald Parker falls from a plank runway above a penguin pool in an aquarium. He's found dead among the penguins at feeding time. His wife and her lover Seymour are arrested for the murder after is discovered they had met at the aquarium and had quarreled with the dead man there. There are some good action scenes of penguins and seals and an octopus.

Edna May Oliver is good as the schoolteacher spinster who is at the aquarium at the time of the murder. She loses her hatpin which becomes the suspected murder weapon for a time. Her preferred weapon of choice is actually a brolly which she uses to trip up and apprehend a runaway pickpocket at the aquarium. The dead man has been skewered by a sharp object behind one of his ears. Miss Withers the schoolteacher joins forces with Inspector Piper to investigate the murder.

This is the first in the six Miss Withers/Inspector Piper series of RKO comic mysteries that ran between 1932 and 1937. James Gleason as Piper appeared in all six films whereas Edna May Oliver appeared in only the first three. They make a good team and an unlikely romance between their characters seems to gather at a gradual pace during the course of this film. I enjoyed this first outing of the series and will try to watch the remainder of the releases in the order that they were issued.

If The Penguins Could Talk

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 9 November 2010]

When Edna May Oliver took her class on a field trip to the aquarium she and the kids did not realize that they would wind up in the middle of a murder mystery. When young Sidney Miller and Oliver both notice a body in the penguin pool, the game's afoot.

The body is that of the late Guy Usher and as in the case of most murder mysteries a lot of people who would like him dead happen to be in the aquarium. Edna has the presence of mind to call the cops and lock the doors so we also have a closed set of suspects.

Usher was a stockbroker who lost the money that aquarium director Clarence Wilson took from the budget to play the market with. Usher's wife Mae Clarke and her boyfriend Donald Cook are also there as well as a smooth lawyer in Robert Armstrong and a notorious pickpocket Joe Hannon who is a deaf mute. That does not stop Hannon from making a lucrative living as a dip.

The Penguin Pool Murder's biggest asset is the chemistry between polar opposites aristocratic Edna May Oliver and the plebeian police inspector James Gleason who investigates the homicide. As this is the first time these two met, Edna's a suspect briefly as well because her hat pin was part of the crime. But we know it couldn't be here.

In fact with the Penguin Pool Murder the guilty party is a rather obvious one. That party is like Clifton Webb in Laura busy trying to pin the crime on Vincent Price. That kind of let's out all the suspense.

Still fans of Oliver and Gleason and I do love both will be pleased with Penguin Pool Murder.

Snappy mystery!

[williamsaz1064 · 31 March 2004]

James Gleason is always a treat to watch, but the real star is Edna May Oliver. Not only the role of life time for Ms. Oliver but what a duo they make. This is wonderfully written repartee as well as being a strong whodunit.

The 1930's produced many mysteries [ The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes] of which a few would be counted with the best ever made; though the former is not one of the best, it is a joy to watch and listen to. From start to finish this film crackles with wit and is filled with visual tics and quirks that lead us to the conclusion that these are two souls that we will not soon want to forget.

Helen Broderick tried unsuccessfully to fill Ms. Oliver's shoes in the fourth and final installment of the Withers' series "Murder on a Bridle Path" but there was no chemistry between Gleason and Broderick as well as the fact, that it was not a well written entry. It just goes to show, that Edna May and Gleason shone as a crime fighting duet and as unlikely romantic leads.

The Penguin Pool Mystery

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 3 December 2023]

There is something Marple-esque about Edna May Oliver's portrayal of the meticulous, no-nonsense, schoolteacher "Miss Withers". There's also something hideous about some of the fish in the aquarium where the police discover the corpse of the pretty universally disliked "Parker". It turns out that his wife (Mae Clarke) has a boyfriend (Donald Cook), and that both were present at the time of death. Looks like a bit of a no-brainer for "Insp. Piper" (James Gleason) but his chance meeting with the razor-sharp mind of the prim and proper "Withers" soon makes him think again. Despite his initially polite disdain, he realises that she is quite an insightful assistant as this turns out to be anything but as straightforward as everyone had hoped. The mystery itself is also very much in the vein of Agatha Christie - loads of red herrings and a victim about as popular as toothache. The production is kept moving along by some pacy direction and some pithy banter between the two investigators. Will they get to the bottom or not? Never in doubt, but not really important - this is a drama about characters and Oliver and Gleason gel well and engagingly for seventy minutes of sparring, spatting and... solving.

Something Fishy Going On

[frankwiener · 7/10 · 9 November 2019]

I can imagine this very entertaining comedy-mystery as a welcome escape from the pain of a severe economic depression in 1932. My own grandfather, alleged to be a fanatical movie fan, was found dead of a heart attack in the same year outside of a theatre in downtown Newark, N.J. Apparently, even the movies could not relieve the stress, at least not for him.

Edna May Oliver was one of the greatest character actors of all time. No one could deliver her stinging one-liners, some which contained subtle sexual references, with the same combination of aristocracy, wry wit, and benevolence. A descendant of founding father John Adams, she even looks as if she just stepped off the Mayflower. This appearance was followed by two more Hildegard Withers mysteries, two more memorable Dickens classics, and, among other roles, the Oscar nominated portrayal of the widow McKlennar in "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939).

Set mostly in the original New York Aquarium at the southern tip of Manhattan, the film initially leads the viewer to believe that the death of Parker is resolved early with the confession of Philip Seymour. It's much more complicated than that, and we are soon considering the guilt of several potential suspects.

Although there is no obvious romantic tie between Miss Withers and detective Oscar Piper (James Gleason) as they partner to discover the true murderer, there is an attraction between them that is developing beneath the surface and that leads to a second surprise at the end.

Some reviewers are also surprised that Miss Withers' class is so ethnically and racially diverse in 1932. My father's 1926 eighth grade class photo from the Charlton Street School in the impoverished Central Ward of Newark, N.J. reveals even much more racial diversity in real life.

Beyond the wonderful performances of Oliver and Gleason, as well as a decent supporting cast, and the snappy, pre-code dialogue from Willis Goldbeck, I love the penguins but wish that they were in their native habitat, climate change or not.

Gleason, Oliver, And Penguins

[boblipton · 7/10 · 19 July 2023]

Guy Usher is found dead at the Penguin Pool at the New York City Aquarium. Police Inspector James Gleason shows up to investigate, only to discover that spinster teacher Edna May Oliver is on the scene with a strong curiosity in solving the murder.

The first of the the Miss Withers mysteries from RKO has a lovely comic pair in the leads, as well as a strong cast, with Robert Armstrong, Mae Clarke, Donald Cook, Clarence Wilson, and a completely bald Edgar Kennedy -- he had just finished playing Daddy Warbucks. It's a fairly composed mystery, even though there's little to guide the audience to the murderer; most of the reason to see the movie are the sparks between Gleason and Miss Oliver. And the penguins, of course.

"Teacher, Teacher there's a man in the duck pool."

[theowinthrop · 10/10 · 23 July 2006]

Edna Mae Oliver and James Gleason were two of the best character actors in Hollywood in the "golden age" of film making. Oliver always had a precise, aristocratic hauteur (she was Lady Catherine De Burgh in the 1940 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE), but it usually masked an intense intelligence (see how she tears apart Basil Rathbone's Murdstone in David COPPERFIELD), and a decent morality. Gleason is not a university or book based intelligent gent. But he is a street smart type, who knows precisely what's what. And in THE PENGUIN POOL MURDERS they joined together as Hildegarde Withers and Inspector Piper of the New York Police Department. And from rubbing each other the wrong way they become friends, allies in solving the case, and possibly more (the movie suggest at the end).

Hildegard is a schoolteacher, who takes her class (a remarkably mixed racial class for 1932) on a field trip to the New York Acquarium, then in lower Manhattan in what is still Castle Clinton National Monument (it was also, in the 1850s, Castle Gardens, where Jenny Lind sang to the public). The visit is interrupted when Isidore (the Jewish kid in the class) points out (as in the summary line) that there is a man inside what he calls the "duck" pool. Actually it is the tank for the penguins.

The film follows how Hildegard and Piper pursue their investigations into the murder and gradually find that helping each other makes more sense. The humor builds as both our intrepid detectives confront various types, like humorless, dyspeptic Clarence Wilson as the aquarium director, and relatively stupid policeman Edgar Kennedy to find out what is the truth. It all comes down to a courtroom showdown, where the killer trips himself up in an unexpected manner.

A first rate comedy and who-done-it, that led to MURDER AT THE BLACKBOARD and MURDER ON THE HONEYMOON before the two stars went their separate ways.

Dastardly doings at the aquarium.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 29 November 2013]

The Penguin Pool Murder is directed by George Archainbaud and collectively written by Stuart Palmer, Lowell Brentano and Willis Goldbeck. It stars Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Robert Armstrong and Mae Clarke. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Henry W. Gerrard.

The first of three outings for Oliver as schoolteacher sleuth Hildegarde Withers, finds her linking up with Inspector Oscar Piper (Gleason) to try and crack the murder of a man found floating in a fish tank at the local aquarium.

The three Hildegarde Withers films that starred Oliver and Gleason had one defining characteristic, that of the films being at their best when the two actors were on screen jousting each other. The Penguin Pool Murder is the start of their wonderful union, and although the mystery element is weak on this one, the all round quality of the production (sets and photography) and the spirited work of cast and director ensures a great time can be had here. The writing lets the lady Withers be her own person, which is very nice to see, she's not merely a female towing the party line, while her aged years are rightly irrelevant and made a mockery of by Oliver's splendid gusto. Short, sharp and a whole bunch of fun. 7.5/10

Hildegarde Withers, Crime Solver

[lugonian · 8/10 · 8 January 2006]

PENGUIN POOL MURDER (RKO Radio, 1932), directed by George Archainbaud, the first (and best) of six film mystery series featuring Stuart Palmer's fictional character of Hildegarde Withers, a spinster schoolteacher, who matches wits with Oscar Piper, a New York City police inspector, is a rare find these days, considering how it predates Agatha Christie's better known female sleuth of Miss Marple. In retrospect, Hildegarde becomes a detective on her own only when the police cannot solve or deduct any clues she encounters, and yet, not being on a professional level when crime solving is concerned, proves that experience is not the issue, but the powers of deduction are.

The story opens with an air view of New York City's Battery Park where various characters are introduced: Gwen (Mae Clarke), a young woman married to Gerald Parker (Guy Usher), a middle-aged businessman, having secret rendezvous with her lover, Philip Seymour (Donald Cook) at an aquarium. Obviously, she wants a divorce but Parker won't grant her one. After receiving an anonymous telephone tip about his wife, Parker heads over to the aquarium where he catches Gwen and Phil together. At the same time, Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver), a spinster schoolteacher, enters the scene with her students on a field trip. Aside from her encounter with a purse snatcher who happens to be the deaf and dumb Chicago Lew (Joe Hernando), a body of a dead man is discovered floating in one of the penguin pool tanks. The man in question happens to be Gerald Parker. Police Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) is called into the case. He suspects Parker's wife to be the killer, however, her lover, Seymour, confesses to the crime and is arrested. Hildegarde, however, has her suspicions, and as she takes notes, comes to the conclusion that Seymour couldn't have possibly killed him. Regardless, Seymour is placed under arrest and put under suspicion. After learning that Parker was murdered with the use of her own hat pin found plunged into his right ear drum to the brain, Hildegarde decides to take matters into her own hands by becoming a crime solver herself, much to the dismay of Inspector Oscar Piper.

The success to the initial pairing of Edna May Oliver and James Gleason lead to several sequels, all featuring Gleason, two more starring Oliver, including MURDER ON THE BLACKBOARD (1934) and MURDER ON A HONEYMOON (1935), one with Helen Broderick in MURDER ON THE BRIDLE PATH (1936), and two featuring ZaSu Pitts in THE PLOT THICKENS (1936) and FORTY NAUGHTY GIRLS (1937). While Broderick physically was a satisfactory substitute for Oliver, though no where as good as Oliver, the series actually fell apart once it acquired Pitts services, which brought an end to what might have become a long running film series.

Supporting cast consists of Edgar Kennedy as Donovan; Robert Armstrong as Barry Costello, the attorney; Gustav Von Seyffertitz as Max Von Donnen, the lab expert; Clarence Wilson as the aquarium director; Sidney Miller as the typical know-it-all student; and Rochelle Hudson as the Switchboard Girl. Edgar Kennedy, famous for his "slow-burn" characterizations in numerous features and comedy shorts, is completely bald in this installment, mainly due to the fact that he was playing Daddy Warbucks in LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE (1932) with Mitzi Green, about the same time he was working in PENGUIN POOL MURDER.

Never distributed to video or DVD, and at one time a late night show favorite on commercial TV channels, and formerly shown on cable television's American Movie Classics from the 1980s to 1998, at then on Turner Classic Movies where it had once been presented some years ago as part of viewer's request night.

In spite of its age, PENGUIN POOL MURDER surprisingly holds up well, thanks to the perfect casting of the horse-faced Edna May Oliver and New York sounding James Gleason in the leads, a well written and occasionally witty screenplay by Willis Goldbeck, and although viewers might guess whom the killer might be before it is all over, it's certainly fun to sit through this one to see through Hildegarde's power of deduction how she gets to trick the killer into reveal him or herself. While not in the same league as an Alfred Hitchcock movie suspensor or Agatha Christie mystery story, but themes such as this have been an inspiration for many mystery writers, film directors or TV writers in later years, for that mysteries such as this continue to delight audiences even today. (**1/2)

Penquin Pool Murder

[The_Rook · 7/10 · 25 September 2010]

Edna Mae Oliver is a delight and if you enjoy classic you will see several other recognizable faces. I only wish the Hildegard murder mysteries were on DVD. She made three in this series. She had a long and great career as mostly a supporting actress making seven movies in 1933 her biggest year. Some of her parts are in well known classics like Little Women and A Tale of Two Cities. Be sure to catch this rather comedic murder mystery. She plays a schoolmarm with some great lines. As Hildegarde she tries to figure out who is the murderer. This film gives a good look at the fashions of the 1930s. Fans of the Thin Man series should definitely like it.

Entertaining mystery boosted by Oliver and Gleason chemistry

[RJV · 8/10 · 25 February 2001]

In the 1930s, RKO produced a series of mysteries concerning the detective activities of schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers. Viewing the first film, THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER, one can understand why the series immediately took off. The mystery itself is well constructed and engrossing. Director George Archainbaud's presentation of the murder victim's discovery is imaginative. In an aquarium, a boy discovers a penguin acting strangely, as if encountering an intruder. The penguin's behavior is immediately explained when a corpse suddenly plunges into the tank! The scenario, based on a Stuart Palmer novel, features some intriguing red herrings with plausible motives for the murder. By the time the killer is revealed, it is fairly obvious who the culprit is, but the mystery is resolved in a clever and credible manner.

THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER is especially worthwhile due to its spirited lead performances. As Withers, Edna May Oliver is drolly acerbic, tartly disdaining the police's ineffectual work as she proceeds to solve the case. As Police Inspector Oscar Piper, James Gleason blusters amusingly, determined to find the killer without Withers' help. Oliver and Gleason truly sparkle in their relationship. Initially, they're cagey of each other but an underlying mutual affection quickly develops. Piper and Withers continue to argue about the case throughout the picture but in an amiable manner that precludes the possibility of mutual ill will. Even if the mystery becomes too familiar to be suspenseful upon repeated viewings, THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER can still be savored due to Oliver and Gleason's marvelous chemistry.

Cosy, early murder mystery

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 3 November 2013]

THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER is an affectionate little murder mystery from the early days of Hollywood. Far from creaky and mannered as the year might suggest, this is instead a lively little film in which a murder takes place in an aquarium, the doors are locked and then a couple of sleuths have to figure out who's responsible.

The movie is notable for being the first outing for the character of Miss Withers, an unlikely crime-solver who would go on to star in other mystery dramas. Imagine Miss Withers as a sort of American Miss Marple and you'll be close, and Edna May Oliver is very good in the part, bringing warm humour to the show. That's not the disparage the rest of the cast, who are also effective in their various roles.

It's fair to say that THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER is an unpredictable little film. The murder itself seems open and shut to begin with but as is often the way with these things it soon gets rather complicated, but always watchable. Not bad at all.

Nice First Film in the Withers Series

[Michael_Elliott · 27 November 2010]

Penguin Pool Murder (1932)

*** (out of 4)

The first film in RKO's Hildegarde Withers series features Edna May Oliver in the role who teams up with Inspector Piper (James Gleason) to try and find the murderer of a stockbroker whose body turned up in a penguin pool. Suspects includes the man's wife (Mae Clarke), her former lover (Donald Cook) and even the aquarium owner (Clarence Wilson). Oliver was one of the most colorful supporting players from this era of Hollywood so this series, which has sadly been forgotten, at least gave people the opportunity to see her in a leading role. There's no question that a lot of the film's magic is due to her wonderful performance as she manages to be smart, fun and her dry wit is unforgettable. The film offers up a pretty good story but what makes it even better is that we're given some great characters and terrific actors who really bring them to life. Oliver is perfect as Withers but it's her chemistry with Gleason that really makes this film stand out. The two work so well off one another that you can't help but have a smile on your face from their first scene to the last. A lot of these mystery flicks show the cops to be complete idiots but that's not necessarily the case here. Yes, he overlooks a lot of key evidence and he's certainly not as smart as Withers but I think the screenplay gets several added pluses simply because the two are rather equals and this makes their chemistry even better. Fans of Clarke might be disappointed that she's only in the first ten minutes and then disappears until the end but while she's on screen she certainly packs a nice punch. The same can be said for Robert Armstrong who offers up a strong performance as her lawyer. Cook, Wilson and Edgar Kennedy all add great support and it's hard to deny the power this terrific cast of character actors give. The actual mystery of who the killer is will hold your attention until the very end when in a very clever way the secret is revealed. There are several twist and turns throughout the film and the screenplay has a fun time delivering them in sly ways. The dialogue is another major plus because the one-liners are often very funny and we even get a few pre-code jokes including one dealing with a lesbian. PENGUIN POOL MURDER isn't all that well known today, which is a real shame because it's certainly one of the better murder/mysteries out there.