Twenty years after 3 murders occur in a castle's "blue room", three men who each want to marry a beautiful girl decide to spend a night in the room to prove their bravery to her.Twenty years after 3 murders occur in a castle's "blue room", three men who each want to marry a beautiful girl decide to spend a night in the room to prove their bravery to her.Twenty years after 3 murders occur in a castle's "blue room", three men who each want to marry a beautiful girl decide to spend a night in the room to prove their bravery to her.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Detective on Telephone
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSecret of the Blue Room (1933), set almost entirely within the walls of the grand old mansion, was in part shot on sets from James Whale's The Old Dark House (1932), which coincidentally co-starred Gloria Stuart. According to the actress, Secret of the Blue Room recycled exterior shots from the original UFA production Secret of the Blue Room (1932), which adds to the expressionist atmosphere of the film.
- GoofsWhen Tommy goes to open the Blue Room door to find Irene there, a shadow of the boom microphone is plainly visible on the door.
- Quotes
Betty, the maid: Mary! Mary, did you hear what happened last night?
Mary, the cook: Don't tell me the old cat went and had kittens again.
Betty, the maid: No, silly, it's Mr. Thomas!
Mary, the cook: What?
Betty, the maid: He disappeared.
Mary, the cook: Where to?
Betty, the maid: If we knew where he was, he wouldn't be disappeared, stupid. He slept... in the Blue Room!
Mary, the cook: [suddenly afraid] The ghost room?
Betty, the maid: And he's gone!
Mary, the cook: Oh...
Betty, the maid: Paul? Is it really true about Mr. Thomas?
Paul, the Butler: Yes. I warned them. But they laughed at me. But I tell you that anybody who sleeps in the Blue Room is never heard of again!
- Crazy credits[before the end credits] A Good Cast Is Worth Repeating.
- ConnectionsEdited from Secret of the Blue Room (1932)
If this movie was a book, we'd call it a great airport read. It's generally unremarkable and didn't offer anything particularly new, even in 1933. The film is a straight mystery with only marginal horror elements. There's some light Gothic trappings, such as a silhouette shot of the mansion right out of "The Cat and the Canary" and a great scene of Gloria being attacked by a fedora clad villain, who we naturally only see in shadow. The climax takes place in a spider web covered secret dungeon. The cast is good, truthfully. Lionel Atwill, as the girl's father, plays up his natural creepiness. William Janney as the youngest suitor and Paul Lukas, with his strong accent, are both more interesting then your typical Hollywood romantic leads of the time. My favorite performance has to be Edward Arnold as the detective. His uncompromising interrogation techniques make the second half of the movie energetic and fun. Mary the cook provides some amusing comic relief, with her anxious insistence not to be incriminated in the case.
I was sort of surprised to find out the movie isn't based on a stage play, with its small cast and limited locations. It's not a particularly memorable film but it is a decent way to spend an hour, a good example of the sub-genre. Universal was weirdly fond of the story, remaking it twice, in '38 as The Missing Guest and in '44 as Murder in the Blue Room, a musical/comedy. Funnily, each was in black and white meaning we just have to take the movie's word on the titular room's primary color.
- LanceBrave
- Nov 23, 2013
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Secret of the Blue Room
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $69,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 6 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1