The Witching Hour (1934)

Jack Brookfield, a gambler with clairvoyant and hypnotic powers, is able to win at cards through his unique gift. But when he inadvertently hypnotizes young Clay Thorne, Thorne kills an ... See full summary »

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Salisbury Field, Augustus E. Thomas (play),

Stars:

Guy Standing, John Halliday, William Frawley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Guy Standing	...	Judge Martin Prentice (as Sir Guy Standing)
John Halliday	...	Jack Brookfield
William Frawley	...	Jury Foreman
Judith Allen	...	Nancy Brookfield
Tom Brown	...	Clay Thorne
Olive Tell	...	Mrs. Helen Thorne
Richard Carle	...	Lew Ellinger
Ralf Harolde	...	Frank Hardmuth
Purnell Pratt	...	District Attorney Robinson
Frank Sheridan	...	Police Chief
Gertrude Michael	...	Margaret Price
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Dr. von Strohn

Storyline

Jack Brookfield, a gambler with clairvoyant and hypnotic powers, is able to win at cards through his unique gift. But when he inadvertently hypnotizes young Clay Thorne, Thorne kills an enemy of Brookfield's while under a trance. No one believes Brookfield's protestations that Thorne is innocent of any murderous intent, so Brookfield teams up with retired lawyer Martin Prentice in hopes of saving the young man from the gallows.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | remake | based on play

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Motivet ubekendt

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

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Connections

Remake of The Witching Hour (1916)

User Reviews

An Under-Rated 1930's Gem!

This is a wonderful horror-thriller from the end of the PreCode Era directed by the legendary Henry Hathaway. It is a very RARE film title to find these days but it is well worth the search! This 1934 forgotten gem moves at a great pace and includes gambling, hypnotism, and murder. A young man commits murder after accidentally being placed under hypnosis, and must find someone to defend him at his trial. It is based on a play by Augustus Thomas and features an outstanding cast of characters headed by Guy Standing, John Halliday and Tom Brown. The interesting back-story involves an illegal gambling den, a cat's-eye ring, and both telepathy and ghostly apparitions that cause the movie to fall into the realm of the fantastic.