Four Hours to Kill! (1935)

A detective who has "four hours to kill" before delivering his prisoner, an escaped killer, spends the time in the lobby of a Broadway theater where a musical is playing. The film focuses ... See full summary »

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Norman Krasna (play), Norman Krasna (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Barthelmess, Joe Morrison, Gertrude Michael

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Barthelmess	...	Tony Mako
Joe Morrison	...	Eddie
Gertrude Michael	...	Mrs. Sylvia Temple
Helen Mack	...	Helen
Dorothy Tree	...	Mae Danish
Roscoe Karns	...	Johnson
Ray Milland	...	Carl Barrett
Charles C. Wilson	...	Taft
Henry Travers	...	Mac Mason
Noel Madison	...	Anderson
Paul Harvey	...	Capt. Seaver
Olive Tell	...	Mrs. Madison
Lee Kohlmar	...	Pa Herman
Bodil Rosing	...	Ma
Lois Kent	...	Little Girl

Storyline

A detective who has "four hours to kill" before delivering his prisoner, an escaped killer, spends the time in the lobby of a Broadway theater where a musical is playing. The film focuses on the relationship between the two men, and also between various characters in the theater audience, staff and cast.

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Plot Keywords:

theater | murder | based on play

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ultime forfait

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount 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

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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Soundtracks

"I Hate to Talk About Myself"
Music by Ralph Rainger and Richard A. Whiting
Lyrics by Leo Robin

User Reviews

Good movie, interesting characters - a lot of substance in a short movie.

This is a much older movie than I normally watch, but I would watch it again, and again. The old style of camera work, the effectiveness of glances between characters - the use of the eyes - all very well used to develop the mood and ultimately the story.

There was a long speech by the theater manager which exemplifies the moral, religious attitudes of many at that time. Seems really phony by today's standards, but not out of place at all in this setting. It is also a key to the miracles that happen before the conclusion of the movie. It provided the morality lesson in a story cluttered with wrong-doings.

Noticed one continuity error. Generally people wear their wrist watches on the opposite wrist than the hand with which they write. The detective states he is left-handed - appropriate to the script. Later we see his watch on his left wrist. Enough for a smile, but not at all enough to damage the quality of the movie or story.

I was surprised and delighted by how much I enjoyed this old movie. I will watch it again.