A Scream in the Night (1935)

A colonial police detective in an Eastern seaport seeks a stolen gem, and infiltrates the underworld by posing as a look-alike wharfside bar owner.

Director:

Fred C. Newmeyer

Writer:

Norman Springer (story)

Stars:

Lon Chaney Jr., Zarah Tazil, John Ince

Cast

Cast overview:
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Jack Wilson / Butch Curtain
Zarah Tazil	...	Mora (as Zara Tazil)
John Ince	...	Joe Bentley
Manuel López	...	Johnny Fly (as Manuel Lopez)
Richard Cramer	...	Inspector Green (as Dick Cramer)
Sheila Terry	...	Edith Bentley
Merrill McCormick	...	Jalla (as Merril Mc Cormick)
Philip Ahn	...	Wu Ting (as Philip Ann)
John Lester Johnson	...	John

Storyline

A colonial police detective in an Eastern seaport seeks a stolen gem, and infiltrates the underworld by posing as a look-alike wharfside bar owner.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | police | inspector | parrot | assignment | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Scream in the Dark

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ray Kirkwood Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

58 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although this film was made in 1935, there is no evidence it was actually shown publicly until 1943, when Astor Pictures acquired the rights and put it out to take advantage of Lon Chaney Jr.'s subsequent stardom in horror roles for Universal.

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Connections

Edited into Terror in the Pharaoh's Tomb (2007)

User Reviews

Chaney Before Chaney

Scream in the Night (1935)

* (out of 4)

Detective Jack Wilson (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is after a jewel thief in a small seaport. This was the first film where Chaney went by the name "Lon" and it's apparent he did so here to cash in on his father's memory and name. The film has a title at the start to let us know Lon Chaney, Jr. is the "star" and he's playing two roles, something his father did several times. Chaney offers up two very different roles with different results. He's actually pretty good as the detective but his scenes as the drunk are over the top and silly. As far as the film goes, it's pretty bad from start to finish. I normally get some sort of enjoyment out of these "B" mysteries but this one here is just downright awful with a bad story, weak supporting characters and horrible direction. This is without question one of the weakest mysteries I've seen. What's so shocking is that the movie runs under a hour yet it feels like three.