The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)

Detective Ellery Queen's vacation is interrupted when murder strikes next door to his oceanside cabin.

Director:

Lewis D. Collins

Writers:

Frederic Dannay (novel), Manfred Lee (novel),

Stars:

Donald Cook, Helen Twelvetrees, Berton Churchill

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Cook	...	Ellery Queen
Helen Twelvetrees	...	Stella Godfrey
Berton Churchill	...	Judge Macklin
Frank Sheridan	...	Walter Godfrey
Harry Stubbs	...	Sheriff Moley
Guy Usher	...	Inspector Queen
Huntley Gordon	...	David Kummer
Jack La Rue	...	Gardner
Betty Blythe	...	Mrs. Godfrey
Olaf Hytten	...	DuPre
Ruth Gillette	...	Laura Constable
Frank Leigh	...	Teller
Barbara Bedford	...	Mrs. Munn
George Baxter	...	John Marco
Katherine Morrow	...	Pitts

Storyline

New York detective Ellery Queen travels to the California coast with his friend Judge Macklin for a vacation at a rented cabin. But they don't even have a chance to unpack before they become swept up in a kidnapping and murders involving the Godfrey family who live in the Spanish Cape estate nearby. As bodies drop as often as the tides, and the local police suspect everyone in the Godfrey family, Ellery comes to the rescue and solves the crimes while romancing the family's beautiful daughter Stella.

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Plot Keywords:

cabin | vacation | detective | murder | california | 

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Taglines:

ELLERY QUEEN'S STRANGEST CASE! (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mistério da Capa Espanhola

Company Credits

Production Co:

Liberty Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Early in the picture, the Judge notes that Queen is not a smoker, which he confirms. However, at dinner he offers Stella a cigarette from a cigarette case, and later in the picture lights up another smoke.

User Reviews

First Ellery Queen film portrayal

Little read today, Ellery Queen mysteries were highly popular in their day. In this outing, Donald Cook plays Ellery Queen. While he is suave enough and occasionally shows a spark of humor, Cook lacks the pizazz of other B mystery series detectives, (such as Warren William, Chester Morris, George Sanders, or Tom Conway) which is probably why it didn't become a series with Cook as the lead (a few years later, Ralph Bellamy starred as Ellery Queen in a series of movies). The plot is typical of many 30s mysteries – a big house filled with odious relatives and guests with murder after murder happening and the survivors continuing to stay in the house. And it has the young pert ingénue as well as the dumb loud-mouthed police chief flitting from one suspect to another with each suspect then cleared by the detective. Queen traps the killer and all the loose ends are nicely tidied up. There are a few notable character portrayals such as Berton Churchill and the always humorous Ed Gargan. It was kinda cool seeing George Cleveland in a small role – to me, he will always be Gramps in the Lassie television show. This movie is mildly enjoyable and worth a watch, but it is not a top notch mystery even for a B movie.