Death from a Distance (1935)

While a distinguished astronomer is giving a lecture in a planetarium, a shot rings out and one of the audience members is found dead. A tough detective and a brassy female reporter lock horns as they both try to break the case.

Director:

Frank R. Strayer

Writer:

John W. Krafft (story)

Stars:

Russell Hopton, Lola Lane, George F. Marion

Cast

Cast overview:
Russell Hopton	...	Det. Lt. Ted Mallory
Lola Lane	...	Kay Palmer
George F. Marion	...	Jim Gray (as George Marion Sr.)
Lee Kohlmar	...	Prof. Ernst Einfeld
John St. Polis	...	Prof. Trowbridge
Lew Kelly	...	Det. Regan
E.H. Calvert	...	District Attorney (as Capt. E.H. Calvert)
Wheeler Oakman	...	Langsdale, aka George Fremont
Robert Frazer	...	Morgan (as Robert Frazier)
Cornelius Keefe	...	Clay Gorman
John Davidson	...	Ahmad Haidru
John Dilson	...	Newspaper Editor McConnell

Storyline

While a distinguished astronomer is giving a lecture in a planetarium, a shot rings out and one of the audience members is found dead. A tough detective and a brassy female reporter lock horns as they both try to break the case.

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Plot Keywords:

female reporter | detective | public domain | b movie | murder

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Morte a Distância

Company Credits

Production Co:

Invincible Pictures Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Used props from The Invisible Ray.

User Reviews

Not a Bad Planetarium Movie

The setting is the real central figure in this film. A murder is committed during a planetarium show held for a group of well known scientists. A hard boiled detective and an impulsive female reporter set out to solve the crime. Actually, she just seems to get in the way and must be regularly lectured by the big guy. The problem is that no one has the ability to have committed the crime. A series of diversions and set ups take place, trying to lure the real criminal out. There are professional jealousies at work which will hopefully result in an Achilles' heel. The story is slow and drawn out and the characters are often silly and stereotypical. Still, I found myself watching it carefully because I wanted to know how the murder was committed. if your not too fussy and don't mind a period piece, it's not too bad.