The Crime Nobody Saw (1937)

Three play-authors, Horace Dryden, Nick Milburn and "Babe" Lawton, are in an apartment seeking a plot for a new play. They are still on Page 1 when an intoxicated man wanders into their ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Barton

Writers:

Frederic Dannay (play), Manfred Lee (play),

Stars:

Lew Ayres, Ruth Coleman, Eugene Pallette

Cast

Cast overview:
Lew Ayres	...	Nick Milburn
Ruth Coleman	...	Kay Mallory
Eugene Pallette	...	'Babe' Lawton
Benny Baker	...	Horace Dryden
Vivienne Osborne	...	Suzanne Duval
Colin Tapley	...	Dr. Brooks
Howard C. Hickman	...	Robert Mallory
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Tim Burke
Jed Prouty	...	William Underhill
Hattie McDaniel	...	Ambrosia
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	John Atherton

Storyline

Three play-authors, Horace Dryden, Nick Milburn and "Babe" Lawton, are in an apartment seeking a plot for a new play. They are still on Page 1 when an intoxicated man wanders into their room, collapses and they, looking for identification, find $15,000 in his pockets. On the assumption that me might be a blackmailer, the three decide to build a scenario around him. Thinks become a bit more involved when the man is later found to be murdered.

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | carpet | low budget film | murder weapon | writer | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Testemunha Inesperada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

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.

User Reviews

Three men in search of a plot.

Horace Dryden (Benny Baker), "Babe" Lawton (Eugene Palette) and Nick Milburn (Lew Ayers)have been paid a large advance to write a play for John Atherton (Ferdinand Gottschalk), and after several months have not advanced past "Page One" at the top of a sheet of paper. Atherton wants his money back.

Then an intoxicated man wanders into their apartment, falls asleep on the sofa and $15,000 fall out his pocket. A search of his other pockets leads to the discovery of a black book that contains the names of many well-known men and a sum of money listed next to each name. They conclude he is a blackmailer and hatch an elaborate plot in which they will pose as policemen and police doctor, call on the men whose names are in the book and come up with the material needed to write a play.

They lock up the drunk and begin making their calls. Meanwhile, somebody deep-freezes the drunk with an icepick, and they are forced quickly from offense to defense.

Hattie McDaniel (as Ambrosia the Maid) solves this one.