Grief Street (1931)

Alvin Merle, a womanizing Broadway matinée idol, is found strangled in his dressing room. The door is locked from the inside and there is no possible other way into the room. Merle is ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Arthur Hoerl (story), Arthur Hoerl (continuity)

Stars:

Barbara Kent, John Holland, Dorothy Christy

Cast

Cast overview:
Barbara Kent	...	Jean Royce
John Holland	...	Jim Ryan
Dorothy Christy	...	Mrs. Alvin Merle aka Ethel Wynn
Crauford Kent	...	Alvin Merle
Lillian Rich	...	Pamela Gregory
James P. Burtis	...	Police Sgt. Jardine
Larry Steers	...	Ralph Burns
Lloyd Whitlock	...	Frank Murray
Lafe McKee	...	Michael - Stage Doorman
Creighton Hale	...	Ted
Raymond Largay	...	Police Capt. Blake (as Ray Largay)
Walter Brennan	...	Walt (as Arthur Brennan)

Storyline

Alvin Merle, a womanizing Broadway matinée idol, is found strangled in his dressing room. The door is locked from the inside and there is no possible other way into the room. Merle is having an affair with his leading lady, while his wife, actress Ethel Wynn, appearing in another play in a theater around the corner, is doing the same with Frank Murray, the stage manager on Merle's play. Newspaper reporter Jim Ryan is investigating the case and meets Jean Royce, a young actress who had been fired from the play while in rehearsals. Everybody, including Michael, the old actor now relegated to being just a stage-doorman, has a motive. The explanation for the murder lies within the script of the play.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | stage manager | murder | stage doorman | theater | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stage Whispers

Filming Locations:

Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chesterfield Motion Pictures Corporation (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Good Second Feature

This second feature directed by jack-of-all-trades director Richard Thorpe -- he would go to Metro as a B movie director and graduate to big spectacles, based on his ability to get a cheap performance out of actors like Robert Taylor -- shows Thorpe with warts and details of care.

This locked room mystery has its major weak points, like stagily-read performances from all hands involved, but it also has its strengths, rocking, as it does, between a comedy drama in which the cops spend their time playing craps, and an early police procedural, as one cop uses routine and careful deduction to crack the case. And while Thorpe can't raise a good performance, he does take care of his visuals, as in the scene set in an alley, where he sets the wind machines to gently blowing Barbara Kent's hair.

Although not a particularly good movie -- it is interesting as a transitional piece, as silent stars try their hands at talkies, and a different style of mystery from the usual Sherlock Holmes or Philo Vance points out what is obvious after the fact.