The Dark Hour (1936) User Reviews

A House Murder Mystery with an Original Twist

[lawprof · 6/10 · 15 August 2004]

Some genuinely inspired bad acting doesn't prevent 1936's "The Dark House" from showering a few sparks of real originality. Two elderly brothers and their niece reside in a mansion. They're fearful something bad will happen and they're right. Two murders take place, neither appearing to have occurred as first thought.

This is a good house murder mystery. Elsa (the very beautiful and former Miss United States, Irene Ware) is falling in love with a detective, Jim Landis (Ray Walker). Elsa regularly meets Jim at retired detective Paul Bernard's house (he's played by Burton Churchill). Elsa's putative guardians, her uncles, don't like this developing match one bit. Of course their time together is as chaste as many moviegoers (and the moralistic censor-type folks) demanded.

One death having led to another, the two sleuths wisely combine forces to find the killer and figure out why the murders occurred in the first place. The plot is a bit tricky. Adding to the mystery is the possible role of Elsa's aunt, Mrs. Tallman. Here is a real treat-she's Hedda Hopper, once dubbed the "Queen of the Quickies," a woman who made a number of forgettable features before discovering that the printed word was mightier than fleeting celluloid images. For decades she and Louella Parsons battled for scoops as Hollywood's prime, incendiary gossip columnists.

Walker is the really weak actor here. He performs with a deadening numbness that made me wish he was the killer who would be executed on-screen. But his interaction with the retired senior cop is both interesting and dramatically effective.

Charles Lamont, born in Russia, was a veteran director who turned out many "B" flicks and some better comedies during a very long career (he did a number of the Abbott and Costello and Ma and Pa Kettle flicks). He's famously forgotten today for such films as the deservedly rarely viewed "I Was a Shoplifter" that brought young Tony Curtis to the screen. In "The Dark Hour" he crafted an interesting murder mystery. If you can get it as I did for $4.99 on DVD (thanks again, Alpha Video) it's worth your time just to see Hedda Hopper disporting herself as a grand dame but maybe I'm just dating myself.

6/10

The Body In The Library

[Lechuguilla · 6/10 · 9 August 2014]

A quick run-through of most of the plot suggests that this whodunit film might be an Agatha Christie creation, as complicated as the story is. There are five to seven suspects, depending on whom you count. And the murder occurs in the library of a large house. But though the underlying premise is okay, "The Dark Hour" is no Agatha Christie creation. Two brothers live together along with their various servants. A couple of other suspects live close by, together with a retired detective. A building fire figures prominently in the plot.

It took two viewings to make sense out of the story. In the end it does all come together, though there is some conveniently coincidental timing in certain plot points. The main reason to watch the film is the ending. My guess as to the identity of the murderer was dead wrong. So the ending was a pleasant surprise, and I was able to go back and see the subtle clues that I missed. Near the end a major twist further adds to the film's enjoyment. Spine-tingling suspense erupts near the climax as an unknown person shines a flashlight into a darkened bedroom, and then fires a shot.

Almost all the scenes take place on indoor sets, implying that this was a low-budget film. Production design is minimal. I'm constantly amazed at how old houses back in those days were built with such high ceilings, making rooms look cavernous. B&W lighting has a slight noir effect. The camera is largely static. Very little music occurs during the film, but I like the score during the opening credits. Sound tends to be scratchy and overall sound quality is poor, which makes dialogue hard to understand in a few spots. Acting is acceptable, my favorite performance being the actor who plays blustery Mr. Bernard.

It's not the best whodunit out there by any means. The script could have been improved to enhance clarity. And production values are weak. Still, it's not a bad movie. The final twenty minutes or so are quite good, and render "The Dark Hour" worth at least a one-time viewing.

Likable and fast-paced murder mystery

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 24 February 2017]

THE DARK HOUR is a pretty involved little murder mystery with a complex plotting, fast pace, and plenty of twists and turns in the narrative to keep you involved. It also features two different detectives, one a young and inexperienced P.I. and the other an elder and wiser chap, for your money.

The story is about the murder of an old rich man and of course in such a situation there is no shortage of suspects in the cast. Another murder follows, and one of the methods is quite ingenious as is the way that the detectives finally solve it based on an entirely innocuous clue. Still, there are plenty of surprises here, and some warm performances from the chief actors to make it a likable viewing experience.

Amusing and surprisingly different mystery.

[bmlittle · 22 July 2004]

If you enjoy old mystery movies and like your mystery with a little light humor, this film will please you. There are plenty of unusual characters and twists to the story that will keep you amused if not confused. The characters are well played and the story is quite intriguing. Unlike most of today's movies that rely on special effects, this film lets the story and characters set up the mood for the film, and by doing so sets up some unexpected situations such as two detectives trying to solve the mystery. One is an older fellow, the other younger. Instead of teaming together, they work independently for the most part and compare notes, each feeling the other out. There is the usual romantic interests as well, and all ingredients are made to blend pretty well. There is indeed a lot going on in this old film , as you will see.

Featuring Miss America 1926!!!

[kidboots · 5/10 · 17 April 2009]

It is not often that Berton Churchill played leading roles, but this was one of those times. The film is populated with interesting people - Irene Ware, who was Miss United States 1926, Hedda Hopper, the renowned gossip columnist and the wonderful E.E. Clive. It is topped off with a pretty boring leading man in Ray Walker. Directed by Charles Lamont, who was responsible for Shirley Temples' Baby Burlesk shorts, this is a light hearted mystery from Chesterfield.

Elsa (Irene Ware) is disturbed about her Uncle Henry and consults Paul Bernard (Berton Churchill). When Jim (Ray Walker) escorts Elsa home, her uncle comes to the door and abuses them both. Phrases such as "over my dead body" and "that can be arranged" come back to haunt the young detective when Elsa's uncle is found dead the next morning. Marion (Hedda Hopper), an aunt of Elsa's has moved to the village to look out for her - Marion also has no love for Henry.

Everyone has a motive - the only one that seems genuinely upset is Henry's brother Charles (Hobart Bosworth). The cook sees a face at the window and Foote (E.E. Clive) is acting suspicious - "Foote seems strangely cocky!!!" They also are investigating a firebug - fires are breaking out at some of the brother's properties. Bernard finds a burnt dress in Elsa's cupboard but the size and the description of the woman running from the scene seem to implicate Aunt Marion. Then Foote is murdered!!!! The face at the window is explained as a fire victim - he had just seen his wife and child die in one of the fires and decided to come to Henry's house to have it out with him.

Through a tired plot device (blankets under a quilt to imitate a sleeping person) Bernard finds the firebug and also tries to pin the murders on them as well. In a very entertaining way the murderer is found. It is quite an entertaining film and one that will while away an hour.

The fundamental things apply......

[ny1mwd26 · 7/10 · 6 May 2004]

Chesterfield does it again--a tidy whodunit that, surprisingly, holds up pretty well despite its age. The race between the two detectives is quite droll and interesting; it shows, once again, that the fundamental lesson of integration between the old and the new still applies--regardless of decade and/or century. Of course, as the film was lensed nearly 70 years ago, some of the technical aspects of the plot do not age well. And, unless I missed something, I would have preferred a little more detail into the motive for the crime. Despite these minor quibbles, it was a relatively enjoyable 71 minutes, especially when Hedda Hopper was chewing up the scenery.l

Mildly entertaining but not much more...

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 13 August 2014]

This film is a B-mystery from tiny Chesterfield Productions--one of many so-called 'Poverty Row' studios churning out extremely cheap and quickly made short films during the 1930s. It's only significant actor is Berton Churchill--a man who usually played blustering supporting roles (such as in "Stagecoach"). Here, however, he is co-lead in the film.

The film begins with a woman going to talk to two detectives about her strange and rather nasty uncles. The two begin investigating and almost immediately a murder occurs--and one of the uncles is killed in a very peculiar manner (he was killed by gas and was stabbed AFTER he was already dead). The two detectives (one of which is Churchill) investigate the case almost like two Sherlock Holmes--which is a bit unusual, as in the mystery films of the era, usually the police are portrayed as idiots! How the murder occurred and who was behind it make this a VERY contrived film--and the ending offers too many twists to make the film realistic in any manner. Still, it's not a horrible film and is mildly entertaining--and is a film I'd recommend mostly to fans of these cheap murder mysteries. Others probably will be even less impressed by this one.

Time for a Mystery

[bnwfilmbuff · 7/10 · 16 April 2020]

Strikingly beautiful Irene Ware lives with her two wealthy, disagreeable uncles, who are inexplicably living in fear for their lives. She is befriended by a retired detective neighbor and romanced by an active detective. When one of the uncles is murdered the detectives join forces to solve the crime. Benton Churchill is the standout in the cast as the believably tough, smart, and experienced detective. A good cast executes a well-acted whodunit with lots of twists and turns. What is unique and quite entertaining is watching the interaction between the two detectives as they hypothesize various scenarios based on newly discovered facts. This also has an excellent ending. The movie I watched was on Prime and is a terrible copy. This is worth searching out and I feel would have gotten a better rating from me if I had seen a better copy of the movie.

Mystery in need of trimming

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 21 July 2006]

The plot has two reclusive old men keeping a watchful eye on their affairs they barely allow their niece to go out and visit a retired detective living next door. The woman is also visiting an active police detective and friend to the retired detective. When one of the uncles is murdered the young detective and retired detective join forces to solve the crime.

The suspect pool is too shallow to sustain this films 70 minutes and I would love to think that you can cut 20 minutes out of this and get a decent thriller, but I don't think its possible since this movie goes round and round dropping just enough clues and clever dialog in the interest of solving the crime that you really can't cut much. It would be a better movie if it simply got on with it instead of stopping for long scenes of discussion that seem more designed to fill out the running time rather than economically tell the story. Frankly I found myself hitting the fast forward in order to just have the movie move at a reasonable speed, which is a shame since this film is filled with tons of pithy dialog between all of the characters that I never heard.

Recommended for those with patience.

(Still any movie where the butler named Foot and played by great character actor EE Clive can't be all bad)

Confronted by so many clues

[greenbudgie · 6/10 · 23 February 2021]

Henry Carson is found dead slumped over his desk in the library. Because of the slightness of the wound and the lack of bleeding there is a mystery about the way he has been murdered. Henry had been a curmudgeon and it's only his brother Charles who shows any real signs of grief over his death. And he seems to be concerned that he may be next to die in such a way.

There are two investigators on the case. The old experienced hand who is actually retired and the young one who shows how green he is or at least that's how the elder one thinks of him. Both have an interest in the Carson household chiefly through their associations with Elsa who is heir and niece to the Carson brothers. Landis the younger investigator is engaged to her. The older investigator Bernard has also an interest in George Carson and his new butler Foot as he has been investigating them both for years.

I don't think I've ever been confronted by so many clues as I was in this whodunit. It was puzzling when trying to piece all of them together into one cohesive idea of how and why the murders were committed. The suspects include a chemist who is experimenting on poison gas and an intruder who turns out to have a pathetic tale to tell and just about everybody else in the story. There is an impression that some characters are covering up for other characters. And there is an air of a slightly unusual grayness to the humor and the ending is certainly unconventional.

The Dark Hour review

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 21 April 2020]

A pair of detectives investigate the murder of a reclusive millionaire. A run-of-the-mill low-budget mystery in which people talk and talk and talk about all the things the camera can't afford to show us. There's no shortage of suspects, and a lot of convoluted theorising, which is about exciting as it sounds. Strangely, the way the final reel plays out suggests that both of the detectives are prepared to conceal the identify of who they mistakenly believe to be the killer for personal reasons. At least Irene Ware is easy on the eye...

Everyone looks guilty and maybe so.

[Bernie4444 · 10/10 · 29 February 2024]

This is a nice Who-Done-It of the time when movies did not rely on a bunch of background spooky music.

The movie is based on a novel by Sinclair Gluck; good luck finding the novel.

Some of the co-stars are Irene Ware, Hobart Bosworth, Hedda Hopper, and E. E. Clive.

A millionaire Henry Carson William V. Mong has been found dispatched with some mysterious clues. Detective Jim Landis (Ray Walker), who has this thing for Henry's daughter, is called in to investigate; he, in turn, requests the assistance of former investigator Paul Bernard (Berton Churchill.) Naturally, everyone on the estate and some mysterious peeping Tom is suspect.

"Excitement is dangerous to a man of your age."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 26 March 2012]

Someday I'm going to go back and watch this again because it's a neat little murder mystery given the era. There's more than your usual amount of false leads, suspicious characters and red herrings wrapped around a double murder, with young detective Jim Landis (Ray Walker) teaming up with a retired Paul Bernard (Berton Churchill) to almost solve the mystery. I say almost because even though the resolution is spelled out at the finale by Landis, it's just as quickly thrown in doubt by the Tallman dame (Hedda Hopper) negating Bernard's confession. It's all very strange because when the picture's over, you're not really sure who killed who because of the multiple possibilities. In fact, old Henry Carson (William V. Mong) got a knife in the back after he was already dead!

Individually, none of the players are particularly effective, but the fact that they all play off each other quite well makes the story interesting. As the girlfriend of detective Landis and the niece of the murdered Henry Carson, Elsa Carson (Irene Ware) makes one suspicious of her guilt by being just a bit too secretive. At one point when the Chinese servant made his appearance, I thought that Charlie Chan might have been just around the corner to help make some sense out of the proceedings and identify the killer in his own inimitable style.

Anyway, if you don't mind being left clueless at the end of the story, this one is fairly entertaining and goes by quickly at just over an hour in length. The presence of Miss Ware is a bonus, as the former Miss United States is quite appealing, though I couldn't quite figure out the attraction to her fiancé Landis.

"5" is being generous!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 13 November 2017]

Ray Walker (Jim Landis), Irene Ware (Elsa Carson), Berton Churchill (Paul Bernard), Hobart Bosworth (Charles Carson), Hedda Hopper (Mrs Tallman), E.E. Clive (Foot, the Carsons' butler), Harold Goodwin (Peter Blake, a chemist), William V. Mong (Henry Carson), Michael Mark (Arthur Bell), John St Polis (Dr Munro), Miki Morita (Choong), Aggie Herring (Mrs Dubbin, the Carsons' cook), Lloyd Whitlock (Watson), Rose Allen (Mrs Murphy), Kathryn Sheldon (Helen Smith), Fred Kelsey (Detective Bruce), Harry Strang (policeman).

Director: CHARLES LAMONT. Screenplay: Eward Adamson. Based on the 1928 novel "The Last Trap" by Sinclair Gluck. Photography: M.A. Anderson. Film editor: Roland D. Reed. Art director: Edward C. Jewell. Production executive: Lon Young. Assistant director: Melville Shyer. Sound recording: Dick Tyler, senior. RCA Victor Sound System Producer: George R. Batcheller.

Copyright 30 January 1936 by Chesterfield Motion Pictures Corporation. U.S. release: 15 January 1936. 64 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Who killed wealthy but miserly Henry Carson? Detective Jim Landis and a retired colleague (and neighbor of Carson), Paul Bernard, investigate. Suspicion falls on just about every member of the cast (including Bernard) except Jim Landis, who has formed an attachment with Henry's niece, Elsa.

COMMENT: This talky murder mystery, flatly directed by Charles Lamont, features virtually no on-camera action at all. That's right, no action at all (except for a failed murder attempt and an obvious stock shot of a fire).

What interest there is accumulates from the seemingly endless twists of suspicion (which continue right to the conclusion) and the obvious rapport of a more subdued than usual Ray Walker and a far less pompous and more personable Berton Churchill as the unlikely pair of investigators.

And of course the lovely Irene Ware garners some attention as the girl in the case. Hobart Bosworth, E.E. Clive and Hedda Hopper also impress.

Production values, however, are pretty miserable. A few sets (which were none too striking to begin with) are used over and over.

Two competent detectives in one movie

[wrbtu · 19 February 2001]

This mystery film is unusual is that there are two quite different (old & retired vs. young & active on the police force) detectives on the case, & they are both competent & work well together. Usually, Hollywood would be expected to have at least one of them take the comic element, but here they are both serious & both effective! Aside from trying to guess "who done it?," the viewer also finds him/herself wondering which of the two detectives will solve the case first, & this aspect adds to the excitement. There are plenty of suspects here, & the film moves along briskly. Berton Churchill is especially good as the older detective, & reminds me of a smaller version of the great Sydney Greenstreet. I rate this 8/10.

A slow dark hour and ten minutes.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 31 May 2022]

Most of the acting in this film is slow and monotonous, not surprising for a Chesterfield film where the camera moved around the limited sets at a snail's pace and the plot had more holes than a chunk of cheese after Mickey and Mighty visited. Irene Ware is the niece of two old men who don't want her to date the detective (Ray Walker) who lives next door with his retired father (Berton Churchill). Ware's late mother married a man her brothers didn't approve of, and Ware's outrageous paternal aunt (Hedda Hopper) ends up as suspect number one in the stabbing death of one of the uncles, with an added victim in the form of their butler.

Hopper and Churchill give the best performances, with Hopper so delightful that it makes me wonder how she would have been as Auntie Mame. As for the majority of the other performances, they are pretty wooden although Ware is pretty and not as tepid as the others. The actress playing the minor role of the housekeeper is also decent, but she only has a couple of lines, desperately trying to get out of the house so she won't be the next victim. Not a hideous B programmer, but not really having any surprises either. This could have been 15 minutes shorter and made a bigger impact.

a very average WHO DUNNIT....

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 10 February 2018]

The only big name i recognize in here is Hedda Hopper, who had started with bit parts in the silent films, become pretty well known years later, and then started her own "woman about town" gossip column, now playing herself in later films. (Gotta see he in "The Women" !) In "Dark Hour", two old timers are watching over their neice "Elsa", played by Irene Ware. ( Ware was apparently Miss United States 1926. ) Elsa will inherit EVERYTHING when the uncles go, so they are concerned that she might some bad decisions... and then... something TERRIBLE happens... and everyone tries to figure out who dunnit! Picture and sound quality are pretty turrible... but it's not so bad. Based on a novel by Sinclair Gluck.. couldn't find any info about him; this seems to be the only thing of his made into a film. Directed by Charles Lamont. He had been around in silents since the 1920s, writing and directing. Worked with some of the biggies in comedy and drama. Dark Hour is "okay"... it's just like every single "thin man", or any who-dunnit ever written. nothing in the middle really happens until the last five minutes when everything comes together. It's not so bad.

enthralling plot, mediocre movie

[Cristi_Ciopron · 6/10 · 28 February 2015]

I liked the plot, more than what the movie was ready to make out of it; there are viewers who liked the cinema approach better. I didn't care much for any of the characters. The storyline is dramatic and intriguing, and the puzzle plot, not _uningenious (as the script was adapted from 'The Last Trap' by Sinclair Gluck), till the final denouement makes it look like a farce, so a very stripped adaptation of a possibly good puzzle plot, yet most of what's interesting is merely told by the two policemen, as much as one could gather from a radio show; the style is neutral, very plain, very basic, unassuming. The policemen's inquiry has an air of casualness; there's no characterization. Unpretentious mystery movie, exempt of comic relief, except for an old policeman climbing an armchair, but it has enough intriguing ideas (the wound that didn't bleed), which make it more interesting as a story, than as a movie; the very idea of a handsome heiress having a relation with an unlikable ugly policeman seemed unlikely. Some of the actors give at least average performances; I disliked the younger policeman. You can call the production, austere or cheap. As a matter of fact, there are some humorous moments, but the main story of detection, till it switches to farce, is stark, logical and dry, and somewhat more thrilling than the movie was ready or able to assume and take over from the book; the twists have unexpectedness, of the literary kind. To me, the farcical denouement was somewhat disappointing.

The footage doesn't add much to what's merely spoken by the two policemen.

The dialog, casual, was more or less comprehensible.

As I gather it now, not a treat or a jewel or a discovery, and in many respects mediocre. (But like each time as many people are involved in a common action, there are also a few good things.) Dry, clever, but a bit graceless.

Economical mystery packs in fun

[csteidler · 23 July 2011]

"But I didn't do it." "What! Then who the heck did?" The Dark Hour keeps viewers—and detectives—guessing until the final moment. A truly puzzling mystery combined with some juicy performances make this quite a nifty little hour of fun.

Berton Churchill as the retired detective—respectfully requested by his younger counterpart Ray Walker to assist on the case—is wonderfully nimble-minded and yet perhaps suspicious. Irene Ware is earnest and intelligent as the niece of rich old uncles in whose house the mystery develops—but she's obviously hiding something. Hedda Hopper bustles in occasionally with energy and smarts as an aunt who seems to know plenty but isn't saying just what.

Not a fancy movie, but one that's paced just about right: The action certainly moves along quickly, but care is taken to allow us time to notice which characters are thinking a bit more than they're saying. Irene Ware's character, for example, is given an extra moment of screen time here and there—just enough of an extra glance for us in the audience to see quite clearly that she's holding something back. Again, it's not fancy or subtle—but it does show that director Charles Lamont was paying attention.

The dialog is crisp enough; the actors move with energy. Hopper and Churchill, in particular, appear to enjoy themselves immensely in their roles.

My only complaint is that the sound is badly chopped up in the version I saw. Lines are dropped and cut into pieces (including in a couple of key moments!). I can only assume that the print from which this came had been shown about a hundred times and broken and been spliced in about that many places. Oh, well—I can live with that. Otherwise: a top-notch B mystery.