If you need a break from politics and viruses escaping into movies for a few hours is never a bad idea. Today, we’ll focus on a handful of movies from the 1930’s and early 1940’s. If you don’t like creaky, old black and whites films, produced at the dawn of the talkie era, these will not be for you. On the other hand, if you find creaky, old pictures from the dawn of the talkie era — with dashing heroes and wise-cracking dames, a charming escape from the modern era, you may find something you’ll enjoy.
Below are number of old dark house, romance-comedy, mystery type films from the poverty row film houses. Old Dark House films (people isolated in a location, being picked-off one-by-one) were a staple of the poverty row studios. They were cheap: a few sets, a few sound effects and a few actors and they made money. Many were done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. This was escapist entertainment during the depression and WWII.
When you mine the poverty row films you have to do a lot of digging to find a gem. Sometimes ‘gem’ is a bit generous. But, hey, I love a rare filet mignon with a glass of a good Pomerol. Sometimes a beer and a burger can also hit the spot.
Below are some of these films. All are available on YouTube, for free, and all are in the public domain. They are also quick hits. Most run times are less than an hour and twenty minutes. There are often multiple downloads of the same film so if the transfer is poor (many are) you may be able to find a better version. .
The Ghost Walks (1934):
From TCM:
Life (and murder) imitate art when a Broadway playwright's newest thriller starts coming true while he and his producer are stranded in an odd, out-of-the-way mansion brimming with odd, out-of-the-way guests. Story lynchpins need oil in this rusting antique, but it's lightly humorous and it does have enough plot for six other movies.
Run time is 1:07.
Saw this one, liked it. Its a bit messy but a good entry for a poverty row studio in the Old Dark House genre.
One Body Too Many (1944):
A Paramount B unit film that has no right to be as good as it is. In 1944, Paramount’s B unit was run by William Pine and William Thomas. The two were known as ‘The Dollar Bills’ because their economically produced B films always turned a profit.
Here, we have an insurance salesman who is trying to sell a life insurance policy to a millionaire.
When he arrives at the estate, the millionaire is dead and his heirs have gathered. The terms of the will are eccentric and pit the heirs against one another. The salesman is mistaken for a detective and stays because he develops a crush on one of the heirs. This one is billed, and rightly so, as a comedy/mystery.
The film stars Jack Haley, Jean Parker and Bela Lugosi, turning in a wonderfully comedic performance as the butler.
One Body Too Many is now in the public domain and can seen on YouTube. Run time is 1:15.
A charming little film.
Murder at Midnight (1931):
From IMDB:
A murder during a game of charades at a society party leads the police to begin the hunt through the guest list for a motive and culprit.
Its been a while since I watched this one but I seem to recall it was a solid entry for a poverty row film.
Run time is 1:09.
The Ninth Guest (1934):
From our good friends at Wikipedia:
Eight guests at a deadly party are informed by the voice of their unknown host from the radio that they are his enemies, and will all meet his ninth guest: Death.
The film does pre-date Agatha Christie’s novel and its film adaptation, And Then There Were None.
King of the Zombies (1941):
This one is a blast. From IMDB:
On a spooky island, three stranded travelers find an evil doctor working with foreign spies and in control of zombies.
The great comedian, and now largely forgotton, Mantan Moreland is the true star of this film. Moreland was one of the few African Americans that had starring roles in mainstream movies back in the day. Though typically mired in stereotypical roles (and this is no exception) Moreland was able to rise above it all and usually stole the show.
Though originally billed as a horror movies this one is obviously meant to be a horror/comedy.
If you need something a bit more polished, I would recommend any of the Thin Man movies from the 1930’s-1940’s. There’s six movies and while they vary in quality they are all pretty good. William Powell is cynical Nick Charles and Myrna Loy is Nora Charles, his wise-cracking wife. The two drink their way through these movies and still find time to solve a few mysteries. Loy and Powell have terrific chemistry and are fun to watch.