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A Shot in the Dark
USA 1935
produced by George A. Batcheller for Chesterfield
directed by Charles Lamont
starring Charles Starrett, Robert Warwick, Edward Van Sloan, Marion Shilling, Helen Jerome Eddy, Doris Lloyd, James Bush, Julian Madison, Eddie Tamblyn, Ralph Brooks, Robert McKenzie, John Davidson, Herbert Bunston, George Morrell, Broderick O'Farrell, Jane Keckley, Eric Mayne, Davy Burnaby
screenplay by Charles Belden, based on the novel The Dartmouth Murders by Clifford Orr, musical director: Abe Meyer
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Cornwall College: One morning, after he had been locked out of his
room, Ken Harris (Charles Starrett) finds his roommate Byron (James Bush)
hanged, but when Byron's body is examined, it is found out that he has
already been dead prior to the hanging - so it must have been murder.
Fortunately, Ken's father Joseph (Robert Warwick), a hobby criminologist,
is on campus and promises to investigate - but soon enough, a second
murder, that of the very student (Ralph Brooks) who claimed he could
identify the killer. After a great deal of investigations that puts pretty
much everyone under suspicion, including Ken's sweetheart and Byron's
sister Jean (Marion Shilling), a third murder occurs, that of John
Mesereaux (also James Bush), Byron's lookalike, who is now revealed to be
Byron's half-brother and who confesses to having murdered Sam with his
dying breath, but denies he could have ever killed his brother. Ken pays
a visit to Byron's mum (Doris Lloyd) and finds evidence that could even
make his own father a possible suspect ... but ultimately, the killer
turns out to be mild-mannered Professor Bostwick (Edward Van Sloan), who -
without anyone knowing - was John Mesereaux's father who wanted to get his
hands on the money Byron was supposed to inherit at his 21st birthday. Of
course, he gets his just desserts in the end. The plot of this
film might be totally confusing and extremely far-fetched - yet this is an
entertaining little murder mystery, swiftly enough paced to prevent the
audience to think too much about the many unlikely plottwists, and
containing some really chilling scenes - especially the one in which Ken
is awakened by something banging on the wall, finding it to be his
roommate hanged outside the window. Not a classic maybe, but fine
entertainment.
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