ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Michael_Elliott Mystery House (1938) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Rare murder/mystery from Warner has a banker committing suicide but his daughter thinks he was murdered so she invites all the guests from that night back to the house hoping the killer will slip up. Only God knows how many of these "old dark house" films were made throughout the 1930s but this one here is pretty good due to some nice direction and a short running time that makes the film fly by. All of the characters are a lot of fun so this keeps the movie going as well. The ending comes out very well and the mystery is a good one.

Neil Doyle MYSTERY STREET gives laconic DICK PURCELL the leading role, while ANN SHERIDAN is seen in one of her early roles at a time when the studio was grooming her for bigger things in the future. She's a nurse caring for a crotchety old woman (ELSPETH DUDGEON) in a wheelchair, an old woman who is annoying as all get out as she bosses everyone around.The setting is a snowbound hunting lodge, a handsome cabin where all of the suspects in a rich man's murder are gathered for the weekend, while Sheridan summons her boyfriend detective Purcell to unravel the murder case. He does so, with the help of a few clues that lead to the murderer's identity and in time for a happy ending with Sheridan promising to marry him.It's standard stuff, respectable enough to play the lower half of double bills back in the '30s. Fans of "Perry Mason" on TV, will recognize WILLIAM HOPPER (with dark black hair), but most of the cast consists of largely unknown players.Lasting only a brisk 56 minutes, it passes the time quickly and is a moderately entertaining B-film mystery.

blanche-2 "Mystery House" is a short B film based on a story by mystery writer Mignon Eberhardt. The only recognizable person for me was Ann Sheridan as a nurse caring for an elderly woman, and since I knew William Hopper was in it, I looked for him. I never would have realized it was Paul Drake of "Perry Mason" fame, he looked so young and had no gray hair! The plot concerns a board of directors on retreat at the house of the president of the company. He announces to them that one of the board members is an embezzler. Later he is found murdered, but it is judged a suicide. His daughter hires a detective (Dick Purcell), recommended by the nurse, to investigate. Another murder assumed a suicide takes place. It's getting to be an epidemic. Can the detective solve the case before everybody is dead? There's not a tremendous amount of action in this film, which seemed a little rushed. Also, not knowing most of the actors, it was hard to differentiate the men - they seemed to be all tall with dark hair. This is obviously a very early role for Ann Sheridan, who would move into A films.

boblipton This high-speed version of one of Mignon Eberhardt's classically plotted mysteries is directed by Noel Smith, one of Warner's experts in short features, timing in at a bit less than one hour. Mr. Smith spent much of the 1930s and 1940s directing second feature westerns and mysteries.Half a dozen people are isolated in a house while the detective tries to figure out which of them, all with excellent motives, committed the murder. This sort of mystery requires a tremendous amount of talking, and people talk fast. Unhappily, most of the dialogue is exposition and delivered a bit stiffly. Visually, it's very nicely done with some excellent tracking shots to maintain good composition and an overall look like an Old Dark House movie. The print, like many of the major studios' B movies of this period, is in excellent shape.Over all, it's a pleasant way for mystery fans to spend an hour with a story that will keep you guessing until the end.