JohnHowardReid Dick Purcell (Lance O'Leary), Ann Sheridan (Nurse Sarah Keate), Anne Nagel (Gwen Kingery), Ben Welden (Gerald Frawley), Elspeth Dudgeon (Aunt Lucy Kingery), Hugh O'Connell (Newell Morse), Sheila Bromley (Terice Von Elm), Dennie Moore (Annette), Trevor Bardette (Brucker, the chauffeur), Jean Benedict (Helen Page), Anderson Lawlor (Joe Page), William Hopper (Lal Killian), Anthony Averill (Julian Barre), Ertic Stanley (Hubert Kingery), Jack Mower (coroner), Stuart Holmes (jury foreman), Loia Chaney (secretary), John Harron (director).Director: NOEL SMITH. Screenplay: Stuart L. Lowe, Robertson White. Based on the 1930 novel Mystery of Hunting's End by Mignon G. Eberhart. Photography: L. William O'Connell. Film editor: Frank Magee. Art director: Stanley Fleischer. Gowns: Howard Shoup. Music: Howard Jackson. Dialogue director: John Langan. Sound recording: Leslie G. Hewitt. Producer: Bryan Foy. A First National picture.Copyright 23 December 1937 by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Palace: 28 June 1938. U.S. release: 21 May 1938. 56 minutes.SYNOPSIS: The daughter of a murdered millionaire (who supposedly committed suicide) summons to the family hunting lodge all the people who were there on the fateful occasion.NOTES: Sixth and final entry in the Sarah Keate series. An odd series for a number of reasons. In Eberhart's novels, Sarah Keate is a middle-aged, spinster nurse. Aline MacMahon was an ideal choice for the role in the first of the series, While the Patient Slept. For the second movie, however, Sarah was not only made younger but underwent a name change to "Sally Keating". Marguerite Churchill continued this trend in the third film, Murder by an Aristocrat. Would you believe, in the fourth film, the character reverted to middle age and was played by Jane Darwell? But for the fifth and sixth entries, Sarah/Sally became young again in the person of Ann Sheridan. COMMENT: A confused and confusing mystery thriller that involves so many characters milling around in such a short space of time, it's virtually impossible to keep track of who's who, unless you see the film twice! Unfortunately, it's hardly worth a single once-over. Ann Sheridan fans will be most disappointed. Not only does their idol contribute a perfunctory performance, she spends what little footage she has in a dowdy nurse's uniform. The actual feminine lead is Anne Nagel, but she too seems somewhat bland and colorless. It's left to Elspeth Dudgeon to hold up the distaff end with her Dame May Witty impersonation from "Night Must Fall". On the male side of the ledger, Dick Purcell makes a tepid hero and Trevor Bardette an unconvincing domestic. Only Ben Welden fitfully shines. Director Noel Smith does little to earn his pay but keep the jumbled events moving steadily towards the fade-out.

MartinHafer When the film begins, the head of a corporation tells the other board members who are there at his hunting lodge that he knows one of them forged company documents. Not surprisingly, before he can tell who it is, he's found dead in his room with a gun in his hand. It's quickly ruled a suicide--which makes you wonder what these board members told the police*. So it's up to a private dick, Lance O'Leary (Dick Purcell) to determine what really happened. However, soon ANOTHER suicide occurs.This short murder mystery is just about exactly the same as about 95% of the B-murder mysteries. There are many clichés here. One is the guy who thinks he knows whodunnit--and vows to say something in the morning....only to then be killed! Another is whenever anything important is said, someone unseen just happens to be listening outside the window! It also features the scene with everyone in the room and the killer betrays himself! And, when the dick is attacked near the end...everyone just stands around except for one dopey lady who, naturally, slugs the dick on the head! All in all, as brainless and mind-numbing as a typical mystery with not to distinguish it.*I checked and apparently testing the body for gunshot residue to determine if a person actually DID kill themselves was not done until the 1970s, so this is not a hole in the story.

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.

whpratt1 Noel M. Smith, Director of this film was a veteran of films and created many films during the Silent Era. This film takes place in an old house, more like a cottage and it occurs during a very bad snow storm with horrible winds blowing and drifting snow against the window panes. There is a group of men attending a board meeting and their wives and girlfriends who are visiting this mysterious house. The men have found out that their business has been cheated out of a large sum of money and they have all gathered together to find out just who forged papers and stole all the company's funds. There is a man who kills himself in a locked room and two other murders happen. Lance O'Leary, (Dick Purcell) is an investigator who is called in by a nurse Sarah Keate, (Ann Sheridan) who attends one of the older members of the household. This film is a B film, but will definitely hold your interest and keep you glued to your seats. Enjoy.