The Witching Hour

John Holliday runs a gambling den inside his home. His daughter (Judith Allen) is gaga over Tom Brown. Brown has a fear of cat's eye rings, so Holliday tries to help him overcome it, inadvertently hypnotizing him with the ring. Later, while Brown is gazing at the ring, he manages to hypnotize himself, then bump off a guy who had threatened Holliday. Naturally, the police don't buy that explanation, so Holliday enlists the aid of a retired judge (Sir Guy Standing) to take the defense. William Frawley plays the grumpy jury foreman.

The courtroom theatrics are ridiculous, as might be expected for a 1930s film (hypnotizing a juror, firing a gun in the courtroom), but the movie still manages to work if you don't think too hard. The film was based on a play, and there are two silent versions as well (both lost, I presume).

Personally, my eyes were more or less glued to Judith Allen, who was a revelation. Her career never took off, but she had the talent, and, if I may be blunt, a terrific bod.

A young man killed another man without even knowing he did it. Would a jury acquit him of murder?

The young man was Clay Thorne (Tom Brown). He killed Frank Hardmuth (Ralf Harolde) while under the influence of hypnosis. The hypnosis was quite by accident.

Clay Thorne was in love with Nancy Brookfield (Judith Allen), daughter of Jack Brookfield (John Halliday). Clay was at their Kentucky home to see his sweetheart and get Jack's blessing. While he was talking to Jack he became unusually afraid of Jack's cat's-eye ring. It was an irrational fear such that I thought he was a vampire or something inhuman.

Jack attempted to convince Clay that the cat's-eye ring was nothing to be afraid of at all. During Jack's slow methodical speech Clay fell into a state of hypnosis. The hypnosis worked because when Clay came to he was no longer afraid of the ring. Jack told Clay to keep the ring and look at it again the following morning so that he could get more used to it.

The next day Clay was arrested and charged with murder, but he didn't remember anything about the murder.

This was a brief movie that set up a far out situation. The idea that a guy committed murder while hypnotized isn't so strange; him defending himself on that basis is. It was a bit of suspense in the courtroom and some highly irregular courtroom procedure, but that was the only way this movie could work.

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Based on a 1907 Broadway hit by Augustus Thomas previously filmed in 1916 and 1921 and here unobtrusively set in the original period, 'The Witching Hour' is an interesting hybrid of pre-Code crime film and silent romantic fantasy by the director of 'Peter Ibbetson' and 'True Grit' combining courtroom drama with a smiling Victorian ghost straight out of 'Smilin' Thru'.

John Halliday is as usual excellent as the owner of a gambling den always one step ahead of the law with the aid of involuntary telepathic ability; and there's an unusual flashback in which the narrator tells us what he remembered while what we are shown is what actually happened.

Provided you understand that what happens is impossible AND you can suspend disbelief, then you'll enjoy the film. All I know is that with all the training I've had in hypnotherapy, I would sure use these powers for evil if they worked like they did in the movie!!

Jack Brookfield (John Halliday) has an amazing ability to read people's thoughts and also has a very strong and forceful personality. Without realizing it, he hypnotizes a young man and Brookfield's hatred of another man gets the hypnotized guy to commit murder to please Brookfield! It's a bit odd...and the second half is all about the court case which follows.

The film is very original and interesting. Just understand that you cannot project your thoughts onto others to get them to kill...believe me, I have tried!

This is a wonderful horror-thriller from the end of the PreCode Era directed by the legendary Henry Hathaway. It is a very RARE film title to find these days but it is well worth the search! This 1934 forgotten gem moves at a great pace and includes gambling, hypnotism, and murder. A young man commits murder after accidentally being placed under hypnosis, and must find someone to defend him at his trial. It is based on a play by Augustus Thomas and features an outstanding cast of characters headed by Guy Standing, John Halliday and Tom Brown. The interesting back-story involves an illegal gambling den, a cat's-eye ring, and both telepathy and ghostly apparitions that cause the movie to fall into the realm of the fantastic.