Murder at Glen Athol

"Murder at Glen Athol" (although it could have been anywhere, but never mind, the location sounds interesting - and the MURDER, or rather the murders, certainly are MORE than interesting!) really has got ALL the ingredients of an absolutely first-class 'whodunit', with first and best a REALLY clever, intricate plot that's SURE to make you rack your brains a good deal, but just about 'fair' enough (no clues being held back or anything like that) for an eager and 'experienced' crime fan to find the solution.

And the moderate means of production DON'T change the fact that this movie is WAY superior to most of the other B murder mysteries of the time (and that's certainly saying something, because the 30s were the very apogee of the genre), and can even compete easily with quite some of the best A movie productions of the type! The acting is marvelous (although John Miljan, Irene Ware, and even Iris Adrian today remain familiar names probably only to real B movie friends - and yet they did better than MANY of their colleagues who are still famous today), and the film as a whole is very neatly balanced between murder mystery, gangster action, a touch of romance and a good dose of humor.

It's a REAL shame that today only absolute freaks seem to know of this little masterpiece (even I myself didn't know about its existence until recently); because it could provide GREAT suspense and entertainment for EVERY fan of classic movies - so if you ever come across it, DON'T miss it; and don't forget to make it known to others as well!

In free tubi, it's called murder at glen athol, but in imdb and europe, it's the criminal within. Detective holt, on vacation, attends a party which gets out of control, ending with a couple murders. Muriel, the overly friendly next door neighbor, is caught up in all this. Now it's up to bill to see if he can solve it before the local cops. The gangsters are selling booze to the rich, and trying to make a profit. Who else is involved? The doctor? The police? This one is a pretty complicated plot... the story goes all over the place. The picture and sound quality are pretty bad. It does have subtitles, but because it was voice recognition, it frequently guesses the wrong words. They actually discuss fingerprints, but aren't able to get good prints that will help. And it has kind of an odd rushed ending. Bill miljan had started in the silent films. Was in tons of films, but usually in supporting roles. I recognize many of the titles where he participated, but played mostly background roles. Directed by frank strayer.... he had directed a bunch of the "blondie" films. Based on the novel by norm lippincott.

Reuben Marshall plays a detective on vacation in a ritzy suburb writing about his exploits when invited to a party where death visits a couple of the guests. Marshall, his Irish sidekick in tow, discovers who the culprit is in this very interesting little mystery dealing with an above-average mystery plot. The story has several red herrings laced into it and is compelling for its age and era. The acting is nothing spectacular, but everyone concerned does a workmanlike job. There is also a generous dose of humour within the mystery. Some of the characterizations are very one-dimensional, yet, as a whole, the picture is generally well-crafted. I think it is odd that the film does not have a little more noteriety as it is a much better film than many mysteries of the same period.

I almost gave up on this no-budget whodunit in the first 10 minutes. It was dull, flat, blandly staged and indifferently acted. Then Iris Adrian breezed into the room as a flirtatious gold digger who might as well have been wearing a neon sign saying "trouble."

Adrian's scenes were genuinely engaging, and if she'd had more screen time that alone could have made this movie worth watching. But she doesn't have that many scenes, and the dull script and convoluted, shapeless mystery had nothing else to recommend it.

By the way - this movie has two titles "Murder at Glen Athol" and "The Criminal Within" and neither makes much sense. No one ever talks about glen Athol and the criminal within doesn't make any sense in the context of the movie - they were clearly just trying to come up with a title that would intrigue people.

Anyway, in spite of Adrian's performance I can't recommend this movie.

Murder at Glen Athol is a neat little mystery with a bit of comedy, a bit of romance, a bit of gangster picture thrown in—not much of any of those other elements, just enough to keep the viewer slightly off-balance. John Miljan is vacationing detective Bill Holt, a man who keeps his own balance, deftly managing a variety of suspects, the usual dumb cops, and a quickly-developing love affair with Jane Maxwell (played by Irene Ware), who is given brief consideration as a suspect but obviously works better as a love interest.

John Miljan is more familiar as the scheming crook he played in so many movies, but here at the center of this story he gets a chance to show some strong qualities as a lead, and some versatility in the range of his relationships with the other characters. His banter with James Burtis, the requisite housekeeper/assistant/right-hand man, is light but amusing enough. (Miljan's attempt to take a vacation and write his memoirs is interrupted in the film's opening scene by Burtis's insistent vacuuming around the desk Miljan is typing at.) His interactions with the various suspects are cool and cautious, as he isn't (and we aren't) sure just who might take a shot at him, stick a knife in him, or whack him on the side of the head. (Those things do seem to happen in this particular house he's visiting.) He shows deference to the police investigators, but doesn't throw away any valuable clues by turning them over, either.

Miljan's romance with Irene Ware is perhaps the oddest of these relationships. I'm not overly picky, and I know things have to move fast in a 64-minute movie, but this detective drops some lines that are awfully sappy for as serious-minded a character as he otherwise seems. Entering the gambling room at the house party, she declines to play, but he thinks he'll take a whirl at the roulette table anyway: "No matter what happens, it'll still be the luckiest night of my life." "Why do you say that?" she wonders. "Oh," he replies, "I just happened to meet a girl named Jane Maxwell." --Even Jane Maxwell finds this a bit much, and laughingly answers, "Well, come on, Mr. Detective, we'll see how lucky you are."

The mystery elements are done well; the picture moves along at a splendid clip. Well worth a viewing.