Secret of the Blue Room

A bit rusty and dusty, this film made by Universal in 1933 tells of three men infatuated with the daughter of Lionel Atwill who all agree for sake of ego to stay in the mysterious "blue" room, a room where no one has gone into for twenty or so years because of all the terrible things that befell the inhabitants of that room. Gloria Stuart plays the beautiful object of their affection and carefully plays on the sidelines as each man prepares and stays in the blue room. What happens? Well, that would be giving too much away, but what does ensue is a nice, tight mystery for the most part with some credible red herrings and a somewhat plausible and innovative resolution. Lionel Atwill does a fine job in his patriarchal role as does Stuart. Paul Lukas, Onslow Stevens, and the rest of the cast also do fine jobs. Story really moves this film along, and the script is very good for this time period and for a mystery. My print was somewhat faded and I am not sure if a crisper print exists. I hope so. I know it will be sometime - if anytime - for this film to get the proper DVD treatment is deserves.

Not bad little Old Dark House quickie from Universal with a great cast and a "guess you had to be there" plot. A trio of horndogs (Paul Lukas, Onslow Stevens, William Janney) want to marry pretty Gloria Stuart, despite her warbly singing voice. So they decide to have a contest to see who gets her hand. All three men will spend one night in the "blue room," a supposedly haunted room of a spooky old mansion where three murders were committed twenty years earlier. Then the fun starts. In addition to the top talent already mentioned, this one also features Paul Barrat, Lionel Atwill, and Edward Arnold. Pretty good lineup. It's definitely worth a look for classic film fans. Probably won't blow you away or anything but I doubt you'll feel your hour and change was wasted.

Gloria Stuart, of "Titanic" fame who was a Universal film actress of the 1930s, here has just turned 21 as of midnight and is having a small birthday party with three men who are vying for her affection and her father, Lionel Atwill in the "Secret of the Blue Room." All are having a good time, when the subject comes up of the blue room. What is the blue room? What so gruesomely ever happened there? It seems it has been locked for years, because several people were mysteriously killed in that room at exactly 1:00 a.m. on separate occasions, including a detective trying to solve the murders before him. When one of them offers to stay in the room to try to solve the mystery and prove his love for Gloria in doing so, he is nowhere to be found. So begins the strange goings-on in this effective little chiller. In fact, I would watch this again, even knowing the culprit. Lionel Atwill made a career of little horror films just like this, maybe even more macabre than this. The film also stars Paul Lukas and Onslow Stevens as two of her suitors, and Robert Barrat is on hand as the butler who seems to act like he knows more about what's going on than the others do. And, Gloria Stuart sings a lovely song near the beginning of the film. For a spooky time on Halloween night, this will definitely fit the bill and you would be more than entertained by Universal's roster of capable stars and the Universal touch of the sinister creepiness of something in the air waiting for you

Because it was released by the premier horror studio Universal, focuses on an old castle with a spooky room, and features horror star Lionel Atwill, SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM has been marketed as a horror film throughout the year. It's actually a whodunit with horror elements that influence but never dominate the film. But it would be close-minded to reject this film just because it's not a full-fledged chiller. SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM is an enjoyable film that projects an air of menacing mystery and efficiently moves the plot with a palpable suspense until the movie's resolution.

SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM benefits from attractive sets (leftover from THE OLD DARK HOUSE and FRANKENSTEIN) that convey an ornate yet forbidding castle milieu. Director Kurt Neumann, while no stylist in the James Whale vein, effectively utilizes the setting's atmospheric potential. He provides a suitably eerie aura with taste and restraint, avoiding obvious stunts like self-playing pianos. Such gimmicks would damage the film's mood and credibility.

On the whole, performances are good. The actors and actresses provide believable characterizations that help propel the plot. Particularly impressive are Lionel Atwill as the castle owner troubled by his estate's secrets and Edward Arnold as a detective who handles the castle's mysteries in a domineering, no-nonsense manner. Elizabeth Patterson is mildly annoying as a terrified maid, but fortunately her performance doesn't affect BLUE ROOM's atmosphere.

Curiously, a few of the plot's riddles remain unexplained at the film's end. It would have been logical for Universal to provide a sequel with the same fine cast in order to resolve everything. Instead, the studio chose to remake the film twice with different performers. But BLUE ROOM's minor plot holes shouldn't detract one from enjoying this well-made mystery.

This is certainly one of THE classic 'old mansion murder mysteries' that were so popular in the 30s; and it can contend with most of the very best of them. A great challenge for every mystery fan who likes to guess the murderer, because the plot takes so many turns and twists that it's really hard to follow even for a 'murder expert'! The settings are excellent, following the classic scheme of the old, elegant but somehow frightening isolated country house, with solid wooden stairs, long dark corridors with knight's armors in every corner, distinguished old-fashioned furniture - and a dark room with an old DARK mystery...

The cast is magnificent, headed by mystery expert Lionel Atwill, and beautiful Gloria Stuart (who had also played in "The Old Dark House" a year before) as the object of desire for no less than three young men; Edward Arnold, well-known to friends of more down-to-earth gangster movies and comedies, as the blunt detective, Paul Lukas as the suave foreign 'officer and gentleman' - even every bit part was casted just perfectly! In my opinion, an absolute 'must' for any fan of the classic mysteries of the 30s - and a good opportunity for others, who are not too familiar yet with the genre, to get to know it WELL and at its BEST!