A Shriek in the Night

Plot- A series of baffling deaths occur in a creepy old mansion as two rival newspaper reporters compete for exclusives.

This cheapo flick has a number of good touches: there's shadowy fright; a romantically humorous twosome; a few neat twists; along with others, like the hissing snake. Trouble is these touches do not blend well with an overly complex murder plot. It's more like awkward storylines bumping each other rather than blending together. Appears a rewrite was in order, after which, maybe a little longer runtime. Too bad, because had the parts blended better, we might have had a genuine sleeper.

Anyhow, it's a good chance to catch Rogers on her way up Hollywood's starlit ladder. Despite her later dancing and fluffy sparkle, she shows here an ability to act out the serious professional woman, a reporter who's humorously sabotaged by rival reporter Talbot. In fact, their final scene shows Rogers' innate versatility that later twirls atop the dance floor.

All in all, check out the flick, not so much as an awkward whodunit, but as an atmospheric drama with comedic overtones, and also a chance to catch a movie icon on her early way up.

The always delightful Ginger Rogers is seen here in this relic of a murder mystery "A Shriek In The Night". Looking cute and acting her usual cheerful self, Miss Rogers is a reporter posing as a personal secretary to a wealthy man until...he gets murdered! Whodunit? Rogers and rival reporter, played by Lyle Talbot, vie furiously with each other to get the scoop with some very hilarious results. Rogers always did have the splendid knack of delivering a wisecrack with just the right touch and in one scene where a cab driver refers to Talbot as a "man", Rogers snaps: "Man? Don't be vulgar!" Her timing and facial expressions are still fresh and charming today. What a splendid performer! The inspector and his sidekick have some funny bits and even the morgue keeper has a howling funny line. "A Shriek in the Night" is low-budget, but it doesn't always seem to be. Nice art deco sets and a good cast save it. One thing annoys me though. Why aren't we shown how Rogers gets out of the furnace near the end of the picture? Apart from that, "A Shriek in the Night" is not a bad film, although it is a film where you really need to pay attention to what's being said at the finish since we never meet some of the characters that are talked about during the conclusion.

This is a good mystery-thriller from the 1930s... it's got enough comedy in it to bust up all the drama unfolding on the screen to keep the film more interesting. There is quite a bit of dark humor in this tale.

This is one of Ginger Rogers cutest roles; she plays Pat Morgan a reporter that is getting the scoop on the murders taking place while her rival reporter, Ted Kord (Lyle Talbot), works on the same case to report. These two rivals find themselves working closer together to help solve the crimes while falling in love.

What is big scoop? Who is killing people in the apartment building and why? If you like comedy mystery-thrillers then I would recommend watching this movie to find out the answers - it's an entertaining film.

8/10

This is #3 in Navarre's DVD release 'Horror Classics vol 9', the other 2 being 'Maniac' & 'The world gone mad', and the one I prefer of the three. Again, it's more intelligently scripted and played that you might suspect at first glance, and I enjoyed it a lot coming to it the first time.

There was always something downbeat and depressing about Ginger Rogers acting style, but you can't argue with the fact she does a good job in this film as well as looking an extremely decorative 22 year old. The relationships she has with the Police Inspector (Pratt) and her boyfriend (Talbot) are pretty refreshing and almost adult - although she does say she can't go to bed unless he has left the room. Would that todays leading ladies would say that! Some of the Inspector's pithy comments are witty and barbed, too - my favourite: he's asked at a tense moment "What makes him think that?" - "My brain".

As for the climax I thought we were going to witness something grisly, but it was handled well (and quickly) and we avoided that possibility. ASITN is growing on me as I write - I don't think it's ever been on UK TV either!

Though slow-moving and obviously done on a low budget, "A Shriek in the Night" has a pretty good mystery story, and features a good role for Ginger Rogers as a reporter trying to solve the crime.

The story concerns a series of murders committed in an apartment building, in which each of the victims had received a cryptic anonymous letter before their death. Rogers' character goes undercover to investigate, and she finds herself in conflict both with the police and with a rival reporter (Lyle Talbot). The two reporters try to mislead and trick each other even as both are trying to solve the murders.

Most of the story is rather slow-moving, but towards the end things start to happen quickly, and it is worth waiting for. Rogers plays her part well, and there are a few moments of humor.

While overall it is a rather plain movie, if you like old mystery stories you will probably find it worth watching once.