The Solitaire Man

What was it about jewel thieves in the 1930's? All the major studios seemed to thrive on them, especially in their "B" movies, one of the most delightful forays a film aptly titled "Jewel Robbery," from Warners, and starring dapper William Powell and clothes-horse Kay Francis. The sophisticate in The Solitaire Man is erudite Herbert Marshall, he of the rich, clipped English tones, a suave thief ready to give up his craft for love and move take his sweetheart, supportive Elizabeth Allen, to a manor home in respectable Devonshire.

Most films from MGM tended to be less snappy than the Warner's product, but this zippy little "B" begins on The Continent where rich folks hang out in fancy hotels, robbers sneak into lavish apartments, and there's even

a killer at work when the lights go out. This initial set up soon transfers to the interior of a small airplane (looking not unlike a large cardboard box with windows), where snappy give-and-take dialogue moves the pace along as fog closes in around the plane, the cool tones of Marshall contrasted with character actress Mary Boland, a rich, loudmouthed American from Peoria, who tosses out quips like candy while the rest of the cast quibbles about comeuppance.

This is not a film of great import, but if you are a fan of the period, it is great fun--with Boland and Marshall joined by such experts as Lionel Atwill and May Robson. On it's own merits, and not because it's a timeless classic, I'd give it an eight--It's a perfect Saturday matinée popcorn film--and there will be time for another feature, too!

This is one of those little MGM quickies that is unfairly overlooked by both film fans and historians. Without giving anything away, the plot involves a jewel theft and murder, with the suspects aboard a plane flying from France to England. There are several plot twists before and after the plane lands. It may not be hard to guess who the villain really is, but the film maintains a good level of suspense and is well acted. It's not without a major goof, at one point in the film Lionel Atwill calls Herbert Marshall "Wallace", the name of Atwill's character. How MGM let that get by is a mystery. This film is a good example of what could be done on a limited budget.

The Solitaire Man, like The Amateur Cracksman in "Raffles", or the Sparrow in "Twin Husbands," is a thief. Like many thieves who've been successful, he was getting out of the game.

Oliver Lane (Herbert Marshall) was the Solitaire Man and he had a small crew: Mrs. Vail (May Robson), Helen Heming (Elizabeth Allan), and Robert Bascom (Ralph Forbes). The gang was experiencing turmoil because Robert was in love with Helen who was in love with Oliver. Fortunately, this wasn't the principal part of the plot. That would've been the last thing I wanted to watch, but it was important.

Robert, who was a young upstart, put everyone in hot water when he stole a necklace. Oliver decided that putting it back was the safest and best course of action. When he went to place the necklace back where it belonged, someone else entered the dark room too. When a Scotland Yard officer entered the room he was shot and killed which made everything exponentially worse.

Oliver and crew scheduled a flight the very next day to Devonshire. On the plane they encountered a man claiming to be a Scotland Yard inspector, Inspector Wallace (Lionel Atwill), and he knew that Oliver was the Solitaire Man.

These are the kind of wrinkles I enjoy: a time crucial situation. I just watched "The Silk Express" in which a train had to get to New York in a certain amount of time. The main character was going to have to solve the murder that happened on the train before it reached New York if he was to have his silk offloaded on time.

In "The Solitaire Man" Oliver and his entire crew had until they reached England to figure out who killed the cop or Oliver would go down for the murder. It was compelling theater. There were a couple of lights out scenes in there which are a bit comical, but besides that it was a solid plot and script.

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A gang of British jewel thieves & charlatans - possibly including THE SOLITAIRE MAN himself - endure a tumultuous plane trip from Paris to London with a cunning inspector from Scotland Yard.

Unfortunately obscure, this is a very enjoyable little crime caper film which deserves to be rediscovered. The plot is a bit dense, but the real attractions of the movie derive from the interaction of its ensemble cast of six sterling performers, especially when all are enclosed in the confined space of the airplane cabin.

In a role that compares nicely with his classic performance in TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932), Herbert Marshall is suave and sophisticated as an international man of mystery. Gifted with one of the Century's finest speaking voices, he puts a polish on his character that's irresistibly intriguing. Especially exciting is his violent interaction with Lionel Atwill, adding yet another portrait to his cinematic gallery as the Inspector. It is great fun to watch & hear these two superb actors go at one another in a war of words.

Lovely Elizabeth Allan shows spunk as the romantic interest, while the picture boasts two of the era's finest character actresses - grandmotherly May Robson as a hard-boiled old dame, and Mary Boland as a loudmouthed banker's wife from Peoria. (Robson's remarks about Devonshire cows & Boland's suggestion for getting rid of a body at 2,000' are both priceless.) Further down the cast list is the always reliable Ralph Forbes, an excellent actor who should have become a major star, playing a young shell-shocked socialite.

Lucile Gleason & Robert McWade enliven the opening scenes as a rich American couple in Monte Carlo who have more money than sense. Movie mavens will recognize chubby Harry Holman in the uncredited role of Boland's henpecked husband Elmer.

Jewel theft Oliver Lane (Herbert Marshall) is known as "The Solitaire Man". He's looking to retire and marry his accomplice Helen. Bob Bascom is an unstable member of the gang. He is in love with Helen and is desperate to break them up. He has stolen a famous necklace but it becomes obvious that he would be the prime suspect. Oliver has to return the necklace before it's missed but another thief happens to be there and a Scotland Yard inspector is killed.

This movie needs to start with a complex jewel heist involving all the members of the gang which would serve as a great introduction. I do like the general premise but I don't love some of the developments. There is a great mystery introduced in the middle of the film but it gets convoluted in the plane. I have issues with the performances there which saps the intensity. Once they're on the plane, I'm out.