The Murder in the Museum

This reminded me of Lon Chaney movie where we are brought into a kind of freak show atmosphere with unconventional characters. The neat thing is that they are like all of us, and that's the tragic element. Because the world they live in has so much of an impact on them, it is hard for them to reach above and beyond to happiness. This is actually a pretty decent movie with fair cinematography and decent performances. Another reviewer mentioned Todd Browning. I'd love to hear more about him and his life. His movies are really quite engaging. So this could typify the genre he worked in, even though it wasn't his.

I was pleased that the conclusion wasn't some offhanded, anything to get a finish to this thing kind of work but dealt with the pain and reality of the characters.

Among the many 'little' B mysteries from the 30s with the hugely popular pattern 'reporter plays detective', "Murder in the Museum" stands out in several ways. First, it stars the famous and distinguished silent actor Henry B. Walthall as a former professor of philosophy - and now turned a magician in a rather shady carnival show. Then, there are quite a lot of various people and ongoings involved in the plot that revolves around this infamous show: the same day that the show's 'manager' receives a drug delivery from his gangster friends, the two candidates running for mayor visit the show in order to check out if there's a reason to close it down, because they both try to show to their voters that they want to 'clear up' the town. And in the middle of the show, one of the two is shot - and a young reporter is, of course, also on the spot, ready, willing and able (much more than the police) to solve the crime...

There would be a LOT to write about this pretty convulsed plot; but I don't want to spoil it for the friends who haven't watched this movie yet - because they absolutely should do so. There's definitely something more to it than to an average B crime movie: the direction is imaginative and well timed, the plot is REALLY unusual, the actors are doing a fine job (not only Walthall, but also John Harron as the clever young news hound and Phyllis Barrington as the fearless girl who assists him despite his warnings); I highly recommend it!

Another of Henry B. Walthall's 1934 movies (he played in twelve that year), this interesting curio, Murder in the Museum, is one of a handful directed by Melville Shyer, who made some 150 films as an assistant director. Mr Shyer handles this assignment with more than routine competence, even using track shots effectively on occasion. True, he is slightly let down by obviously sparse set dressing, and lackluster silent hero, John Harron, soon demonstrates why he quickly went down the ladder to playing uncredited bits. But super-svelte Phyllis Barrington (in her last of twelve movies) makes an engaging heroine and the support cast is filled out by tip-top people like John Elliott, Symona Boniface, Joe Girard and Donald Kerr, plus two wonderful shimmy dancers and other rakish sideshow denizens. Once the action moves away from the carny setting, alas, the plot becomes less interesting. All told, however, by producer Willis Kent's rock-bottom standards, Murder in the Museum stands as a classy production.

The Murder in the Museum (1934)

** (out of 4)

Typical murder-mystery from the era, this one here is set inside a bizarre museum where a man is murdered while investigating claims that there's a drug smuggling ring inside the location. Soon the prime suspect's daughter (Phyllis Barrington) and a reporter (John Harron) team up to try and get to who did the crime.

I honestly don't think most people realize how popular these murder- mystery films were from this era. It really did seem like they were dozens released each year and they'd take place in a variety of locations. They were set in planes, on ships, in hotels, radio stations, castles and of course the most popular being the old dark houses. I think it's fair to say that these films were popular with producers because they could be filmed quickly and cheaply.

In reality, if you've seen one then you've already seen most of them as very few of them really set themselves apart from what was already out there on the market. This one here gets some attention because it was released the same year as FREAKS and this too deals with some sideshow performers but none of the types that were seen in that Tod Browning classic. As far as the film goes, it's mildly entertaining for what it is but there's no question that it's not a masterpiece or even a very good film.

The biggest problem is that Harron and Barrington just aren't that good of a team. There's no comic banter between them. There's no good romance. Heck, there's not even a bit of chemistry between them. This really hampers the film and I'd argue that the mystery of who the killer is wasn't all that good. At least we get a top- billed Henry B. Walthall but be warned that he's more of a supporting player than anything else.

THE MURDER IN THE MUSEUM will appeal to those like myself who want to watch all of these types of films that they can. Others should start elsewhere.

During lunch a friend and I watched most of Murder in the Museum, a creaky 1934 movie set in a side show thats called a museum. Actually its closer to what PT Barnum ran for years in New York, except that this museum also deals drugs.

The plot has a crusading politician killed while making an inspection of the vile den prior to his formal attempts to close the place down.

This is a a slow moving movie that is interesting in its view of the side show or Carny life in the 1930's. We see suckers scammed into paying extra to see a racy dance that isn't racy, until the cops leave and then they are hit for even more money to see a different dance. The dance is so un-risqué that a even a small child would wonder what the fuss is about. However unique the dancing is the movie does sport some interesting pre-code asides and lines that are still ribald by todays standards.

The movie is an interesting way to spend an hour, or less if your watching it with a pressed for time friend who insists you jump to the end to see who did it. While my friend was proved right as to the killer we were lost as to the clues mentioned since we had missed about 20 minutes of screen time. I will be going back to see what exactly those clues are soon.

I liked it. Its no great shakes but as an off beat mystery from before the code its not a bad way to spend an evening in front of the TV. Do you need to buy it? No, but if it should happen to be on TV why not tape many other modern mysteries which are twice its length.