Death from a Distance

The setting is the real central figure in this film. A murder is committed during a planetarium show held for a group of well known scientists. A hard boiled detective and an impulsive female reporter set out to solve the crime. Actually, she just seems to get in the way and must be regularly lectured by the big guy. The problem is that no one has the ability to have committed the crime. A series of diversions and set ups take place, trying to lure the real criminal out. There are professional jealousies at work which will hopefully result in an Achilles' heel. The story is slow and drawn out and the characters are often silly and stereotypical. Still, I found myself watching it carefully because I wanted to know how the murder was committed. if your not too fussy and don't mind a period piece, it's not too bad.

The film's title implies that death strikes from afar, and in a clever way, it does...

This low-budget little whodunit will NEVER be aired on TV, so you will have to find a rental, or more likely, buy a copy to see how this ingenious little murder is worked out.

I won't spoil it for anyone by telling you that the victim is in the audience of a planetarium, and naturally-- so is the murderer! The police are called in, and the entire story is acted out pretty much on that one set.

Filmed on one of the lowest budgets possible, "Death From A Distance" will still keep you watching, and guessing, right to the surprise ending.

Not bad, to say the least. To B-movie mystery buffs, I say: Buy it, if you can find it, and enjoy.

The sound and picture are just terrible! This badly needs a restoration, but at this point, probably unlikely. During a presentation on the night sky, someone in the audience is knocked off. Russ hopton is detective mallory, from the police, questioning everyone. Kay palmer (lola lane) is from the local rag to invest-y-gate. And of course, none of the witnesses agree on a description of the suspect. The coppers and the reporters all run in circles for a while. I call shenanigans on the story and ending. It's all too silly and unlikely.if the sound and picture quality weren't so awful, this probably would have been parodied on mystery science theater! Even the captions aren't synched up... sometimes they are ahead, and sometimes behind. The most interesting thing here is that someone's last name is "griffith".. and this came out the same year that the griffith observatory opened in los angeles! Directed by frank strayer. Story by john kraft. Hopton offed himself ten years after this film, at age 45.

"A murder is committed at the Forest Park Planetarium during a lecture by the celebrated Astronomer, Professor Ernst Einfeld (Lee Kohlmar). The fatal shot is fired in semi-darkness while a distinguished audience observes the stars projected on the dome above them. A hardboiled homicide detective (Russell Hopton) trades verbal jabs with a wisecracking gal reporter (Lola Lane) as they attempt to unravel the mysterious killing," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. In a very dull manner.

The "gal reporter" character played by Lola Lane was, in part, writer Jerry Siegel's inspiration for Superman's Girl Friend, "Lois Lane"; however, Ms. Lane's later "Torchy Blane" characterization is a more accurate reference point. Perhaps, "Death from a Distance is most notable as featuring the penultimate performance of George F. Marion (as Jim Gray), who so memorably played the father of Pauline Lord (1921), Blanche Sweet (1923), and Greta Garbo (1930) in Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie".

*** Death from a Distance (9/17/35) Frank Strayer ~ Russell Hopton, Lola Lane, George F. Marion

Marred on a DVD transfer by a poor soundtrack that makes some dialogue unintelligible, "Death from a Distance" is a 1935 B crime story that has some good acting along with the inevitable cliches that reflect the times.

A doctor is shot to death during a planetarium lecture. The killer is in the room and the audience is there when the cops arrive, a wisecracking homicide lieutenant in charge. A pretty gal reporter tangles with the cop and her investigative skills are equal to her blatant flirting.

In 71 minutes the story moves by small leaps and not great bounds to a clever uncovering of the killer. Some potted astronomical theory is central to solving the case.

Every stereotype from that era is present: smart detective and dumb as dishwater detective, hardboiled city room editor and ambitious female reporter, gentle Viennese scientist and the "Hindu," a man with a past. And there's more.

This movie won't make either the AMC or TCM channels, not in a century of retrospectives. It's available for as little as $5.99 and as a glance backwards into the time when the Hollywood studio giants co-existed with producers of second-rate features, "Death from a Distance" is a minor treat. But it's a treat nonetheless.

6/10 (for its genre and period).