Le fantôme de Crestwood

This one is getting a 7/10 from me just on originality, even if the proceedings were a bit rushed and confusing. The film opens with a radio announcer asking the listeners to solve the mystery. But then the film solves it for you? A well dressed fur wrapped woman (Karen Morley as Jenny Wren) is going around town running errands. She is being followed by a man (Ricardo Cortez) yet unnamed for an unnamed purpose, but he does not want to give his correct name and keeps calling himself "Mr. Farnesbarnes" to anyone who asks. He obviously does not know the woman because he poses as somebody interested in renting her soon to be vacated apartment, and she does not recognize him.

That night Jenny has arranged for all of the married and well connected men with whom she has been having affairs to meet at the Andes seaside retreat home, "Crestwood", where she announces she is blackmailing them all for large sums of money so that she can retire in style. In a completely separate development, Jenny's little sister is there to with her fiancé, Frank Andes, the son of one of the men Jenny is blackmailing. Little sister is hoping to be welcomed into the Andes family. In the middle of the night, Jenny is killed with a dart to the neck, the police are called before the phone goes out, and in burst several hoods led by Gary Curtis alias Farnesbarnes, who has nothing to do with the murder but is a well known criminal. Knowing the police will try to pin the murder on him he sets about to try and solve the crime. He can do this because he and his companions are all armed. Oh, and the road is washed out too, delaying the police.

What follows is part Sherlock Holmes, part Old Dark House, part Poe (those portraits!), part German Expressionist with some crazy camera work, a ghost, hidden passage ways, and more murders. I was expecting this all to be the work of George Zucco, but alas he wasn't in the film. Ricardo Cortez is a real hoot in this one, showing a bit of his comedic side.

Lots of suspects with motive, plenty of opportunity, and an unusual means of death are behind this tight old-fashioned mystery set in a creaky house with thunder and lightening. The mystery opens up with an announcement by the producers that it follows on to a successful radio drama series that concluded with a contest for listeners to send in what they thought should be the ending. The final solution to "who killed Jenny Wren" leads a group of crooks into hidden passages and false leads executed via a series of flashbacks before the real killers identity is revealed. An alert viewer should be able to figure out the two most likely suspects and eventually "who done it" before all is revealed. Enjoyable film worth watching.

This one does not show up very often, so watch for it. It's a rather curious film directed by journeyman director J. Walter Rubens and has a cast to die for if you are an early film buff.....Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, H.B. Warner Pauline Frederick, Anita Louise et al.

The story revolves around a thoroughly unlikeable schemer (Karen Morley) who is a blackmailer and all around con woman. Inviting her former victims to a party she makes one last demand for money and is murdered by one of those guests.....but who? Other murders occur and general mayhem results. The murderer wears a glowing mask which adds a nice touch to the creepiness of this film The identity of the killer is fairly easy to guess but that does not take away from the film's interest. When finally cornered by Ricardo Cortez, the killer's manner of demise is rather surprising and the camera work on the death scene is quite good for the time.

This is a tidy little film that runs just over an hour. It's a keeper.

It's sad that Karen Morley had to be killed halfway through The Phantom Of Crestwood. Even though the mystery of her death is solved in the end you are left with the memory of her performance. Definitely one of Morley's best as she essays the role of a hard hearted woman who wants a life of ease and comfort.

This woman has made a habit of soaking the rich and she only aims her sights at the old and wealthy. Karen doesn't lack for chutzpah as she persuades one of her conquests banker H.B.Warner and his sister Pauline Frederick to host a nice soirée where she plans to ask Warner and three other of her male 'friends' who were indiscreet enough to leave incriminating letters enough money for the soft life in Europe. But also as it turns out Morley's sister Anita Louise will be there as the fiancé of Warner's son, Matty Kemp.

During the party Morley is killed with a dart and Morley's made sure she has a house full of suspects. An uninvited guest is Ricardo Cortez who's got a bad reputation and he has a vested interest in clearing this case up before the police get there. Seems like they'd love to hang a murder rap on him.

This is a good well plotted murder mystery and a real undiscovered gem if you're a mystery fan or a fan of Karen Morley.

Radio Pictures was prolific in the early days of sound, and thanks to Turner Classic Movie Channel, many can be seen.

Phantom of Crestwood's opening is a rare combination of radio in the movies: The well known announcer, Graham MacNamie, stands before an early dynamic microphone and announces the introduction of the picture with a full orchestra in the studio. This really captures what early radio stations must have been like in the early 30s.

The mystery story is well done and a delight for fans of the era. His name once a household word, Ricardo Cortez is now mostly forgotten.