Take the Stand

In "Take the Stand", Jack LaRue plays George Gaylord, a radio host whose muckraking show is very popular. But to get these ratings, he discloses all sorts of peccadilloes on his program...much like the real life muckraker, Walter Winchell. In fact, I am pretty certain that Gaylord was modeled after Winchell....and MANY rich and famous people would have loved him dead.

During one of his shows, Gaylord is locked in a sound-proof booth. Outside is a room full of people who hate him and are waiting to give him a piece of their minds. But the confrontation outside the booth never occurs, as someone apparently broke in and killed Gaylord during his broadcast. The problem is that there are tons of suspects...too many.

This sort of mystery film was very popular in B-movies in the 1930s and 40s. And, interestingly, several were ALSO about radio broadcasters being killed! Again, I think this was perhaps a case of wishful thinking! Additionally, the dumb cop investigating the crime is pretty typical of such films. And, there's the standard gather everyone into one room until one of them incriminates themselves scene at the end! And, sadly, the murder isn't all that hard to figure out...as I did early on after the murder. Overall, a very familiar sort of film, entertaining but very slight because of all the standard cliches.

There are a lot of people who want Jack Larue dead. He's a broadcaster who spreads a lot of bad news about people, like bankrupt broker Berton Churchill, who's ruined a lot of his clients, and gangster Bradley Page. So when Larue is shot dead while he's alone in his locked broadcasting booth, with lots of people who want him shut up milling around in the corridors, there are lots of suspects. But there are lots of confusing clues, and it's up to Russell Hopton to sort them out and finger the real killer. He'd better hurry up, though. The jury is deliberating.

It's a delicious little locked-room mystery, and I'm not sure I think the way the murder was actually carried out is possible, but this is the movies, and the proof is in the confession. There's an awful lot of talking involved, making this less cinematic, but there are some interesting performers, including Thelma Todd in a serious role, Gil Patrick as Churchill's daughter, Vince Barnett, Leslie Fenton, Pal Hurst, Oscar Apfel.... enough to keep fans of old movies and these now obscure actors interested.