Conspiracy

Once upon a time, television was a place of wondrous discovery. The most strange and surprising things were liable to turn up at any time, despite the fact that most people only had 8 to 12 channels to choose from. Alas, with the advent of syndication and cable, those days have virtually disappeared. Now, we are blessed with 500 channels of bland, cookie cutter pap. Which brings me to the case at hand.

I saw "Conspiracy" at 3:05 CDT this morning. It ran on WLS Ch.7 in Chicago. Ch.7 - bless 'em! - is one of the last stations in existence to maintain a film library stocked with treasures that, in some cases, may not have been seen in the last 50 years. "Conspiracy" was one of those rare treats that TV used to be all about. It's a true oddity even for it's time ( 1930 ). Starring the redoubtable Ned Sparks, an actor once well enough known that Warner based a cartoon character - ( a suspender wearing rooster ) - upon him, it's about a woman in peril ( Bessie Love ), an intrepid reporter ( Hugh Trevor ) and a bizarre crime novelist named Winthrop Clavering who, for some reason, goes by the nickname of Little Nemo. Oh, and it's based upon a play, which helps explain some of the, at times, stilted dialogue.

As for details of the story; well, there really isn't much need to go into them. Oh, OK; a girl murders a mobster who is out to get her brother and spends the rest of the film dealing with the characters mentioned above, as well as trying to protect the brother from mob vengeance. Mostly the movie deals with the oddball Nemo, a cantankerous coot who is convinced he can outsmart the cops and solve the mystery. Still with me? The fascination of obscurities such as "Conspiracy" is that they give us a glimpse into a world that is so alien to most of us that it is positively breathtaking. These are characters that even a 60 year old codger such as myself find totally unfamiliar. For example, the heroin is clad in a fox stole that would give PETA the screaming heebie jeebies. I mean, this thing is so complete - head, tail and feet - that you almost expect it to start talking. Other period touches include a Black maid with a smart mouth, and assorted exotic villains who speak in indeterminate foreign accents and wear odd jewelry.

Now, if all this sounds as intriguing to you as it was to me, then I urge you to seek out "Conspiracy" at all costs. Unfortunately, it won't be easy. Perhaps a better idea would be to give your "local" cable company bloody heck for not having more programming such as this readily available. In either case, good luck!

Lovely little comedy drama. The stars in this gem are Little Nemo and his housekeeper Martha. The love hate banter, betrayed by mutual acts of affection were wonderful.

I'm pretty sure Ned Sparks was in his 40's when he played Winthrope/Little Nemo at a ripe age above 70?? Maybe??. Ham acting at its finest.

The story is one that could be told again in a modern setting but, I think you would agree, it wouldn't have the charm this original 1930 film has. A time where people had thicker skin and a sense of humour allowed fast hard hitting dialogue. Little Nemo phoning the police chief and addressing him a a 'Flat footed baboon' was a highlight for me.

A handful of early talkies are so good that they really surprise you. They make you go 'wow!' This isn't one of those but it's still fun and enjoyable. If you lower your bar and accept that it's going to be a bit ropey and static, there are worse ways to spend an hour - but not many.

Unless you're interested in immersing yourself in pre-depression American culture or have a thing for lovely Bessie Love or just enjoy badly made films, this probably won't appeal. Director Christy Cabanne made literally hundreds of pictures, he was one of the first film directors in the world starting his career before the First World War! That amazing pedigree however didn't really prepare him for Talkies. His cinematographer however was one of RKO's greatest assets who went on to film some of Hollywood's all time classics so at least visually, this does look pretty impressive.

What lets this down isn't just the silent-movie acting style, it's the absolute complete lack of any depth of characterisation. To be fair, Ned Sparks' character is quite amusing if not believable but poor old Bessie Love and Hugh Trevor might as well be cardboard cut-outs. Bessie Love didn't adapt too well to the Talkies although she was actually relatively excellent in BROADWAY MELODY. Poor direction and a weak script let her down in this but she still looks the epitome of prettiness. She was the ultimate 1920s pin-up although I'm not sure the dead fox wrapped around her neck was the best look.

You can tell that Ned Sparks was destined for stardom, or rather semi-stardom from his wacky performance in this. He speaks the last line to camera in this film which kind of sums it all up: Who's writing this rubbish anyway?

I just wanted to add to herzogvon's post...about 16 years later! He urges people to see the film but says it it hard to come by. Well, Idk if it was on there then, but it is on Youtube now.

It is available on. Robert M. Jenson Vintage Network on Youtube. Or you could simply open Youtube and type in Conspiracy (1930). Either way it should be easy to find.

Personally I found it definitely a curio. I am interested in seeing the original film. And I might recommend my friend who works in amateur theatre that they do a production. I doubt they will take up my suggestion but I can only offer!

The best part about some of these early films is they don't wear out their welcome.

"Conspiracy" is a murder mystery film from Radio Pictures. When it debuted in 1930, audiences most likely enjoyed it but today it's a big hard to take---mostly due to sound issues. What many 1929-30 films struggled with was finding a proper balance for talking now that films had sound. In some, they stood around yapping incessantly--mostly to show off the new medium and also because early microphones were not very good and necessitated the actors standing in one spot near a hidden mic. In the case of "Conspiracy", the film tries too hard to show off the talking--with Ned Sparks playing a character who is about as subtle as a nudist showing up at a Baptist barbecue. He talks and talks and talks--and at a very high volume. For 1930 his performance might not have been too bad...but seen today it stinks. This is also the case for the star of the film, Bessie Love. While she isn't shrill like Sparks, she seems ill at ease talking on camera....and by 1931 (despite an Oscar nomination for a movie made just two years earlier), her time in Hollywood was about at an end. The bottom line is that by 1932-33, mystery films and films in general were better made and age much better....so watch this one at your own risk.