User reviews

A rich family and a houseful of squabbling guests occupy a ritzy oceanfront mansion down on Spanish Cape. Beautiful Helen Twelvetrees and her eccentric uncle step outside to talk, only to be kidnapped and driven to a strange house down the road. The kidnapper knocks the uncle unconscious, then ties Twelvetrees to a chair, leaving her alone in the dark house while he hauls off the uncle somewhere in a boat.

Meanwhile, renowned mystery writer Ellery Queen is on vacation, accompanied by the retired judge who shares his interest in crime solving. They plan to get away from sleuthing but you know how it is for these amateur detectives....When they arrive at their vacation house, the first thing they discover is Helen Twelvetrees tied up in the bedroom. Like it or not, they're soon on the case.

Donald Cook is a flashy and debonair Ellery Queen. Berton Churchill is part assistant, part comic relief as his friend the judge. Helen Twelvetrees is fine as the young woman whose charming personality and family mystery both capture Ellery's attention. "Mr. Queen," she tells him at one point, "you have the oddest way of mixing romance and murder."

There is a murder and any number of suspects down at the mansion. A bumbling local sheriff sets out to untangle things ("Sit down a minute, Mr. Queen. I'll show you how a real detective solves a case") but soon enough welcomes Ellery's help. It all builds rather nicely to a climactic gather-the-suspects scene in which Ellery presents his deductions.

Overall it's very good, with just enough humor and a rather complex plot that actually makes sense.

Wow, what fun. You might not like this if you think of detective stories as an excuse to parade a colorful detective. The guy in this case is nearly nothing at all. Flat jokes.

But what a cool mystery! Its a mystery in the old sense, where things happen and you know more than the detective does, just enough to be ahead of him. And you can easily figure it out.

A body is found by the beach at night. In wet swimming trunks not his own, wearing a woman's shawl. Its a remote house and there is inheritance involved. Very typical constraints and model of detecting. Very complex events we have to suss out. Why the trunks? Why the shawl? Another murder and trunks follows.

There isn't a character here that you'll remember. But you'll have fun if you like puzzle-stories.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Little read today, Ellery Queen mysteries were highly popular in their day. In this outing, Donald Cook plays Ellery Queen. While he is suave enough and occasionally shows a spark of humor, Cook lacks the pizazz of other B mystery series detectives, (such as Warren William, Chester Morris, George Sanders, or Tom Conway) which is probably why it didn't become a series with Cook as the lead (a few years later, Ralph Bellamy starred as Ellery Queen in a series of movies). The plot is typical of many 30s mysteries – a big house filled with odious relatives and guests with murder after murder happening and the survivors continuing to stay in the house. And it has the young pert ingénue as well as the dumb loud-mouthed police chief flitting from one suspect to another with each suspect then cleared by the detective. Queen traps the killer and all the loose ends are nicely tidied up. There are a few notable character portrayals such as Berton Churchill and the always humorous Ed Gargan. It was kinda cool seeing George Cleveland in a small role – to me, he will always be Gramps in the Lassie television show. This movie is mildly enjoyable and worth a watch, but it is not a top notch mystery even for a B movie.

Since a few years already, I've been deliberately delaying my viewing of "The Spanish Cape Mystery". Not because it's old and clearly low-budgeted, but merely due to my own personal wonderment if I needed yet another franchise revolving around an all-knowing, cocky, and despotic detective. After all, there's already Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Mr. Wong, Jules Maigret, Miss Marple, etc. What possible added value could Ellery Queen bring to the table? Short answer: nothing, but it was a surprisingly amusing acquaintance nonetheless!

Much more so than I expected, this little sleuth-tale is compelling, inventive, and fast enough moving to keep you glued to the screen. The super-detective character, Ellery Queen, is clever and deductive, but he's often also called upon his arrogance by the supportive characters, and this never happens to Holmes or Poirot. The denouement of the mystery is fairly easy to predict, but well built up to for a mid-30's movie. Harry Stubbs has a terrific role as the local police Sheriff who goes around accusing random people of the murders without any tangible evidence.

PS: the answer to the riddle in the review's subject line is: twelve. Helen Twelvetrees was an exquisite starlet of cinema in the 1930s. Sadly, though, her career ended rather abruptly at the end of the decade and she passed away at the (too) young age of 49.

1935's The Spanish Cape Mystery is an Ellery Queen story starring Donald Cook as Ellery and Helen Twelvetrees. Now, that's a name out of the past! She stopped working in 1939.

Ellery Queen goes on vacation to California with one Judge Macklin. They stay at a rented cabin, and before they know it, they are engulfed in murder and mystery. It all involves the Godfrey family who live on the Spanish Cape in a fabulous showplace.

Ellery, smitten with Stella (Twelvetrees) tries to stay out of it, but too many murders, and the police detective arresting a new person every day, means he must step in.

I have seen Ralph Bellamy do Ellery, and he's a warmer actor, more sarcastic, and more interesting than Cook, who nevertheless enjoyed a prolific career in film and on stage. Considering this film was probably made in a few days it's not bad. It's a little stagy, and the police detective yells at the top of his lungs through the whole movie, which is annoying.

I enjoyed the opportunity to see Helen Twelvetrees. I found Donald Cook on the bland side, but Ellery is a cerebral detective, and it's easy to see why he wouldn't register much personality.

I did like it, though not as much as some of the other Ellery Queen films.

This is the only chance to see Donald Cook as Ellery Queen. I reckon he did a good job as the detective who takes a vacation on the Californian coast in this story. He flirts with Stella Godfrey whose parents own a big estate at Spanish Cape. She seems to resist him quite easily like she does her would-be suitors. She is quite a catch for fortune hunters as she is the obvious heir to the estate.

Male characters in their swimming trunks get murdered at Spanish Cape. Then the murders spread to a different type of victim. The favorite weapon of the murderer is cutting wire which is used extensively in the great amount of flower beds on the estate. There is a rivalry between the local Sheriff and Ellery Queen to solve the crimes. The Sheriff claims to have read every detective story written and is dismissive of Ellery Queen's theoretical methods of the literary world.

This is a good whodunit. Some fans of the genre don't always like such a big body count of murder victims which this story certainly has. But I reckon it works well in this case. And I didn't detect the murderer myself so I must give this one my recommendation.

The first Ellery Queen story to hit the big screen was The Spanish Cape Mystery and it starred Donald Cook as the intellectual crime solver and mystery writer. After solving a jewel theft, Cook decides he needs a vacation and he and Judge Berton Churchill take a cottage on the California coast.

But no sooner do they get there than they get involved with a whole series of murders perpetrated against the Godfrey family who have gathered together. All the possible heirs to a fortune are there as the bodies start dropping.

Cook develops a special interest in the family, especially in regard to Helen Twelvetrees. He also as a nasty antagonistic relationship with the local sheriff Harry Stubbs who finally has come begging for Cook's help.

I have to say that Cook was all right in the part, not as bad as Eddie Quillan the following year. This film and Quillan's were made by Republic Pictures, but when the Ellery Queen series was picked up again it was by Columbia where Ralph Bellamy took over the part. Bellamy was far better in what my conception of Ellery Queen was.

Still this one is all right and competently made.

The Spanish Cape Mystery may be formulaic and clichéd, but that's doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. In fact, I had quite a bit of fun with it. The plot is just what you've come to expect if you've seen a number of these mystery films from the 30s. Ellery Queen goes on vacation (if you're staying next to a detective on vacation, head home) when a series of murders breaks out nearby. One odd aspect of the murders is that all of the victims were found wearing their swim clothes. Once Queen (finally) starts to investigate, it's not long before a killer is unmasked.

When I say the movie is formulaic and clichéd, it's filled with things we've all seen a thousand times in movies like this: a crotchety old patriarch, a house full of relatives trying to secure their inheritance, a beautiful young daughter for our detective hero to fall for, a bumbling local sheriff who can't seem to get anything right, and suspects galore. But somehow it all works. The movie is nicely paced and at 73 minutes, events unfold quickly. The acting is overall better than I expected. Highlights for me included Helen Twelvetrees (what a revelation) as Queen's love interest, Harry Stubbs who plays a bumbling sheriff as well as anyone I've seen, and Berton Churchill as Queen's judge friend. In fact, I thought Donald Cook in the main role of Ellery Queen was the weak link. He's too bland. Decent production values for a 30s era B-quickie, nice sets, and some interesting dialogue make this one a fun, late-night film. Overall, a very strong 6/10 from me.

Nice little movie ! My question to all who read this is where was the film location ? The home is obviously a million dollar mansion on the California coast . Is the mansion still there ? I noticed another mansion on a hilltop above this mansion , could that be Hearst Castle ? Anyone who knows the location of the Mansion please respond ! Thankyou.

New York detective Ellery Queen has his holiday on the California coast cut short when he finds Stella Godfrey, a guest at her family's adjacent seaside mansion, bound and gagged in his vacation cottage, and later a corpse dressed in a cape, stooped over at an oceanside pavilion. It is revealed that the victim blackmailed many guests staying at the estate, so nearly all of them have a motive for murder. So much for Ellery Queen's vacation...

Donald Cook makes a good Ellery Queen, at times he's coolly analytical, and the next minute casually flippant, but he has a certain energy and has good one liners. He's chemistry with Helen Twelvetrees is really good - their playful banter is entertaining as is the mystery, which is quite engaging and there are plenty of twists and turns that keep things moving along nicely. The only gripe is it's hard to keep in track of who is who, as far as the suspects are concerned. It also featured the most stupidest sheriff ever, but that's typical in mysteries like this.

I gave this movie a try on YouTube, which is a real test. After all, I can always hit Pause and surf the web for something else. I finally gave up on this one at about 27 minutes, when the shouting, buffoonish detective drove me away.

Let's have a look at it. The lead character, Ellery Queen, is on vacation and doesn't want to get involved. Now there's a cliché that was old when the movie was made. Unfortunately, I never find any reason to like Queen. He's just not played in an engaging manner. The fact that he - a young man - has gone on vacation for weeks with a guy who looks older than his father, just made me scratch my head. Was there really no other way to get him to the scene of the crime? Then comes the police detective, who needs to shout every line the script has given him. At half an hour in, I just wasn't hooked on the story, and I'm perfectly willing to write that time off to save myself from wasting even more.

The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Detective Ellery Queen (Donald Cook) and his buddy Judge Macklin (Berton Churchill) decide to go on vacation to get away from all the crime but once they arrive in Spanish Cape, CA they get mixed up with a murder case. THE Spanish CAPE MYSTERY isn't going to go down in history as one of the greatest murder-mysteries ever made but it's mildly entertaining thanks in large part to the cast. Cook is in fine form playing the slick, laid back Detective who always has something smart to say about everything. I really liked the way Cook played Queen as he managed to bring a fun style to the character and he also managed to be smart, give rude remarks and be in-your-face without becoming annoying. Churchill is also very good in his bit and I thought the two had some good comic timing together that really paid off in their scenes. Helen Twelvetress plays the love interest/suspect and she adds a lot to the picture as do the rest of the supporting players who are all basically just suspects. Like many mysteries from this era, I think the screenplays could leave a lot to be desired but for the most part what we get here is entertaining. The mystery actually works and while there might be a few questionable points, for the most part you're able to buy and enjoy the outcome of the case. There's also a very fun, pre-vacation sequence where Queen shows off his Detective skills.

If you're looking for a decent classic mystery movie, then you might enjoy this one. Based on an Ellery Queen novel, it has Donald Cook (Queen) taking a vacation in California with his pal the judge (Berton Churchill). As they settle into their rented house and discuss the snooty family next door, they discover that the daughter of the family, Helen Twelvetrees, is tied up up the back room, her uncle has been kidnapped and the bodies are starting to pile up, while the local sheriff tries everyone as the murderer.

It's more notable for being a good mystery than a good movie, even with the good acting talent involved, but if you've a taste for puzzle mysteries it should be a pleasant seventy-five minutes.

Donald Woods plays the detective in this film. He has the distinction of being among the few actors to portray at least two fictional sleuths on film or on TV. Woods played Perry Mason in 1937 in the movies, and Craig Kennedy in 1952 on TV. Hollywood sees certain actors playing detectives and casts them in roles that may seem at odds with the character known in books. Warren William as Perry Mason, Philo Vance, and Sam Spade; Wm Powell as Philo Vance and Nick Charles (The Thin Man). Bogart as Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. The fictional Ellery Queen is a hard role to cast since the character in the books by Dannay and Lee changes over time as the series proceeds over nearly 40 years. The first several books which feature the word "mystery," a derivative of a country, and a common noun ("Dutch Shoe," "Greek Coffin," "French Powder," etc.) feature a detective as esthete, erudite and epicene as Philo Vance and Peter Wimsey. Then EQ is "humanized" and becomes more of a regular guy, but along the way he becomes faceless and without much character. He loses his pince-nez glasses and no longer drives a Duesenberg. He becomes just a problem solver with less than compelling personal problems. So he is then a mere great mind who can be played by any actor, and as time has gone on he has been -- Ralph Bellamy, Lee Bowman, Hugh Marlowe, George Nader, Jim Hutton, and whoever. None of these actors had the distinct personality to create a character on screen like Suchet did with Poirot or Brett with Sherlock. Cumberbatch as Sherlock, too. So Woods is a cipher as a character and as Ellery Queen. The most interesting thing about this oh-hum movie is wondering why Helen Twelvetrees didn't make better movies.

I have also read the book and there are a few differences such as naked body victims Vs. Swimsuit-clad victims. However, the film holds its own.

The movie is excellent and kept your attention. I am afraid the plot and the solution is pretty obvious from the beginning but how the movie plays out still makes it worth watching several times. You also have fun wondering where you saw each actor before.

There is a quickie problem solved Ellery Queen way at the beginning of the film to set us up for what is to come. And as with all detectives, as if we need reminding, murder and mystery follow Ellery even on vacation at the Spanish Cape.

It is possible that the butler Mr. Teller (Frank Leigh) may have don it. Yet he insists that it will be difficult to prove.

My favorite part is when the police detective makes his first arrest and Ellery agrees with a wink, then proceeds to explain how it was done including how the murderer ate the victim's clothes but could not finish with the cape due to an upset stomach.

Great title, "The Spanish Cape Mystery." It carries a double meaning too. The location at which Ellery Queen and his elderly companion are vacationing is named Spanish cape. And the first murder victim among the dozen or so guests at the estate is found near the beach, wearing only bathing trunks, and covered by an opera cloak, which is some kind of cape, although not a Spanish one, as far as we know.

It's pretty routine as these 1930s murder mysteries go. Donald Cook is Ellery Queen and Berton Churchill, a great windbag, is his partner. They put up at an estate on the California coast. The other guests are in cahoots or in conflict over money or love. The butler eavesdrops. The first body shows up shortly after Queen's arrival. Then, at twelve-hour intervals, two more bodies show up. The clues point all over the place. Ellery Queen solves the mystery not so much by detection as by fulgurating intuition.

There's not much to be said about it. Cook is inoffensive as Queen. He wears a condescending smile, almost amounting to a smirk, as he watches the hapless Chief of Police try to untangle the web of clues and suspicions. Ellery Queen is sarcastically referred to by the cops as "Sherlock", "Philo", "Mr. Chan," and so forth. But he's not them, because there's nothing distinctive about Cook's Ellery Queen. He doesn't shoot dope like Sherlock, doesn't speak with an accent like Chan, and never gets tipsy like Nick Charles.

It's an inexpensive entertainment, diverting for the audience. It couldn't have been more than that.