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IMDbPro

Absolute Quiet

  • 1936
  • Approved
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
437
YOUR RATING
Louis Hayward and Irene Hervey in Absolute Quiet (1936)
Businessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as his business worries), a pair of escaped criminals crashes the party, as well as a plane load of passengers who literally crash in. Coincidentally, the plane was carrying the state's governor, whom Axton was at odds with, Axton's ex-paramour and her lover, whom Axton was sending away under false pretenses, and a reporter willing to write up all the sordid details.
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CrimeDrama

Businessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as ... Read allBusinessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as his business worries), a pair of escaped criminals crashes the party, as well as a plane l... Read allBusinessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as his business worries), a pair of escaped criminals crashes the party, as well as a plane load of passengers who literally crash in. Coincidentally, the plane was carrying the state... Read all

  • Director
    • George B. Seitz
  • Writers
    • Harry Clork
    • George F. Worts
  • Stars
    • Lionel Atwill
    • Irene Hervey
    • Raymond Walburn
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    437
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George B. Seitz
    • Writers
      • Harry Clork
      • George F. Worts
    • Stars
      • Lionel Atwill
      • Irene Hervey
      • Raymond Walburn
    • 17User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:09
    Official Trailer

    Photos2

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    Top cast26

    Edit
    Lionel Atwill
    Lionel Atwill
    • G.A. Axton
    Irene Hervey
    Irene Hervey
    • Laura Tait
    Raymond Walburn
    Raymond Walburn
    • Governor Pruden
    Stuart Erwin
    Stuart Erwin
    • 'Chubby' Rudd
    Ann Loring
    Ann Loring
    • Zelda Tadema
    Louis Hayward
    Louis Hayward
    • Gregory Bengard
    Wallace Ford
    Wallace Ford
    • Jack
    Bernadene Hayes
    Bernadene Hayes
    • Judy
    Robert Gleckler
    Robert Gleckler
    • Jasper Cowdray
    Harvey Stephens
    Harvey Stephens
    • Barney Tait
    J. Carrol Naish
    J. Carrol Naish
    • Pedro
    Matt Moore
    Matt Moore
    • Pilot
    Robert Livingston
    Robert Livingston
    • Co-Pilot
    James Bush
    James Bush
    • Airport Radio Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Alexander Cross
    Alexander Cross
    • Rudd's Editor
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Geise
    • Police Radio Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Gwen Lee
    Gwen Lee
    • Western Union Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Edwin Maxwell
    Edwin Maxwell
    • Mr. Baxter
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George B. Seitz
    • Writers
      • Harry Clork
      • George F. Worts
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews17

    6.0437
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    Featured reviews

    7utgard14

    "The prospect of chili & beans for a whole month is rather depressing"

    There's a lot going on in this one so I doubt I'll do it justice with a brief summary but I'll try. Lionel Atwill plays a businessman with a heart problem who is told to spend time at his ranch for "absolute quiet." He takes along his secretary (Irene Hervey), who is one of two women he is unsuccessfully trying to get with in the movie. While at the ranch they are taken hostage by two criminals named Jack and Judy (Wallace Ford and Bernadene Hayes). Then a plane crashes onto the ranch! The plane is carrying several people who have ties to Atwill, including ineffectual Governor Pruden (a terrific Raymond Walburn) and Atwill's former mistress (Ann Loring) with her actor boyfriend (Louis Hayward). There's also the obligatory wise-cracking reporter (Stuart Erwin). From here it becomes a variation on The Petrified Forest, where all the plane crash survivors join Atwill and Hervey as hostages of the criminal duo and the rest of the film takes places mostly in one room.

    What an interesting movie. Completely far-fetched and melodramatic but fascinating nonetheless. It's helped by a great cast and ample doses of humor, intentional and unintentional. In addition to those I mentioned above, J. Carrol Naish also appears briefly as a handyman, using his trademark "is it Italian or is it Spanish" accent. Definitely an unknown treat for classic movie fans so check it out.
    MikeMagi

    "B" movie -- "A" acting

    There are some first-rate performances packed into this surprisingly entertaining "B" movie. Taking it from the top, there's Lionel Atwill as a high-powered tycoon whose doctor orders him to rest his nerves at his ranch out west. That's not easy when Wallace Ford and Bernadene Hayes turn up as a vaudeville act wanted for murder. And when a fog-bound plane crashes, they're joined by Louis Hayward as a fading movie idol whose face is scarred in the accident, Stu Erwin as a wise-guy newspaperman and Raymond Walburn as a blustering politico. Throw in Irene Hervey as the secretary Atwill is trying to bed and J. Carroll Naish as a sly Mexican ranch hand and it's fun watching "Absolute Quiet" just to see who'll try to steal the spotlight from who. My bet goes to Hayes and Ford as the serial killer love birds who insist that they really slayed 'em in vaudeville.
    Michael_Elliott

    Strange

    Absolute Quiet (1936)

    ** 1/2 (out of 4)

    Semi-rip of The Petrified Forest has a plane full of people crash landing on the field of a man (Lionel Atwill) being held captive by a couple robbers. There are a few good laughs here but the direction is so strange that it's hard to really get caught up in the film. There's very little suspense in the movie but there are a couple nice laughs, which help the movie move along. Wallace Ford playing the tough guy was a bit hard to believe and led to several unintentional laughs. J. Carroll Naish and Irene Harvey turn in good performances as does Atwill.
    8Handlinghandel

    A B Picture That Holds Up Better Than Many of its Fancier Peers

    It's a little like "Grand Hotel." Today "Grand Hotel" seems stagy and really creaks. "Absolute Quiet" is wife awake and crackles.

    It's a little like "The Petrified Forest." That holds up pretty well but is very stagy. And it's a little like "Key Largo," which no one is going to fault.

    Lionel Atwill is a manipulator who tries to have the husband of a woman he's attracted to crash his plane. At the same time, he will be taking care of an ex-girlfriend, an actress he has ostensibly sent to Hollywood in that same plane. Her boyfriend, Louis Hayward, a fading movie star, is also on the plane, as is the governor of the state. Atwill has it in for him.

    The plane crashes at his house in the country, where he is ostensibly taking in the eponymous rest.

    Add t to this mix a reporter who wants the story. (A rather pudgy looking Stuart Erwin is good in this role.) And a Bonnie and Clyde duo on the lam. Their names are Jack and Judy. Or, their name (as they were originally a vaudeville team) IS Jack and Judy.

    All this, as well as a couple minor players, in one house! This doesn't come across as a formulaic programmer. It has plenty of tension. The only aspect that bothered me was Jack's slang: Over and over, instead of saying "OK," he says "Oke." Slang can really date a movie. But this one holds up very well indeed, in spite of that one small annoyance.
    7ksf-2

    Bonnie & Clyde -- type suspense thriller

    The top billed stars in Absolute Quiet are Lionel Atwill as Gerald Axton (Atwill appeared in many murder mysteries and horror films) and Irene Hervey as Laura Tait (Destry Rides Again), but the real stars here are reporter Oscar Rudd (played by Stuart Erwin) and a political bigshot played by Raymond Walburn. Two crooks on the run interfere with an airplane trying to land, but things are complicated because there are political bigshots and reporters on that airplane. Viewers will also see character actor Edwin Maxwell from His Girl Friday, Shop around the Corner, and Cecil DeMille's Cleopatra. Director George Seitz had been writing and directing in Hollywood since 1914, for the silent films. Original story by George Worts. Fun suspense thriller; most of it takes place in one room on the ground, or in the air, so it has the feel of a talkie play, but it's an entertaining film. Lionel Atwill was born in England, and Louis Hayward was was born in S. Africa and raised in England, so there are some accents going on here. Screenplay is pretty whitewashed, but it only costs about an hour and a half to watch it. I get the feeling the original script was a little more naughty...

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The radio at Axton's ranch is an extremely rare 1935 Zenith model 1000Z "Stratosphere". Only 350 were made and it was priced at $750 ($16,600 in 2023). It used 25 vacuum tubes and its cabinet is made of inlaid walnut, elm and laurel woods. It had a then cutting-edge automatic volume control. In 2023 these radios, completely restored, can fetch over $50,000. It is the "holy grail" for radio collectors and museums.
    • Quotes

      Oscar 'Chubby' Rudd: Two years ago you were so conservative, you buttoned your underwear up the sides; now when you go past, people think it's the fire department out on a picnic!

    • Soundtracks
      I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'
      (uncredited)

      Music by Nacio Herb Brown

      Lyrics (unused) by Arthur Freed

      Played on piano at the ranch by Wallace Ford

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • April 24, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Silêncio Absoluto
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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