A Burglar to the Rescue

"A Burglar to the Rescue" is the first of Universal's short crime dramas. It's a bit overacted at times but otherwise is worth seeing if you like old mysteries.

When the story begins, you learn that a banker (Thurston Hall) is in trouble. To impress his greedy girlfriend, he's been embezzling...and a bank examiner is expected in the morning. When he suggests they run off together, she refuses....informing him that she wants nothing to do with him.

Soon after she leaves, an old employee shows up at the banker's home. It seems that long ago, the banker embezzled another time....and pinned the crime on one of his workers....and the man was sent to prison. Now he' back for revenge. What's next? See the film.

I think this was just an okay short story...okay because it was very talky and a bit overacted here and there. It just could have been better.

Banker Thurston Hall has stolen thousands of dollars to sped on girl friend Charlotte Wynters. The bank examiner is coming in the morning. Then a burglar arrives.....

It's a nice, atmospheric little murder mystery, the first in a series of shorts produced to spotlight the narrator, The Shadow. If people recall him, they may remember that he was played by Orson Welles on the radio, and had lots of weird powers. Actually, he arose by accident. In 1930, Street & Smith sponsored a radio show to boost circulation of their DETECTIVE STORY pulp magazine. The had a narrator, called The Shadow, voiced by James LaCurto, read stories from the magazine. People started asking for the magazine featuring the character, so William Gibson created him, and the magazine went on sale in April of 1931. Over the next 20 years, Gibson wrote 282 of the 325 cover stories for THE SHADOW.

This is one of the few remaining shorts done in 1931 that feature The Shadow just as he was appearing on radio at the time. The Shadow does not participate in the story but appears at the beginning, several times during and at the end of the film when he does his sardonic narration and commentary. Sinister Cinema has this and 2 other Shadow shorts on a DVD which is visually & audibly excellent. Frank Readick is uncredited but his voice is unmistakable and his appearance matches that used in the promo photograph that was given away by the radio show at the time - it is a bit startling to see The Shadow wearing a domino mask & mustache but his appearance in the pulps hadn't yet settled either.

If you're a true Shadow fan you have to get this DVD.

Its an enjoyable romp that is a beautiful time capsule of the 1930s, even if it is a bit forgettable. The story feels both completely original and like it has been done before a million times, which gives a very interesting feel. It also marks the first appearance of The Shadow, an early pre-DC superhero, who barely shows up, except to narrate this adventure. The acting is pretty good for the time, giving this a 30s feel that really makes this pretty dull short really enjoyable. I watched this a few months ago and it is the first thing I watched in 2023, and I'd say I started the year strong, with a solid little short film.