User Reviews

Rich slimeball Folsom refuses to marry his mistress because he is married. He refuses to divorce his wife because that would mean he had to marry his mistress. Not long after a complicated confrontation in his apartment with the wife, the bodyguard and the mistress (who I think kills herself) Folsom is killed. It then becomes a question of who did it and why. Creaky murder mystery is okay once it gets going. Its a typical talky early sound mystery that seems a bit too ripe for its own good. Really working against the film is Zasu Pitts as a phone operator in the building where the action takes place. She is a shrill Greek chorus of sorts commenting on the events. If you can get past the shrillness the mystery is good with its solution worth taking the hour to watch this. To be honest I wasn't loving it, more liking it, until I got to the end at which point I was like, "Oh that was cool". Its something you'll watch once, but worth the look if you get past the Pitts.

Extraordinary to find a "B" film directed by Thornton Freeland, of all people! After directing Whoopee! for Sam Goldwyn – the movie became America's number one, top box office hit for 1930 – Freeland accepted an assignment from William Fox to direct yet another adaptation of William Anthony McGuire's huge Broadway successes, namely Six Cylinder Love. This movie starred Spencer Tracy, Edward Everett Horton, Sidney Fox, Una Merkel and William Collier, Senior. How Freeland, Merkel and Collier Junior then became involved with the "B" venture, Terror by Night, is a real Hollywood mystery! Freeland's later films include Flying Down To Rio (1933), George White's Scandals (1934), Brewster's Millions (1935), and Dear Mr. Prohack (1950). It's true that Freeland had been criticized for his weak handling of the story and dialogue in Whoopee! Perhaps to reaffirm his mastery of the cinema, Freeland agreed to direct a "B" thriller which would allow him ample opportunities to build up atmosphere and effects. Certainly he has contrived some tingling moments for the heroine, especially in an eerie scene in which she sneaks downstairs to the dead supervisor's quarters and rummages through his belongings. There are other examples of imaginative camera-work, such as the dead person's eyeview of the curious crowds. Within this powerful usual framework, however, Freeland manages to mix humor and thrills with reasonable harmony. For the most part, he successfully undermines strenuous efforts by ZaSu Pitts to turn the proceedings into a footling farce. Clarence Muse, and to a lesser extent, Paul Hurst, are much more successful at comedy relief than the over-touted ZaSu. Nevertheless, it's Ralf Harolde who walks away with the film's acting honors, closely followed by Hooper Atchley and Rita La Roy.

One of the rare occasions when a mystery novel was solely translated to the cinema screen by its original author, The Secret Witness plays absolutely fair with the audience. All the clues are presented. Nothing is withheld. And there are no surprise acts of God to bring the culprit to justice. True, Spewack does introduce some bizarre and offbeat elements to add to the puzzle, but he does so realistically.

Other credits, including the superbly moody photography by Robert Planck, are likewise impressive.

Famous Attraction's "The Secret Witness" was lifted far above the usual poverty row standard by amazing Art Deco sets, good script, lovely photography and an excellent cast. Una Merkel was still in her colourless damsel in distress period, she had not yet been given the chance to show what she could do with a wry turn of phrase. She had been the leading lady in "The Bat Whispers" and together with cinematographer Robert Planck who was also co- photographer on that film, "The Secret Witness" was heavily influenced by that earlier movie and had an almost identical opening with upper floors of New York skyscrapers before the camera zooms down the face of the building to the street where the film proper begins.

Philanderer Bert Folsom (Hooper Atchley) is quite a charmer - within a few minutes he has given three people more than enough grounds for murder!! Gunner (Nat Pendleton) has embezzled some money and Folsom informs him that he has just rung the police, Tess (June Clyde) who is begging for marriage, gets the cold shoulder and his wife (Rita La Roy), whom he finds it to his convenience to stay married to, even though she is desperate for a divorce. Police are alerted to his penthouse when Tess's body is found in the street but they are too late for Folsom has been murdered!!

Una Merkel does get to prove she has an acidic way with a line and some wry facial expressions. She is Lois and is thrust into the case when a strange young man is caught in her apartment in an obviously distressed state. He is Casey Jones (William Collier Jnr.), Tess's brother and things are looking pretty grim - in fact the only other suspect the police have is Folsom's pet chimp!! Lois (who has obviously seen quite a few of these movies) knows that there are plenty more suspects available but it is only with the death of the janitor (Clyde Cook) and his final words "I didn't kill him, I thought it was just a joke!!" that she goes further afield, into Larson's world of intriguing inventions.

Funniest bit - Zasu Pitts as a switchboard operator is bemoaning to an unknown person that the book someone recommended to her is a funny kind of a book "I can't make head or tail out of it"!! It was "The Well of Loneliness" by Radcyliffe Hall, probably not allowed to show it's cover on screen after the code came in!! Nobody said odd, quirky pre-code villainry more than Ralf Harolde, he was always super to watch in films like "Night Nurse" (1931). Involved in a car accident in which his friend died, it affected him deeply and he found it hard to recover.

Highly Recommended.