A Shriek in the Night

Though slow-moving and obviously done on a low budget, "A Shriek in the Night" has a pretty good mystery story, and features a good role for Ginger Rogers as a reporter trying to solve the crime.

The story concerns a series of murders committed in an apartment building, in which each of the victims had received a cryptic anonymous letter before their death. Rogers' character goes undercover to investigate, and she finds herself in conflict both with the police and with a rival reporter (Lyle Talbot). The two reporters try to mislead and trick each other even as both are trying to solve the murders.

Most of the story is rather slow-moving, but towards the end things start to happen quickly, and it is worth waiting for. Rogers plays her part well, and there are a few moments of humor.

While overall it is a rather plain movie, if you like old mystery stories you will probably find it worth watching once.

A very funny and quite well made poverty row whodunnit from 1932, this pairing of Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot might have just set the ideas in motion for THE THIN MAN series at MGM a year later. I think this film was made at the Tiffany Studio in 1932 just as this company ceased production.... or just after...this is exactly the sort of film they made especially with very snazzy overstuffed deco furniture and solid clunky sound and production values. Credits say it is made by Allied Productions which nobody has ever heard of or from, so my guess as a faux Tiffany Production, might be right. The 1929 Tiffany film PARTY GIRL is made in exactly the same way and with the same solid look and quality sets. Ginger and Lyle also seen in the 'haunted' Monogram pic from the same year: THE THIRTEENTH GUEST offer a smart alec couple making verbal quips and asides and leave the audience well pleased in their natural delivery and likable sparring. This film is well directed with a refreshing and timeless modern style. SHREIK IN THE NIGHT is essentially a haunted house movie set in a skyscraper penthouse and for lovers of pre code goofiness and sexual antics (and even prohibition speakeasy asides) leaves a 2005 viewer with a knowing smile that someone 73 years ago was tuned into long lasting imagery and dialogue. One scene in a cellar with a furnace is particularly creepy and if seen in a 3000 seat movie palace in 1932 must have caused huge screams and genuine shrieks! This is great fun, well made and 'modern' and shows that if Tiffany had survived, they might have outlasted even Grand National Pictures - which I strongly suspect was their successor - and partly ultimately the re-formed 1937 Monogram and certainly PRC ...which I can track as their location and later name. It's a good film, made under what I would think was swiftly changing technology and times. The direction and dialogue and delivery has certainly successfully stood the test of time.

This is #3 in Navarre's DVD release 'Horror Classics vol 9', the other 2 being 'Maniac' & 'The world gone mad', and the one I prefer of the three. Again, it's more intelligently scripted and played that you might suspect at first glance, and I enjoyed it a lot coming to it the first time.

There was always something downbeat and depressing about Ginger Rogers acting style, but you can't argue with the fact she does a good job in this film as well as looking an extremely decorative 22 year old. The relationships she has with the Police Inspector (Pratt) and her boyfriend (Talbot) are pretty refreshing and almost adult - although she does say she can't go to bed unless he has left the room. Would that todays leading ladies would say that! Some of the Inspector's pithy comments are witty and barbed, too - my favourite: he's asked at a tense moment "What makes him think that?" - "My brain".

As for the climax I thought we were going to witness something grisly, but it was handled well (and quickly) and we avoided that possibility. ASITN is growing on me as I write - I don't think it's ever been on UK TV either!

A Shriek In the Night is a fairly good mystery-chiller, even though it is a little slow moving in parts.

Two reporters and the police investigate a series of murders in an apartment block. These include a man being pushed off the top floor penthouse ans a woman who has been strangled. At the time of the first killing, there were reports of a strange hissing sound and we see the outline of the murderer who seems to wearing a gas mask. All is revealed at the end.

Despite it being slow moving at times, this movie is quite creepy, especially some of the scenes where we see the shadows of people.

The cast includes a non-musical role for Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot (Plan 9 From Outer Space) and Arthur Hoyt (The Lost World).

A shriek In the Night is a good way to spend just over an hour one evening. Enjoyable.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

This 66 minute 1933 movie starring the 22 year old Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot is an excellent representation of pre-film noire of its era. This was Rogers' 20+ film, but the wise cracking/endearing personality that she eventually developed for the Astaire movies had not yet appeared. She comes off stiff and unsure. Leading man Lyle Talbot, a veteran of almost 200 movies plays as Ginger's rival reporter, and a romance that started before this movie began blossoms despite some back-stabbing by each of the other. Talbot is excellent and carries the show. Notable performances are given by Pernell Pratt as the police detective and Harvey Clark as the janitor. Actress Louise Beavers who went on to make more than 160 films, many notable, plays the stereotypical "negro". The roll can be excused as it is a benchmark of the Hollywood problems of the times. The story, an excellent whodunnit written by Francis Hyland and Kurt Kempler, is good but gets muddled at the end. Even so it does not interfere with the understanding of the plot. There is a scene at the end that has gruesome implications but is not gratuitous and therefore adds to the depth of the story. One gaff I noticed: about 5 minutes into the picture Rogers is talking to the detective. She is smoking a cigarette (there's a lot of smoking going on through out the film) and he is smoking a cigar. While holding the smoking butt she leaves the room only to enter another room sans cigarette. It is very interesting to see the styles of dress and automobiles of the times. Many of the shots were outdoors. The camera work is some what stilted and has only a few pans. It is almost like a theater play. I saw this film from the 50 Movie Pack Horror Classics box. Well worth buying and this film is not-to-be-missed.