Danger on the Air

Universal's Crime Club series lasted 7 films from 1937 to 1939, of which "Danger on the Air" was number 4, the last to co-star Donald Woods and Nan Grey, previously seen in the second, "The Black Doll" (also 1938). Lecherous sponsor Caesar Kluck (Berton Churchill) dies during a live radio broadcast, with hard working engineer Benjamin Franklin Butts (Woods) deducing murder from poison gas, and Kluck's physician, Leonard Sylvester (Edward Van Sloan), insisting it was a heart attack. The ventilating system has clearly been tampered with, and a persistent gangster (Joseph Downing) was also hanging around, plus the station janitor (Lee J. Cobb), who was angered by Kluck's advances toward his young daughter (Louise Stanley). The adorable and capable Nan Grey gets top billing over Donald Woods this time, but he again solves the case. Also on hand are William Lundigan, George Meeker, Tom Kennedy, and a young Peter Lind Hayes, future songwriter and TV personality, doing a variety of impressions like Bing Crosby (he also name drops Rudy Vallee). All of the Crime Clubs are quite entertaining, and the final three were included in the popular SHOCK! package of classic Universal horror films issued to television in the late 50's ("The Last Warning," "Mystery of the White Room," and "The Witness Vanishes"). Only "The Black Doll" and "Mystery of the White Room" were shown on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, so it was many years before I discovered the other five in the brief series, lesser known than the Inner Sanctums but in some ways superior. The next Crime Club would be "The Last Warning."

A clever radio engineer (Donald Woods as Benjamin Butts) and his beautiful co-worker and a prime suspect (Nan Grey as Steenie MacCorkle) search for the killer of a broadcasting executive and unscrupulous millionaire (Berton Churchill as Caesar Kluck), who had an eye for the ladies, stepped on far too many toes, was very difficult, and garnered a legion of possible suspects. He keels over dead- Benjamin claims he was murdered - gassed by cyanogen gas.

However, the head of the radio company wants to cover it up and claim that Kluck died of natural causes, like heart failure. He's helped in this deceit by a dodgy doctor (Edward Van Sloan).

But Benjamin, with the help of Steenie, insist on sleuthing ...

Danger on the Air is set entirely within a radio station where the murder occurs and ingenious one too and there's no police called at the scene of the crime and it's up to Donald Wood and Nan Grey to find out who killed the victim, who is -no surprise - a horrid man. Which means there's many suspects. It's fast-paced, breezy , funny and the two leads are quite charming.

This little gem is one of the most well-scripted programmers that I have ever had the pleasure to watch. The acting is great too, and you also manage to work in one of those rare mysteries that makes it hard but fun to guess who the killer is. It's all set at a radio station, where a crotchety old sponsor ends up getting murdered. Donald Woods plays a very intelligent and clever radio engineer and Nan Woods is the ad agency worker who helps him solve the mystery. I know the storyline sounds all old-hat, but I was pleasantly surprised at how refreshing this movie was...a very enjoyable hour!

This Crime Club entry is an almost perfect B mystery with its solid cast, interesting setting, plenty of murder suspects and intriguing (but not really plausible) murder method. The setting is a large metropolitan radio station. Caesar Kluck is an obnoxious soda manufacturer who sponsors the show Kluck's Popola Hour. He's also a corrupt man who uses gangsters to ruin competing soda manufacturers. Understandably, no one at the station can stand him including the sound engineer Benjamin Franklin Butts ( played by the ever affable Donald Woods) and "Skeets" MacCorkle (Nan Grey), one of the advertising sales staff (Nan Grey). Not surprisingly, Kluck is murdered and the station manager insists it was a heart attack and has either a phony or incompetent doctor to back him up. Butts is convinced that he was murdered by a poison gas and tells reporters this. The result of this is that most of the staff refuse to enter the building. This leads to the highlight of the movie when the wannabe performer Harry Lake takes on roles in several shows in order to keep the station on the air. Peter Lind Hayes as Lake steals the show. His various impersonations, including that of Bing Crosby, are wonderful. The movies old time radio setting is fascinating. This is a highly entertaining and slick murder mystery worth watching more than once.

With a cast full of familiar faces who have experience in playing sinister and villainous roles it will be hard to pick who did the murder here. In fact during the course Danger On The Air another homicide is committed.

Berton Churchill is our victim and the setting is a radio studio. Churchill is once again an unctuous bloviating personality who thinks the world revolves around him and his product. He was killed during a broadcast of his program in a most unique manner which I won't reveal except to say a variation on the method was used in one of the Boris Karloff Mr. Wong movies.

The only member of the radio staff who actually stands up to Churchill is sound engineer Donald Woods and its Woods together Nan Grey who solve the mystery. Churchill was not the kind of guy anyone was going to mourn, but the other death is that of the station janitor Lee J. Cobb in an early role for him and it was simply a byproduct of the Churchill homicide.

Special attention should be paid to Peter Lind Hayes who plays a young usher at the station who treats us all to a series of imitations of various radio personalities of the day including Bing Crosby, Ben Bernie, and Rudy Vallee and many more.

The only hint I'll give you is the eventual killer is not one you would think capable.

A good B picture cast gave Universal a good programmer.