An elderly detective sets out to find who murdered a stage actor.An elderly detective sets out to find who murdered a stage actor.An elderly detective sets out to find who murdered a stage actor.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Alma Jenkins Thornton
- (as Natalie Moorehead)
- 'Lovely' Holmes
- (uncredited)
- Sam - Producer
- (uncredited)
- Silent Detective
- (uncredited)
- Mr. Alison - Actor in Play
- (uncredited)
- Actress in Play
- (uncredited)
- Morgan - Actor in Play
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Almost 'Curtains' for "Curtain At Eight"
On the other hand, maybe it's a blessing it was wrapped up quickly, as the production in general and the acting in particular is too stagey. There were no exterior shots and I thought that Sam Hardy, as the Detective Captain, nearly sank the whole picture with his outrageous overacting and obnoxious demeanor. He detracted from every scene he was in. C. Aubrey Smith and the female actresses were quite good, and the women were attractive (always enjoy watching Dorothy Mackaill), given that this was 1933, and this was an early 30's production through and through.
The mystery was above average and accounted for my rating - after all, the play's the thing, right? It was a whodunnit right up until the final scene, and with lots of suspects to choose from.
Interesting and marginally entertaining.
Curtain at Eight
"Cherchez la....femme, as in female!"
Dorothy Mackaill is good as Lola, sister to Anice, one of Wylie's discarded romances; from our first meeting with Lola, we see she is angry with Wylie and frustrated in her attempts to make contact with him.
Natalie Moorhead has only one full scene as Alma Thornton, the wife—but it's a goodie. Alma, too, is fed up with Wylie. She shows up in his room and answers the phone as his "secretary"; she mocks the way he speaks to his female phone callers ("Bye-ee!"); and she speaks to Wylie frankly and with a bite: "Your lips fairly brew honey when they want to. That's how you got me." (His reply: "I wish some of the same could get rid of you.")
Doris Manning (Ruthelma Stevens) is Wylie's new co-star; she's a rich girl and neither her father nor her fiancé have any intention of allowing her to travel to New York with a married actor (of all things!) and will do whatever it takes to prevent her. –All in all, in the best murder mystery tradition, there is no shortage of characters who have it in for the cad, Wylie Thornton.
Top-billed C. Aubrey Smith enters the picture around the midway point; he and Sam Hardy are a sort of smart cop/dumb cop pair. (Hardy does all the talking, Smith all the real detecting.) The chimp who lets himself in and out of his cage and has been known to swipe a handgun from the prop room is also a key player in this picture.
A fair amount of comic relief keeps the action relatively light; the murder scene (on a stage darkened except for a candle-lighted birthday cake) is somewhat unique; and the plot's eventual resolution is a bit out of the ordinary, as well. Overall, although the exposition of the first half hour is a bit dense, once this story gets rolling it's a fast-paced show that's very easy to take.
It's always nice to find a film "presumed lost" sitting in a DVD store!
Rare Forgotten Mystery
For it's type, a 1930's independent studio release, it is quite good. An actor with many enemies is bumped off during a party at a theatre. The actor was a true rogue making it tough for the detectives probing the case. C. Aubrey Smith plays Hanvey, a cagey, methodical sleuth. While, Sam Hardy, plays Gallagher, a dim-witted police captain, played mostly for laughs. One of the running gags throughout the film is Gallagher arresting whomever is the top suspect at a certain time.
Did I mention the monkey? Groan if you want to, that's what I did when I saw him. Yes, monkeys were certainly popular in films during the late 1920's and early 1930's and yes the monkey is a suspect in the case. Although the monkey is not really annoying, far too much screen time is wasted on him, especially when considering the talented actors on hand for this minor B picture. C. Aubrey Smith is always welcomed. Ruthelma Stevens was a treat whenever she made a rare appearance. Same for Paul Cavanagh and Hale Hamilton, all excellent performers.
The finale is unique, in that Smith, like Sherlock Holmes was to do upon occasion, solves the mystery, but then lets the killer go free, feeling justice had been served. For collectors of rare films and the people like myself who enjoy the poverty row studios, warts and all.
Did you know
- TriviaThe earliest documented telecasts of this film took place on the East Coast in New York City Thursday 26 August 1948 on WCBS (Channel 2) and on the West Coast in Los Angeles Thursday 23 November 1950 on KTLA (Channel 5).
- Quotes
Alma Jenkins Thornton: A wife has some rights, particularly an undivorced wife.
Wylie Thornton - Actor: If Doris Manning smelled a rat, she'd back out like that
[he snaps his fingers]
Alma Jenkins Thornton: And we can't afford to lose the Manning millions, can we, Dear?
Wylie Thornton - Actor: Keep on, keep on, you'll throw a monkey wrench into the whole works.
Alma Jenkins Thornton: Oh, you'd find words to soothe the troubled waters. Your lips fairly drool honey when they want to. That's how you got me.
Wylie Thornton - Actor: I wish some of the same could get rid of you.
Alma Jenkins Thornton: [mockingly] Ah, what is life without you, my Sweet? Each hour away from you is a nightmare, torn with despair. Each day a Purgatory of waiting, waiting for night and the sweet caress of your tender lips. You cackling boudoir rooster!
Alma Jenkins Thornton: [she resumes mocking him] I was the only woman in your life. The glorious sunburst on the dark horizon of your lonely days. And the very night you married me, you had dates with two of your ex-sweeties!
Alma Jenkins Thornton: [still mocking him] Oh, but Darling, don't you understand, these other women, they mean nothing to me. They're just stepping stones on the pathway to our happiness. And I fell for it. I believed you, you bedroom Ananias. I loved you. I laugh myself sick when I think about it now. But I used to sit in my room and cry over you. Till I got next to him and me. You big Baboon! But you're going to pay for every bit of unhappiness you caused me and you're going to pay for it the only way it hurts you - through your pocketbook.
Wylie Thornton - Actor: Alright, alright. You're getting yours, aren't you?
Alma Jenkins Thornton: You've held out on my cut for the last four weeks. And unless you kick in, I'm going to move in and stay in. Now what about my dough, Big Boy, what about it?
Wylie Thornton - Actor: I had to pay...
Alma Jenkins Thornton: Oh, don't lie to me. You gambled it away. I know when, how and with whom. You've lost three salary cheques, one after another. And last night, you gave a certain well-known gentleman a cheque that'll still be bouncing when Gabriel toots his horn!
Wylie Thornton - Actor: Listen, Alma...
Alma Jenkins Thornton: I'll do the talking, you flannel-mouthed Romeo. Wylie Thornton, matinee idol, pride of every kitchen mechanic and points south. Why you worn out Adonis, pull any fast stuff on me and I'll lay you out among the lilies - and little Alma Thornton is the one that can do it!
- ConnectionsFollowed by Jim Hanvey, Detective (1937)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Backstage Mystery
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 8m(68 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1