Secret of the Chateau

An extremely rare film that is much harder to find than many of Universal's other B mysteries of the period. The version I have runs 60 minutes and is from a nice 16mm print. The plot revolves around Claire Dodd's character, a woman with a shady past who has connections to a big time crook (Jack La Rue). She wants to leave her criminal past and La Rue behind her. Still, she finds herself at a remote château, where crooks and police have gathered to get their hands on a valuable bible.

The police are represented by Inspector Marotte (Ferdinald Gottschalk), a diminutive, older detective who has a flare for the dramatic. He is sure that master criminal Prahec can not resist coming after the priceless bible and that he is already present, disguised as one of the guests. Marotte must learn... where is the bible hidden and which one of the guests is the master criminal.