The Solitaire Man

"The Solitaire Man" is a slick, stylish,sophisticated thriller, a throwback to an era when spinning a good yarn was more important than bloating the budget or running up the running time. When we first meet Herbert Marshall as Oliver Lane, he has a small problem. A Paris-based master criminal, he's about to retire to Devonshire, marry Elizabeth Allen as his fetching accomplice and turn from safecracking to milking cows. But a drugged-out henchman has committed a robbery that could get them both sent to the slammer -- and Lane has no choice but to reluctantly return the loot. How that leads to a plane bound for London, a battle of wits with Lionel Atwill as a mysterious Scotland Yard inspector and the contribution of an American socialite played with mirthful glee by Mary Boland takes up much of the movie. The result is tight, taut, cleverly directed by Jack Conway and a lot more modern -- in style, dialogue and devilish humor -- than most of the movies made back in 1933. Or a good many made since.

Herb Marshall is Oliver Lane, long time con-man, aided by Mrs. Vail (May Robson). when one of Lane's cronies shows up with a famous stolen jewel, they insist it be returned, to avoid being investigated by scotland yard. co-stars Mary Boland, Lionel Atwill. Boland steals any show of which she is a part! and best known as the Countess in "The Women" from 1939. this one tells a good story. we're rooting for the con-man, who must go straight on the insistence of his girlfriend. some twists. and a whole lot of ribbing about how loud and annoying the americans are, since it takes place in england. directed by Jack Conway, who also made BoomTown, Libeled Lady, and so many other great films. was there, right at the beginning of film. Pretty good film!

"The Solitaire Man" is an undistinguished early talkie murder mystery from MGM about a jewel thief.

Herbert Marshall (1890-1966) plays the head of a gang that specializes in stealing gems. Marshall made dozens of films in the 30s and 40s, best known for "The Letter" (1929 and 1940), "Trouble in Paradise" (1932), 'Foreign Correspondent" (1940) and "Duel in the Sun" (1956).

The great Lionel Atwill plays a detective. Atwill is best remembered for his iconic role as the Inspector in "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). Between 1918 and 1946 he made 75 films, mostly horror (e.g., "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head", "Mystery of the Wax Museum", "Murders in the Zoo") and went on to play Sherlock Holmes' arch enemy, Moriarty, in "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" (1943) and for my money, he was the best Moriarty. This film certainly is one of his lesser works.

May Robson (1858-1942) plays a member of the gang. She was everyone's favorite granny, a part she played in films like "Irene" (1940), "They Made Me a Criminal" (1939), and "A Star is Born" (1937). She was nominated for an Oscar for "Lady for a Day" (1934). Robson is subdued in this film and her fans will want to look elsewhere.

Beautiful Elizabeth Allen (1910-90) plays Marshall's love interest and a gang member. She was popular in the 30s – "Tale of Two Cities" (1935), "David Copperfield" (1935) – playing British subjects.

Jack Conway (1887-1952) directs. Conway was a prolific director (over 100 films) who started out as an actor but decided directing was for him when he was asked to wrestle a lion. He directed MGM's first talkie in 1928 ("Alias Jimmy Valentine") and worked on "Birth of a Nation" (1915) as a second director. Conway was particularly good working with long films (e.g., "Viva Villa", "A Tale of Two Cities", "Northwest Passage") and with films featuring women (e.g., "But the Flesh is Weak", "Lady of the Tropics"). His work here is rather ordinary, perhaps due to the sets which make the film more like a play.

The NY Times said - "It is a feature which might justly be termed an amusing melodrama, for when persons are slain here the effect is invariably more humorous than tragic."

1933 was a good year for films. Box office hits were Mae West's "I'm no Angel" and "She Done Him Wrong", the star studded "Dinner at Eight", Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in "42nd Street", "King Kong", and Garbo in "Queen Christina". The Oscar winners were "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (Actor), "Morning Glory" (Actress) and "Cavalcade" (Picture). Other notable films released that year included the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup", Laurel and Hardy's classic "Sons of the Desert", and "The Invisible Man". Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made their film duo debut in "Flying Down to Rio". FWIW – 1933 was the year that Walt Disney referred to the gold statue as an "Oscar" when he won it for "The Three Little Pigs".

For films about Jewel thieves, among the best are Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" (1955), "The Pink Panther" (1963), "Thief" (1981), and "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988).

This is one of those little MGM quickies that is unfairly overlooked by both film fans and historians. Without giving anything away, the plot involves a jewel theft and murder, with the suspects aboard a plane flying from France to England. There are several plot twists before and after the plane lands. It may not be hard to guess who the villain really is, but the film maintains a good level of suspense and is well acted. It's not without a major goof, at one point in the film Lionel Atwill calls Herbert Marshall "Wallace", the name of Atwill's character. How MGM let that get by is a mystery. This film is a good example of what could be done on a limited budget.

THE SOLITAIRE MAN is a superb example of how MGM was head and shoulders above the other studios during this era - quite obviously a "B" movie, barely running an hour, it nevertheless boasts superior actors (several of them major film names) and an elegant polish that most other studios wouldn't have bothered with for a programmer.

Herbert Marshall stars as the leader of a small "family" of con artists, when a faux son steals a priceless necklace Marshall attempts to return it, knowing the protégé would be the obvious suspect when it is noticed missing. While he is in the home attempting to put the jewels back in the safe, another burglar breaks into the home and was spotted by a patrolling policeman. The second burglar kills the inspector which Marshall witnesses but can't see the murderer. Later as he attempts to flee the country with his accomplishes on a small plane, secrets and double-crosses are revealed during the long flight.

This comic crime-mystery is mainly worthwhile for the sole chance to see two of the 1930's greatest character actresses, Mary Boland and May Robson, together in the same film. These ladies, with Edna May Oliver, were the queen bees of character players of the era along with superstar Marie Dressler. Miss Boland is second-billed but doesn't show up until the film is almost half over, she quickly earns her star billing with a delicious turn as a brassy rich American who finds herself in unusual circumstances. Miss Boland is hilarious as always but here voicing her role in a boorish unsophisticated loud drawl rather than her normal dizzy musical tones. It's a superb characterization and she is matched by that wonderful septuagenarian May Robson as a presumably cultured society woman who is pretty blunt and earthy herself.

Jack Conway, one of MGM's major directors, does a fine job here with this limited material and when the second half-hour is almost completely set inside a small airplane passengers area it's scarcely noticed given the fine direction and acting. The entire cast is quite good and it's intriguing to see Marshall, Miss Robson, and Elizabeth Allen - all British or Australian - not cast as Americans as they usually were in Hollywood films. This little film is fairly predictable in it's denouement but with a fine cast, sharp direction, and some good wisecracks, it's well worth your time.