Murder with Pictures

Routine mystery programmer from Paramount. The mystery part –- who killed lawyer Redfield —is too scattered to immerse viewers. (But I have to admit that like others the sound quality of my DVD was fuzzy. So I may have missed some important threads.) Anyway, instead of the whodunnit, interest for me lies with an energetic cast of B-list players. Ayers plays a fast-talking reporter (are there any other kinds) who becomes an amateur sleuth while cops stumble around in the popular manner of the day. Ayers' career later suffered from his conscientious objector's status during early WWII, which he managed to convert to medical corpsman for the remainder. Perhaps the movie's biggest focal point is the statuesque Gail Jackson-- later executive producer of the highly popular Perry Mason series (1957- 66). Check out her bio; she's every bit the brains that her regal appearance implies. Here, she tends to rivet viewer attention. Also, watch for Paul Kelly as a reporter. He was briefly jailed in real life for killing his lover's husband. If I'm going on about the cast, it's probably because the movie itself amounts to little more than a routine time-passer, fuzzy sound or no. There's one amusing moment when Ayers and Patrick share a shower with, guess what, their clothes on. Thanks, Production Code.

Lew Ayres and Gail Patrick both give good performances, and the two of them plus a fast-paced story make this an enjoyable B-feature. The crime/mystery story is often implausible, but it provides some interesting developments and it creates some good action.

Ayres and Patrick were both pretty talented performers, and their roles offer each of them some good material. Ayres plays an easygoing news photographer who gets involved in a murder case, in which Patrick's strong-minded character plays an uncertain role. It's good to see Patrick get a more prominent role than usual, even in a low-budget feature, and her elegance fits in well.

The story uses a number of offbeat details to keep things moving, and this helps to hold your interest in the story as well as in masking some of the low production values. This is not bad at all for a movie of its kind, and it provides an hour or so of good light entertainment.

Murder With Pictures finds Lew Ayres and Paul Kelly as a pair of breezy reporters who are tracking the same story, namely the acquittal of murder by gangster Onslow Stevens. It seems as though a key witness Gail Patrick is located and arrives too late to testify. Stevens is giving a bash and he invites the press to the party.

Where his high priced defense attorney Ernest Cossart is shot to death after apparently recognizing someone in the room. Suspicion falls on Patrick, but Ayres shields her and starts his own investigation with Kelly dogging his every move. A couple of murders later and it's all solved.

Ayres gives a nice account of himself in a film which if done at Warner Brothers would have starred James Cagney with Kelly in the Pat O'Brien part. The how is not terribly original, this particular murder gambit was used before and after still it is done with style. As for the motives, Murder With Pictures is a story of greed and revenge.

One cliché seems to be present a lot in these kind of films. The cops are always wrong and the hero always sorts it out. I've seen it in God knows how many films, but in real life I've seen it to be true. Not that the police are dumb, but what people have a problem being is flexible. More than cops will get wedded to a certain notion and then just won't change no matter how the facts are explained to them. In solving cases that's a natural barrier. In my former job with New York State Crime Victims Board I've seen it happen more than once.

It was also nice to see Gail Patrick for once not playing the second lead or the other woman. Murder With Pictures is a nice, fast moving and entertaining film and it's a pity it seems to have dropped into obscurity. The fact that it also has dropped into the public domain may gain it new viewers and fans who've not seen it as of yet.

MURDER WITH PICTURES (Paramount, 1936), directed by Charles T. Barton, is a quaint little newspaper story and murder mystery from the studio's second feature unit. Starring Lew Ayres, who, by this time, was an ordinary actor who hasn't had a solid blockbuster since the Academy Award winning production of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Universal, 1930). Before his career was awarded a new and successful chapter with his "Doctor Kildare" hospital series for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1938-1942), MURDER WITH PICTURES is a prime example to the many routine programmers Ayres was doing by this time. Based on the story by George Harmon Coze, the finished product does offer some twist and turns normally found in murder mysteries, but nothing quite suspenseful as anything directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The plot begins at a trial of crime boss, Nate Girard (Onslow Stevens) for the murder of his partner, Joe Cuslick. As I. B. McGoogin (Paul Kelly) and Phil Doane (Benny Baker) reporter and photographer of the Daily Post await for both verdict and the arrival of crack photographer, Kent Murdock, the jury enters the courtroom with a "Not Guilty" verdict. After Girard, Stanley Redfield (Ernest Cossart his defense attorney, along with his associates leave the courtroom to return to his place of residence, Girard is approached in the elevator by Meg Archer (Gail Patrick), a mystery woman who wants to talk to him privately, and Kent Murdock (Lew Ayres) stepping in through a trap door from above to take some pictures. As everyone heads to the apartment, Redfield invites Murdock and the press to stop over later in the evening to attend Girard's celebration victory party. While there, Murdock interviews Meg Archer, and is caught kissing her by Hester Boone (Joyce Compton), a bubble dancer and his jealous fiancee, who happens to be there on an invite by McGoogin so he can get a scoop from the mystery woman himself. After Murdock and Bubbles leave, a photograph is then being taken at the very same time Redfield keels over and dies. Because of the mysterious disappearance of Meg, she becomes the prime suspect of Redfield's murder. Murdock unwittingly acquires a picture plate that might be the clue to the murder, especially after finding his apartment was searched and offered $5,000 for the negative by a mysterious caller over the telephone. As another reporter, having acquired the dangerous photo, is murdered while developing the photo plate in the dark room, further convinces the police Meg Archer connected to these crimes. Murdock, accompanied by Johnny Mercer (Anthony Nace), his new assistant, believes otherwise and tries tries to clear Meg's name, unaware of the danger that awaits him.

Featuring the supporting cast of Joseph Sawyer (Inspector Bacon); Don Rowan (Siki); Frank Sheridan (The Police Chief); Irving Bacon (Keogh); and Purnell B. Pratt (George, the Newspaper Editor). With Platt and Sheridan properly placed in their typical roles, it's interesting finding movie gangster-type, Joe Sawyer, on the right side of the law, and Ernest Cossart, usually cast as a butler, playing a lawyer instead.

MURDER WITH PICTURES is routinely produced 71 minute mystery that improves with its second or third viewing after knowing the final results. Commonly presented on late show television in the 1960s and 70s, MURDER WITH PICTURES had been out or circulation for quite some time, especially in the New York City area where it was last shown on television's WPIX, Channel 11 in 1972. Later available on video cassette and DVD format, MURDER WITH PICTURES is no masterpiece by any means, but satisfactory programmer from the early years of young Lew Ayres before his most famous role as "Doctor Kildare," and Best Actor nominee in JOHNNY BELINDA (Warner Brothers, 1948), for which he is best noted. (** flashbulbs)

This is a B-movie from Paramount. How it has lapsed into the public domain, I have no idea--but regardless it's available for download from the link on its IMDb page.

The film stars a young Lew Ayers as a smart-mouthed newspaper photographer (as bit of a cliché). When a murder occurs, a lady who is the police suspect (Gail Patrick) asks Ayers to hide her. This is one of the oldest and worst clichés of murder mystery films as in real life no one would shelter a murder suspect no questions asked! And, if they were dumb enough to do this, then the murder suspect would most likely kill them for their trouble! But, in B-movie fashion, you know she CAN'T be the killer. The rest of the film, Ayers investigates and proves that the handsome hero is ALWAYS smarter than the stupid cops (yet another familiar cliché)--led by Joe Sawyer as the investigator (a rather familiar role for him). And how does he intend to do this? Yep, one of the oldest plot ideas--with a supposed photo that will prove who the murderer is! As you can tell from my description, the film abounds with clichés--the sort that fans of classic films will quickly recognize. Because of this, the film is not exactly original act. However, the acting and overall polish of the movie are nice--making it at least a tolerable time-passer.