THE DARK HOUR (THE LAST TRAP)
(director: Charles Lamont; screenwriter: Ewart Adamson/from a novel by Sinclair Glick; cinematographer: M.A. Andersen; editor: Roland D. Reed; music: ; cast: William V Wong (Henry Carson), Ray Walker (Jim Landis), Burton Churchill (Paul Bernard), Irene Ware (Elsa Carson), Hobart Bosworth (Charles Carson), Lloyd Whitlock (Dr. Bruce), Hedda Hopper (Mrs. Marian Tallman), Harold Goodwin (Peter Blake), Michael Marks (Arthur Bell), E.E. Clive (Foot), Miki Morita (Choong); Runtime: 64; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: George R. Batcheller; Chesterfield Pictures Corporation; 1936)
“A creepy old-dark-house mystery that is humorously made.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A creepy old-dark-house mystery that is humorously made. It’s keenly directed by Charles Lamont (“The Kettles in the Ozarks”/”Chip Off The Old Block“/”Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy“). There are plenty of suspects in this murder mystery, but it ends with the male killer caught in drag.
Our heroine, Elsa Carson (Irene Ware), resides with her two wealthy Realtor uncles, Henry and Charles Carson (William V Wong & Hobart Bosworth). An arsonist targets their tenements, resulting in the death of the wife and son of Arthur Bell (Michael Marks), one of their tenants. Soon Henry is discovered dead of foul play, asphyxiation and stab wounds, at the Carson Library. Henry did not approve of Elsa dating the young private detective, Jim Landis (Ray Walker).
Jim is hired by Elsa ti investigate the crimes and he finds there are many suspects. The prime suspect is the chemist Blake (Harold Goodwin), a lodger with their neighbor, the retired police detective Paul Bernard (Berton Churchill), who threatened Henry to arrange a marriage with Elsa because he was after her inheritance. Another suspect is Elsa’s Aunt Marian (Hedda Hopper), whose singed dress was found by Jim in Elsa’s room. Also stabbed to death is Carson’s butler (E.E. Clive). The older retired detective helps the younger one out, after several more misleading tips are investigated. When the case is resolved Elsa and Jim wed, while Marian and Bernard also wed after finding time for romance during the murder investigation.
REVIEWED ON 2/15/2016 GRADE: B- https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/