A Shriek in the Night (1933)

A Shriek in the Night (1933) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Reporter Pat Morgan (Ginger Rogers) is fired from her job after scoring a big scoop but accidentally giving it to the rival newspaper. That rival newspaper's reporter Ted Kord (Lyle Talbot) agrees to work with Pat as they investigate some bizarre murders taking place at an apartment complex.A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT will never be mistaken for the work of Alfred Hitchcock or Roman Polanski but considering it's small budget the film manages to be entertaining from the opening scene to the closing credits. A lot of the credit needs to go to a rather good screenplay but also the two leads who certainly help keep the film moving with their comic banter.I say comic banter but perhaps the better word would be the back- and-forth flirting. If you're familiar with the early part of 30s cinema then you already know that there were countless mystery or detective films. This one here sets itself apart because it has Rogers right before she became a huge Hollywood star and Talbot as well, years before his decline into films like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (which I love).Rogers and Talbot are certainly the main reasons to watch this film as they work well with one another but they are given a screenplay that offers up some smart dialogue and funny situations. The comedy aspect is kept on the low but the mystery itself is quite good and holds your attention as well.A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT isn't a classic but it's certainly worth watching.

When millionaire philanthropist falls from the top of a luxury apartment it is a mystery; did he fall, did he jump or was the pushed? The first person questioned is the dead man's secretary she claims to have no idea what happened and suggests the police talk to the maid; however she does warn them that the is a little dumb. The maid claims she may have heard a hissing noise but isn't certain. As the police discuss matters a reporter, Ted Rand, bluffs his way into the apartment… he isn't the first reporter there though; the secretary. Pat Morgan, is actually a reporter too. She had been investigating her employer and knew a lot more than she told the police. Unfortunately for her as the calls in the story she doesn't realise she is telling the story to her rival on the other phone rather than her paper. She gets the sack and is determined to get her revenge on Rand, who she was once involved with.As the story progresses more people die and motives start to emerge. It seems the dead man was involved with the woman in the apartment below and when she is found dead suspicion falls on the husband… although there are other dodgy characters about; including the mob. As Morgan digs deeper into the story she puts herself in real danger.At just over an hour in length this film doesn't outstay its welcome. There is a nice mystery with a reasonable number of suspects. While it is listed as a comedy it is better to think of it as a drama with a few comical moments as there are few real laughs to be had…if you don't include some of the overacting by secondary characters! Leads Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot are likable as Morgan and Rand. Given the fairly light tone to much of the film its ending gets quite dark; it looked as though Morgan was going to be incinerated by the villain… even though it was unlikely to actually happen this proved quite tense. Overall a pretty good film; it may be a bit crackly but the story is quite fresh.

This film begins with the sound of a man screaming as he is falling from a high-rise building to his death. It turns out that the man is a millionaire living in a penthouse and the police aren't sure if his death was due to an accident, suicide or murder. However, three weeks prior to his death he had hired a new secretary by the name of "Ms. Terry" (Ginger Rogers). At least that is what he thought. It subsequently turns out that she is a reporter by the name of "Pat Morgan" and she is working for the "Morning News". Her reason for masquerading as his secretary was to investigate whether this millionaire had underworld dealings with a mobster by the name of "Josephus Martini" (Maurice Black). Unfortunately, she accidentally gives the scoop to her rival "Ted Kord" (Lyle Talbot) who works for the "Daily Express". She is subsequently fired but it just so happens that there is much more to the case than either Pat or Ted realize at the time. Anyway, rather than divulging any more of the story I will just say that this was a decent little film that was probably rather good for its time (1933). It had an intriguing plot with a good measure of both comedy and mystery thrown in. On the other hand, the lighting was really bad and I thought that the script was a bit arcane and abrupt as well. In any case, this is clearly a grade-B movie which was only made watchable by the presence of Ginger Rogers who puts in a decent performance all things considered. Overall, I rate it as average.

In "A Shriek In The Night" a young (22 at the time) Ginger Rogers shows some of the star quality that would, only a few years later, make her one of Hollywood's most beloved "golden age" stars. She is magnetic, and you can't take your eyes off her. To be fair, if you DID take your eyes off her in this movie, you wouldn't have much else worth looking at! The film has a captivating start, but the comedy is not particularly funny, the mystery cheats shamelessly, there is a dated "a woman's place is in the home" message, and the film drags so much it makes the running time of one hour feel like two. A couple of atmospheric scenes, the not-so-clueless-after-all inspector's assistant, and of course Ginger herself are the saving graces. Beware of some DVD covers which give away the secret of who the killer is! ** out of 4.