Wow! Such a good movie.

The Worst Film Ever

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Pat Morgan (Ginger Rogers) and Ted Kord (Lyle Talbot) are rival newspaper reporters always trying to outscoop each other. They join together to solve a series of murders being committed in an apartment building.This film came to my attention because it appears in a public domain horror box set. Horror, despite the word "shriek" in the title, it is not. Public domain, sadly, it is... and I am a bit surprised that no one has tried to rescue it for no other reason than it having Ginger Rogers.The story itself is actually pretty good, more of a murder mystery than anything else. And, of course, reporters who have a friendly rivalry with each other and the police. Maybe it is time for this film to get some new attention?

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.

Some rich guy takes a spill off a block of flats to the pavement below. The detective involved in the case thinks it isn't just a normal accident, especially when it turns out that the dead guy's secretary, Ginger Rogers, is really an investigative journalist. It seems the guy had mob connections (the gangster also has an apartment in the same building), but, if the mob whacked him, what's the meaning of the business cards that have a picture of a snake and the words 'You will hear it' written on them?I'll say no more about the plot as it works quite well up to a point, until the film non-chalantly reveals the killer about three quarters of the way through. Even though the mystery element is dispensed with, the film works well as our killer now targets the people getting close to discovering his identity. There's a lot of noir elements here as we see the killer's shadow a lot, and a lot of intrigue as two rival journalists try to outdo each other before joining forces. I almost got a giallo feel from this one (even though the giallo was far off in the future), what with the calling cards and such like. It's only an hour long so shouldn't tax your patience in any way. I'm beginning to really enjoy these old mystery films.

"Rival reporters Pat Morgan (Ginger Rogers) and Ted Rand (Lyle Talbot) are always trying to out-scoop each other on stories. The latest involves the mysterious death of a philanthropist who fell to his death after a shriek was heard from his penthouse apartment. The two reporters start out as rivals but combine efforts to solve the crime and write the story when more residents of the apartment building turn up dead," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.This said-to-be follow-up to "The Thirteenth Guest" has little to do with the earlier movie; it is not a sequel, as has been inferred. Ms. Rogers continues to develop her skills. Mr. Talbot adds a little humor to his characterization. They are a pleasant team, the plot is interesting and mysterious; but, the resulting film is very dull. The opening and closing are startling. A long-winded wrap-up of plot development points follows the climax.*** A Shriek in the Night (1933) Albert Ray ~ Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Harvey Clark