A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT

US, 1933, 66 minutes, Black and white.
Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, Harvey Clark, Purnell Pratt, Lillian Harmer, Louise Beavers.
Directed by Albert Ray.

A Shriek in the Night is notable as being one of the earliest of Ginger Rogers’ films. She co-stars with Lyle Talbot and they appeared later in 1933 in another murder mystery, the 13th Guest.

This is a murder mystery, a wealthy man falling from the top of a building, the police investigating, his secretary being present at the time – although, it is soon revealed that she is a journalist who has been suspicious of the man and his dealings with criminals. There are several other murders in the building.

Lyle Talbot is a go-getting reporter who pushes his way into the investigation, picks up a phone where the secretary is dictating her exclusive story to her editor, so she thinks, but has given it to her rival who sends it to his paper where he receives splash headlines. The two reporters, of course, have a past together. There is an amusing twist where to get her revenge, she spins him quite a tale about what happened – only to discover that he has tried to make things right by phoning it in in her name to her paper!

There are complications with criminals and the deaths. However, the solution runs along a different line, information given about a man who was executed, a victim of the criminals – and it is the caretaker of the building, who seemed innocent at first but then attacks the reporter, who was getting revenge because the executed man was his brother.

One of the most striking things about the film is its black-and-white photography, quite an emphasis on light and darkness, especially darkness, very much in the vein of German Expressionist films, worth looking at for this reason as well is the touch of murder mystery and some screwball comedy.