A POVERTY ROW DOUBLE FEATURE

 

 

ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT (1935)

This 66 minute programmer from Mascot Pictures follows the pattern of many similar "old dark house" mystery-comedies. Wealthy old guy Jasper White (Charlie Grapewin), who has one foot in the grave, gathers together a small group of family members and other associates, including the family housekeeper, to announce his plans to give each of them one million dollars. That is, of course, unless he is able to find his long lost granddaughter, Doris Waverly, in which case all of the money will go to her. Well, lo and behold, guess who shows up at the front door? The long lost granddaughter (Evelyn Knapp). While everyone in the house is trying to process this alarming development, another woman (Mary Carlisle) appears, also claiming to be the granddaughter. Mayhem ensues.

Christy Cabanne directed this movie with all of the appropriate dark-and-stormy-night atmosphere and creepy old mansion sets. The black and white cinematography is very good, especially in the opening moments. Also featured are Lucien Littlefield, Regis Toomey, Wallace Ford, Arthur Hohl, Hedda Hopper, Clarence Wilson and Rafaele Ottiano.

SWAMP WOMAN  (1941)

The woman inhabiting this particular swamp is burlesque queen Ann Corio, whose performance strongly suggests she would be better off concentrating on stripping in front of a live audience rather than emoting in front of a camera. The beautiful Miss Corio is joined in this cinematic swamp by perennial tough guy Jack La Rue, this time cast as a good guy and giving the best performance in this low budget programmer from PRC. Miss Corio plays, believe it or not, a burlesque queen who returns to her close knit backwoods community in the Deep South Swampland. While there, she gets involved with an escaped convict, an unsolved murder, and tries to entice her former boyfriend La Rue into some hot, swampy love. We get to see a few of her mildly suggestive dance moves as the film meanders to its eventual, and not terribly exciting, conclusion, whereupon life in the swamp is peaceful once again.