J. Walter Ruben (1899–1942)

“You don't believe in ghosts do ya?”

“No, but I'm afraid of ‘em!”

This fun little “B” mystery made by RKO in the early 1930s had a deliberate tie-in with radio, and enough talent behind and in front of the camera to make it a late night gem when viewed today.

Looking to secure a built in audience for the mystery, someone came up with the nifty idea of finishing off a radio show at the movies. NBC broadcast The Phantom for six weeks, but listeners didn’t get to hear the conclusion. A contest with many prizes encouraged fans to submit their own ending to the mystery. Winners didn’t have to come close to the film’s solution to win, it was simply a gimmick to get people into theaters, which it did, to the tune of more than $100,000 in profits for RKO.

Former silent star Ricardo Cortez has the male lead, with Karen Morley and Anita Louise brightening the proceedings quite nicely. Writer Bartlett Cormack and director J. Walter Ruben didn’t really offer anything new, but a young David Selznick and Merian C. Cooper gave this film a polished look, and the attractive cast did the rest. While it doesn't have machine gun pizazz, this “B” mystery is told with a touch of “A” class by all involved, and it’s a lot of fun.

Karen Morley was borrowed from MGM for an added dash of elegance, but Anita Louise is equally chic and even more adorable in her role as Morley’s daughter. The story begins on radio, with the announcer talking about the contest, and inviting listeners to now watch along, as the mystery of who killed the two people is finally solved. What follows has that same sense of fun old mystery shows from radio had; fans of that medium will no doubt enjoy this one. The two people who had already been murdered on radio are named, but I will not mention them here in case viewers want to turn the sound down during the first two minutes of the announcement portion, which comes immediately, and watch the entire mystery. It doesn’t in my opinion take away from the enjoyment of the film if you know, however.

Power outages, a secret passageway from the cliffs by the sea to the house, a dead man’s pin, a death mask, and another murder, not to mention an attempted one, keep viewers entertained. It seems much better on-screen than it does on paper, thanks to the polished production.

Pauline Frederick, H.B. Warner, Mary Duncan, Sam Hardy, and Tom Douglas join Cortez, Morley, and Louise for what is a very fun “B” mystery with an added interest for old radio fans to enjoy. Another good one for a rainy night.… (plus d'informations)