Guilty as Hell (1932)

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

Arthur Kober (writer)
Frank Partos (writer)

Release Date:

5 August 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

Hidden hands ended her life! Whose were they?

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Based On Play

Cast

Edmund Lowe	...	Russell Kirk
Victor McLaglen	...	Detective Capt. T.R. McKinley
Richard Arlen	...	Frank C. Marsh
Adrienne Ames	...	Vera Marsh
Henry Stephenson	...	Dr. Ernest S. Tindal
Ralph Ince	...	Jack Reed
Noel Francis	...	Julia Reed
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Elvira Ward
Arnold Lucy	...	Dr. Sully
Willard Robertson	...	Police Sgt. Alcock
Richard Tucker	...	District Attorney
Fred Kelsey	...	Detective Duffy
Claire Dodd	...	Ruth Tindal
Lillian Harmer	...	Mrs. Alvin

Also Known As:

Guilty as Charged (UK)

Runtime:

USA:80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Movie Connections:

Version of Night Club Scandal (1937)

Excellent "Columbo"-style caper

"Guilty As Hell" is an excellent crime drama which follows the same format later used in the "Columbo" tv series: we see a man plan a murder and carry it out, then we see him attempt to mislead the homicide detective. This film is NOT a whodunit, because we know the murderer's identity and methods from the very beginning. What matters here is the duel of wits between the killer and the sleuth. Wealthy Doctor Tindall (played by Henry Stephenson) murders his wife and sets up an elaborate "Columbo"-type alibi for himself, involving his next-door neighbours and a vacuum-tube radio of the type that was common when this movie was made (1932). One piece of business in this movie will be obscure for modern viewers, so (without spoiling anything, and to help you follow what's happening) I'll explain that old-fashioned radios didn't activate until several seconds after they were switched on, because they needed time for the valves to warm up. As part of his murder scheme, Dr Tindall also invents a new flavour of chewing-gum; what he does with it will surprise you.

The chief detective is well-played by Victor McLaglen, and his rival is Edmund Lowe. These two actors played friendly adversaries in many films (going back to "What Price Glory?" in silent days) and their rivalry here is a pleasure to watch. Instead of teaming up to solve the murder, they work against each other.

I'll give "Guilty As Hell" seven and a half points out of 10 ... or 8 points if you like unconventional crime stories.