THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1939)

A radio host is about to go on his show to drop a bombshell story when a couple interrupts and begs him not to continue. Suddenly the host drops dead and we discover we're watching a play called Dangerous Currents. But the host, played by actor John Woodford (for whom the theater is named), is really dead. The show is stopped, the body moved to a dressing room and the police called. But when the coroner arrives, the body is missing, which halts the investigation in its tracks. Joseph Morton, the theater owner, closes the theater, though his brother Robert, who always needs money, isn’t happy about the plan. A year later, a producer named McHugh leases the theater intending to restage the play with most of the original cast, despite rumors that the theater is haunted by Woodford's ghost. In the theater as everyone gathers, McHugh gets a phone call warning him not to stage the show; it's then discovered that the phone hasn't been hooked up yet, so the call had to have come from inside the theater. Two new actors have to be hired: a gold-digging dimbulb actress named Gloria who latches onto the perhaps equally dim Robert, and a new leading man named Carleton who starts to get written threats signed by Woodford—even though a decomposed body assumed to be Woodford's is found on the premises. We also find out that McHugh isn't really a producer but a policeman eager to solve the Woodford murder. He does but not before another murder and a nifty climax on the reopened show’s opening night. This is a remake of the silent film THE LAST WARNING and it's very faithful, even using some of the same character names. The original is more atmospheric whereas this one has the drabber feel of a B-movie, which it is. But it's still fairly fun. The leading man, William Gargan (McHugh), is one of my B-lead favorites. The director, Joe May, made many hits in Germany before the Nazi takeover, but in Hollywood was only able to find B-movie work. His direction here feels uninspired but adequate. Good support is given by Alan Dinehart and Robert Coote as the Morton brothers, Harvey Stephens as Dick Pierce, the actor who eventually takes Woodford's place, and Dorothy Arnold as Gloria. El Brendel and Tom Dugan provide mild comic relief as two stagehands. Though the plots are nearly identical, both movies are worth watching. Pictured above is Gargan. [YouTube]