A Scream in the Night (1935)

Better Late Then Never

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

in the late 1950's***SOILERS*** Lon Cheney Jr. is both the scuzzy unkempt and petty crook Butch Curtin as well as the handsome well dressed & spoken private investigator Jack Wilson here as he tries to recover the stolen Tear of Buddha emerald in some un-named country that's seems to be situated between China & India.. The emerald was stolen from American diamond dealer Joe Bentelt, John Ince, after he was almost strangled by Johnny Fly, Manuel Lopez, who's been after it for years. Being a dead ringer for Butch Curtain who's Fly's assistant Jack Wilson after having Curtain arrested and put on ice takes over his identity in an effort to get Johhny to reveal where the emerald is hidden.Not much of a movie in that it was so bad that it's studio, Astor Studios, kept it on the shelf for eight years only to release it in 1943 when Cheney was by then an established star and feeling some movie goers and Cheney fans will be interested in seeing it just for that reason alone. The film limps alone until the final scene where we have Wilson as Butch Curtain have it out with Johnny Fly. That's after his cover was blown by Johnny's jealous girlfriend Mora, Zarah Tazil, who felt he was to leave her for another woman. This was when Mora in a jealous fit went after the other woman the kidnapped Edith Bentley, John Bentley's daughter, played by Shelia Terry. It was Shelia who Mora felt had stolen Johnny Fly away from her which led to a wild cat fight between the two at the end of the film.As for Lon Cheney's Jr. it wasn't until some four years later in 1939 when he played the part of the tragic and simple minded Lenny in "Mice and Men" that he made him a star. And it could have been the reason that no one saw "A Scream in the night" and how awful it was that made it very possible for Cheney to have gotten that part. and from there he went to bigger and better roles like "The Wolf Man" and "Son of Dracula" as well as the unforgettable Butcher Benton in the bad movie classic "Indistructable Man" before his movie career fizzled out.

This film is notable for one thing--an early appearance by Lon Chaney, Jr.--here billed under his actual name, Creighton Chaney. Aside from that, it's a very low-budget B-movie--and it shows its low pedigree in every way. The acting is often abysmal, the script clichéd and I assumed it was directed by a chimp! The film is about some stolen ruby and a criminal that strangles his victims but as yet is unknown. To get to the bottom of this, a police detective (Chaney) poses as one of the killer's henchmen--who just so happens to look EXACTLY like Chaney!!! How fortuitous! Think about it. the odds of a person looking EXACTLY like someone else are astronomically great. Yet here, on top of that, the cop on the case just happens to look exactly like the #1 suspect!! Sometimes in film you need to suspend disbelief to enjoy them--here you just need to be very stupid! The bottom line is that the actors(?) often struggle over delivering their lines (especially the ones doing outrageous accents), there is a fight scene at the end that is hilariously bad and the entire plot is based on a bad cliché. Even for fans of B-movies, this one is very slow going and dull.By the way, if you do choose to see this film, listen to Chaney's voice. Neither character sounds like Chaney did in his films just a few years later. My assumption is that he got some voice lessons in order to deepen his voice.

A detective is on the pursuit of a jewel thief somewhere in the Far East. This very short movie moves at a snail's pace and in truth does not provide very much entertainment. Lon Chaney plays two separate roles here, as the aforementioned detective and a drunken thug. In all honesty, neither character is terribly interesting. Neither is the plot-line either. It's all very lethargic and poorly presented. It was obviously shot on a low budget but that's not really much of an excuse for something so tedious. The title of the movie is entirely meaningless too - I guess it was designed to make it sound like a horror film, and the Chaney name would help sell it. But there are no thrills in this one sadly. The star of the show was probably the lippy parrot that lived in the bar. That of course is strictly faint praise.

Creaky Ray Kirkwood Production about a man and his niece in an Eastern seaport meeting trouble over a stolen gem. The uncle gets his hands on a rare gem briefly before it is taken from him along with his niece. A colonial policeman, and former/future love interest to the pretty niece, goes incognito as a henchman for the kidnapper/thief with whom he has an uncanny resemblance. This is basically the plot of this short, barely under an hour, cheaply-made production. Director Fred C. Newmeyer doesn't have much to work with here: sparse budget despite the need of an "exotic" setting, a weak, yet spirited script by Norman Springer where the dual roles of Detective Jack Wilson and Butch Curtain are the primary focal points, and some less than inspiring performances. Lon Chaney plays the dual roles and is at the very least a hoot to watch. His Jack Wilson is very good and conservatively played, but Chaney goes all out for his ugly, swarthy, drunk, gambling, less-than-brilliant Butch Curtain. Though neither character gets much depth of characterization, there are a few scenes with Chaney hamming it up as Curtain gambling that I found humorous - while he plays darts a parrot continually taunts him and gets him to eye the bird several times prior to throwing a knife with great accuracy at the dart board. Shelia Terry is very fetching as the lovely niece if nothing else, but none of the other actors are too good nor are they real horrible either. This movie is mildly entertaining but really suffers from the budgetary constraints of being a Ray Kirkwood Production. The title is also misleading as it has almost nothing to do with anything.