The Mind Reader (1933)

Some things I liked some I did not.

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

An absolute waste of money

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

A con-man works his way up the fortune-telling ladder only to find his life is not made better.The con-man role is tailor made for the commanding Warren William. His Chandra The Fortune Teller is such a masterful stage presence who in the audience would dare challenge his psychic gift. Never mind that his shifty confederate Frank (Jenkins) is feeding him answers telephonically. It makes for a heckuva show, and the rubes keep coming, sometimes ruefully so. Oddly, I found myself being anxious when there's problems with the messaging relay from Frank. That is, do I really want Chandra to succeed in his criminal con job. Yet I couldn't help being torn. Anyway, notice in passing, how the map shows Chandra first touring smaller border state towns, nothing big yet. That will come later, once he hones his act. Cummings (Sylvia) makes an attractive love interest, even if the script presents her flip-flops in a pretty implausible light. Also, the familiar Allen Jenkins plays his part pretty straight, unlike many of his comedic side-kick parts. Now, you might think, courtesy the screenplay, that every upper-class husband in New York has a silken mistress, leaving a broken-hearted wife behind. Then too, I suspect that dark suspicion played well with Depression era audiences. But once Chandra goes big-time, there are no more rubes, only the sleek and well upholstered. Frankly, I didn't like the big turnaround that comes last. After all, this is pre-Code, so abject mea-culpa endings aren't required as they soon would be. Up to that point, the story really deserves a climax more ironic than the implausibly conventional. (Check out the similar Nightmare Alley {1947} for a more apt ending.)Anyway, William has to be one of the neglected delights of that long ago period. Passing away in 1948 means he had no post-war credits to speak of. Thus he's largely unknown even to many old movie fans. It's that pre-Code period, before his serial programmers (Perry Mason, the Lone Wolf), where he really shines, usually as an ethically challenged big-wig (Employee's Entrance {1933}; Skyscraper Souls {1932}). And there's no one better. Plus, he's good enough here to make even the flawed, albeit interesting, script well worth watching.

The ever affable Warren William stars as the title character, a traveling carny who engages in crooked confidence scams with his colleagues Frank and Sam (Allen Jenkins and Clarence Muse). He falls for one of his victims, a charming young thing played by the beautiful Constance Cummings, who gets her man back on the straight and narrow--only to find him falling off the wagon when a new job hawking brushes door-to-door doesn't quite pan out. Thanks to Stephen Sondheim, this classic 'B' feature returned to television recently, and it's quite a revelation. Filled with pre-Code flavor, including references to the Mann Act, drug abuse, and oodles of adultery, The Mind Reader is far from being a one-trick pony: it also features a well developed screenplay by Robert Lord and Wilson Mizner, impressive expressionistic photography by the reliable Sol Polito, and some stunning art deco set design by Robert Haas. It all comes together beautifully thanks to director Roy Del Ruth, but the real revelation for me was the acting of Ms. Cummings--still with us as I write this! Besides looking radiant, she delivers a tour-de-force performance as the put upon Sylvia, whose innocence soon turns to anger and resignation when she realizes the true nature of her husband's work. As would be expected, William and Jenkins are both excellent, and Muse gets a sizable and generally dignified role as well. For any number of reasons, this is a wonderful relic of 1930s cinema that needs to get a DVD release. Happily, TCM's print has been well preserved and looks as good or better than any big budget classic from the period.

Warren William turns in a superb performance. Allen Jenkins, always fun if a bit tedious in later comic gangster tales, does fine. The fine black actor Clarence Muse is given a meaty role and does beautifully by it. And Constance Cummings, whom I saw several decades after this in a magnificent performance on Broadway, is excellent.This is a dark, twisting tale. William is a grifter who's tried a few rackets before he hits on mind reading. He and Jenkins pull some shady business in Cummings's hometown (emphasis on town) but she falls for him. She thinks he's the real thing, for a while, and he tries hard to go straight for her.There is no wrong move. It's taut and disturbing. Roy del Ruth was a sensationally good director at this time, though this is darker than what he generally worked with.No happy Hollywood ending is slapped on. William is seen about to pay for his evil ways but it sure doesn't look as if he is going to get a last-minute reprieve, nor does he seem particularly changed in his soul.Keep an eye out for this one!

William Warren plays a fraud who must choose between his girl and his fraudulent - but lucrative - profession. Interesting use of crooked camera angles to depict crooked dealings. Warren displays a wider acting range than in other movies.