ShangLuda Admirable film.

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

MartinHafer "The King Murder" is available on DVD from Alpha Video. Like most of Alpha's films, this one has a rather rough print--a bit blurry (looking as if copied from a videotape or just a very used print) and with poor sound (there's too much background hiss). Unfortunately, this is likely the only way you'll find the film so you'll need to accept it, warts and all. Fortunately, as the film progresses, the sound quality at least improves though at the end it suddenly became worse.This story was apparently based on a famous murder case of the era involving a blackmailer named Dot King. Interestingly, the studio (Universal) didn't disguise this very well, naming the character Miriam King.Miriam has made a career out of seducing rich married men. Then, once she has incriminating information, she blackmails them into paying her not to produce this information to their wives. After her latest shakedown, Miriam ends up dead and the police are trying to figure out what happened. It isn't easy, as she's gathered a lot of enemies over the years.Conway Tearle plays Detective Barton--the man assigned to work on this murder case. Interestingly, despite the subject matter being rather salacious and the recentness of the actual murder, the film did NOT seem exploitational in the least. Likewise, it was handled in a quiet, cerebral fashion and the overall film was far better than I'd expected--especially since it was from tiny-budget Chesterfield Productions. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that the pawn broker seemed incredibly broadly portrayed---extremely Jewish--most likely in keeping with stereotypes of the day. Worth seeing even with the lousy print.

Paularoc Evidently, this movie was based on the unsolved 1923 murder of showgirls Dorothy King. King needs $5,000 to pay off her ex- boyfriend and tries to blackmail one of her current wealthy customers into giving her the money. Conway Tearle plays the detective in charge of the investigation who just happens to be in love with the wife of one of his friends; a friend who later becomes a suspect. Tearle is unbelievably wooden in his performance as is Natalie Moorehead in her role of the wife. The best part of the movie is the interesting way a young couple establishes an alibi for the time of the murder - that was clever. And the murder method was kind of interesting. But other than that it's a bit of a slog to watch all the way through. A mildly interesting period mystery but not memorable.

kidboots Classy Natalie Moorehead plays Beth Hawthorn, who is worried her fiancée is involved with a notorious gold-digger, Miriam King (Dorothy Reiver). Miriam is being blackmailed by a Mr. Scott and agrees to ask one of her lovers for the $5,000 needed. Before she can obtain the money she is murdered.Pretty Marceline Day plays Pearl Hope, Miriam's former room-mate. She is in love with Marino (Don Alvarado, a Latin type actor in vogue in the early sound era) who was also involved with Miriam months before. Everybody is implicated in the murder.Conway Tearle, a matinée idol of the silent screen, plays the chief detective. Maurice Black, who had a long list of credits usually playing ethnics was Mr. Scott.The story isn't much although there are so many suspects you will never guess who did it. It is just nice to see 3 beautiful actresses in the same short film.

pdutram A tidy little murder mystery from Chesterfield that keeps you guessing until the end. Who killed the blackmailing gold digger? There are plenty of suspects including three of her current marks, wives and girlfriends, and a former partner. The murderer accidentally (not intentionally) gets some of his own medicine in the end. Any of these 1930s quickies that surprises at the end is worth seeing. Chesterfield has a fairly good record for turning them out, better than most second tier studios. Dorothy Revier as the two-faced vixen is believable as "that kind of woman". You have to wonder how she can conceal her baser nature from the shills. The shapely Marceline Day is always worth watching. Conway Tearle's usual dull acting style fits perfectly here as the chief of detectives, reflecting the quiet competence of a man who has seen it all many times before. The plot moves at an appropriate police procedural pace.