Reginald Owen graduated to the part of Holmes in A Study in Scarlet (1933). He also wrote the script (from an adaptation by Robert Florey) and was naturally anxious to fill it with plenty of roles for fellow actors. For comic relief, he repeated a device from the 1932 film. This time the besieged hotelier was played by Hobart Cavanaugh, his lone customer by Billy Bevan.
In major roles, the wonderful Anna May Wong shines as Mrs Pyke, while Alan Dinehart beamed with equal assurance as a crooked lawyer. Alan Mowbray essayed a quick-witted Lestrade, while Warburton Gamble did the honors as Dr Watson.
The rest of the players from Doris Lloyd's hesitating Widow Murphy to Tempe Pigott's briefly-glimpsed Mrs Hudson are equally fascinating.
Edwin L. Marin has directed with a surprisingly sure hand, and by the humble standards of Poverty Row, production values are mighty impressive. (Agatha Christie enjoyed the movie so much, she even borrowed one of its major devices).
(Available on a 5/10 Alpha DVD with warped but acceptable visuals, and extremely noisy sound. I recommend the 8/10 St Clair DVD instead).
In major roles, the wonderful Anna May Wong shines as Mrs Pyke, while Alan Dinehart beamed with equal assurance as a crooked lawyer. Alan Mowbray essayed a quick-witted Lestrade, while Warburton Gamble did the honors as Dr Watson.
The rest of the players from Doris Lloyd's hesitating Widow Murphy to Tempe Pigott's briefly-glimpsed Mrs Hudson are equally fascinating.
Edwin L. Marin has directed with a surprisingly sure hand, and by the humble standards of Poverty Row, production values are mighty impressive. (Agatha Christie enjoyed the movie so much, she even borrowed one of its major devices).
(Available on a 5/10 Alpha DVD with warped but acceptable visuals, and extremely noisy sound. I recommend the 8/10 St Clair DVD instead).