This week’s mystery movie has been the 1928 MGM silent picture “West of Zanzibar,” with Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Mary Nolan, Warner Baxter, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Roscoe Ward, Kalla Pasha and Curtis Nero. It was directed by Tod Browning.

The film was adapted by Elliot Clawson from the play “Kongo,”  by Chester De Vonde and Kilbourn Gordon, which received 135 performances on Broadway.

The play starred Walter Huston in the Lon Chaney role as a man named Flint, “a bearded and towering white man who rules black natives with an iron hand” and is “paralyzed from the waist down and accordingly bound to a wheelchair (or else committed to the even more glamorous expedient of dragging himself across the stage),” according to the New York Times review of the play (March 31, 1926). Huston returned to the role in 1932 for the MGM film “Kongo,” with Lupe Velez Virginia Bruce and Conrad Nagel.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Chaney performed his own stunt in which he tumbled over a railing and fell 18 feet during a fight with Lionel Barrymore that left his character paralyzed at the waist.

Los Angeles Times film critic Whitney Williams said (Oct. 14. 1928):

The action is atmospheric to the extent of becoming, at times, gruesome, and a certain aspect of horror marks the scenes in which the things-of-the-jungle-that-crawl are pictured. Those who favor an element of weirdness, a suggestion of the grotesque, in their entertainment, will thoroughly enjoy “West of Zanzibar.” Even those audiences who prefer straight modern day settings will find a note of the unusual to satisfy their palates.

Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times wrote (Dec. 31, 1928):

It is a well concocted narrative and Mr. Chaney gives one of his most able and effective portrayals as he drags himself through scene after scene without using his legs. He descends from his sleeping quarters by means of a knotted rope, and in a curiously expert fashion succeeds time and again in climbing into a wheel chair by merely the use of his strong arms.

“West of Zanzibar” is available from Warner Archive for $15.19.

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This week’s mystery movie has been the 1934 MGM picture “Sadie McKee,” with Joan Crawford, Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone, Edward Arnold and Esther Ralston. The movie was produced by Lawrence Weingarten from a screenplay by John Meehan, adapted from a story by Vina Delmar. It was directed by Clarence Brown with songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Photography was by Oliver T. Marsh and the film was edited by Hugh Wynn, and gowns by Adrian.

Mordaunt Hall wrote in the New York Times (May 19, 1934): “Miss Crawford assuredly does well by her part, but even so the incidents in which she appears often are hardly edifying. It is in fact an exasperating type of motion picture.”

The movie’s theme song, “All I Do Is Dream of You,” is a torch song that was used in “Singin’ in the Rain” under much different circumstances.

“Sadie McKee” is available on DVD in volume 2 of The Joan Crawford Collection.

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This week’s mystery production has been the TV series “Johnny Staccato,” starring John Cassavetes, which aired 27 episodes on NBC in the 1959-1960 season. The mystery episode was “Fly Baby, Fly,” featuring Cassavetes,  Gena Rowlands (his wife), Howard Freeman, Dort Clark, Nesdon Booth, Ingrid Goude, Jan Brooks, Mike Steele and Dennis Sallas. It was directed by Robert B. Sinclair, written by Philip S. Goodman, with music by Elmer Bernstein and photography by Ray Cory. The series was produced by Everett Chambers and the executive producer was William Frye.

Other episodes feature such familiar faces famous character actors as Ted de Corsia, Elisha Cook Jr., Lloyd Corrigan and, according to IMDB, Snub Pollard.

Writing in the Los Angeles Times (Sept. 10, 1959), Cecil Smith said Johnny Staccato “is almost a carbon copy of  of Peter Gunn. The jazz blares, the liquor flows, the girls wait breathlessly for the slightest gesture of affection from Johnny Staccato.” Smith called Cassavetes “one of the best actors in television” and praised the show’s “great jazz music scored by Elmer Bernstein and played by such marvels as Red Norvo, Barney Kessel, Shelley Mann, etc.” (Note: Smith also disliked “Tightrope,” but praised Mike Connors.)

The TV series was made about the same time that Cassavetes was directing “Shadows,” which began as an improvised acting exercise and grew into a film shot over 12 weeks in New York.

Cassavetes told Charles Champlin (Aug. 27, 1984): “When I started making films, that was exactly what I wanted to do, make Frank Capra pictures. But I’ve never been able to make anything except these crazy, tough pictures. It’s not intentional. You just are what you are.”

“Johnny Staccato” is available on DVD from Amazon and random episodes are on DailyMotion.com.

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This week’s mystery movie has been the 1937 MGM picture “Night Must Fall,” with Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, Dame May Whitty, Alan Marshal, Merle Tottenham and Kathleen Harrison, ominous music by Edward Ward, photographed by Ray June, directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Hunt Stromberg.  The  screenplay by John Van Druten was based on the play by Emlyn Williams,  who also directed the Broadway and London versions and starred as Dan (renamed Danny in the film).  Williams, who died in 1987, wrote about two dozen plays including, “The Corn Is Green.” His New York Times obituary is here.

“Night Must Fall” received 64 performances on Broadway in 1936 with Whitty as Mrs. Bramson and was revived in 1999 with a cast that included Matthew Broderick.

Frank S. Nugent of the New York Times wrote (April 30, 1937): “The picture is a sober, evenly modulated and definitely (sorry, Mr. Funk) unusual melodrama, sentiently directed and remarkably well-played.”

Nugent said of Rosalind Russell: “nor has Miss Russell been altogether convincing as the murder-hypnotized niece. Possibly a less aggressive, more mouse-like person would have suited the role better. I felt this part of the film lacked persuasion.”

Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times wrote (May 6, 1937): ” ‘Night Must Fall’ is a thriller at Grauman’s Chinese and Loew’s State theaters, one of the strongest and most uncompromising features of its type…. Much has been lavished on this picture to make it worthwhile and clearly it is a rare novelty — outstanding in that respect during the season.” The film was co-billed Laurel and Hardy’s “Way Out West.

In the past, I have avoided movies that recently aired on TCM, but since I cut back on cable in January, I stopped following TCM’s (rather repetitive) programming. Evidently “Night Must Fall” aired Wednesday, but I had no idea.

“Night Must Fall” is available on DVD from Warner Archive for $16.99.

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This week’s mystery movie has been the 1934 Universal picture “Imitation of Life,” with Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson, Ned Sparks, Louise Beavers, Fredi Washington, Baby Jane, Alan Hale, Henry Armetta and Wyndham Standing. The film was directed by John M. Stahl, with a screenplay by William Hurlbut, adapted from the novel by Fannie Hurst. It was produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.

Writing in the Nov. 24, 1934, New York Times, Andre Sennwald said:

Since a candid examination of Fannie Hurst’s “Imitation of Life” will only force this unpleasant department to label it the most shameless tearjerker of the Fall, let us proceed to an objective report on the latest of the cinemized social histories of America’s favorite philosopher. “Imitation of Life” is a dignified and sober dramatic chronicle which proceeds on its earnest way for almost two hours.

Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times wrote (Nov. 28, 1934):

“Imitation of Life” is a screen victory that may well fling glory to its personnel, especially those who have contrived behind the screen to bring it to the screen…. There was sufficient testimony of tears last night to provie that “Imitation of Life” will be the joy of its women audiences.”

I picked “Imitation of Life” as this week’s film because my friend Farran Smith Nehme has an article about Carl Laemmle Jr. in Film Comment.

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