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The Drums of Jeopardy (1931 film)

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The Drums of Jeopardy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge B. Seitz
Written byFlorence Ryerson
Based onThe Drums of Jeopardy by Harold McGrath
Produced byPhil Goldstone
StarringWarner Oland
June Collyer
Lloyd Hughes
CinematographyArthur Reed
Edited byOtto Ludwig
Music byVal Burton
Production
company
Distributed byTiffany Pictures
Release date
  • March 2, 1931 (1931-03-02)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Drums of Jeopardy is a 1931 American pre-Code horror film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Warner Oland, June Collyer and Lloyd Hughes. It is the second film adaptation of Harold McGrath's novel of the same name, and stars Oland as Dr. Boris Karlov.

The name of the villain in the novel was originally called Boris Karlov, but when the actor Boris Karloff rose to prominence circa 1923, the character's name was changed to Gregor Karlov in the 1923 silent film adaptation to avoid confusion. It was changed back to Boris again in this 1931 remake of the film.[1] The film's was produced by Tiffany Pictures, one of the leading independent studios in Hollywood. The sets were designed by the art director Fay Babcock.

Plot

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In the Russian Empire, the nobleman Prince Gregor Petroff seduces chemist Boris Karlov's daughter Anya, who then commits suicide after becoming pregnant. After discovering Anya's body with the Drums of Jeopardy, a necklace owned by the Petroff family, Karlov vows revenge against them.

Dr. Karlov develops a poison gas to kill the Petroffs. After the Russian Revolution, Karlov joins the Bolsheviks and kills a general from the family. The rest of the family is evacuated to New York City by the U.S. Secret Service.

Karlov follows the Petroffs to America and corners them at a safe house in New Jersey. Although Gregor blames Nicholas, Karlov kills him and tries to take revenge by forcing Nicholas to murder his love interest Kitty Conover. They are rescued by the police, and Dr. Karlov is killed by his own gas.

Cast

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Release

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The film was first released on DVD on August 31, 2004.[2]

Reception

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On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar called it, "a very interesting variation on the typical horror revenge plot".[3] Dennis Schwartz from Ozus' World Movie Reviews awarded the film an "A−". In his review he wrote, "Despite the poor quality of its print, this PRC film reaches greatness in its portrayal of villainy and is worth watching despite the film's bad shape."[4]

References

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  1. ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era", Midnight Marquee Press. p. 259; ISBN 978-1936168-68-2
  2. ^ "The Drums of Jeopardy (1931) - George B. Seitz". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Sindelar, Dave (August 17, 2015). "Drums of Jeopardy (1931)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  4. ^ Schwartz, Dennis. "drumsofjeopardy". Sover.net. Dennis Schwartz. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
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