A Shriek in the Night

The film literally starts off with a shriek in the night when a man falls to his death from the penthouse of an apartment building. What appeared to be suicide turns out an act of murder and, much more than the local police force, two competing journalists start looking for the murderer. This is a rather curious film because it's not really the plot which interests you…but only the characters. The actual search for the murderer's identity and his whole motivation is mediocre, but the dialogues between the two journalists are very wit and cleverly written. They constantly try to overtrump each other, which results in scenes that are both funny and emotional. The supportive characters are very enchanting as well, particularly the hysterical housemaid (Lillian Harmer) and the overly shy police-assistant Wilfred. "A Shriek in the Night" might not be the most memorable murder-mystery of the 1930's, but it's definitely worth a look in case you're a fan of classic, primitive cinema.