A fool and his money are soon parted.
Jasper Whyte is a cranky old rich guy. On this night, at midnight, a new law goes into effect that would take a big bite out of his fortune as inheritance taxes. To outwit the government he plans on divvying up his fortune before that happens. The beneficiaries are his niece Laura Proctor (Hedda Hopper) and her husband Arthur (Arthur Hohl), nephew Tom Dean (Regis Toomey), Whyte’s physician Dr. Denham (Lucien Littlefield), his attorney Mr. Felix (Clarence Wilson) and his housekeeper Elvira (Rafaela Ottiano). Each is to get a million dollars.
Jasper also states that he has a granddaughter and that if she is found before he dies he is going to give all his money to her. Suddenly his attorney shows up at the estate with the previously missing granddaughter Doris Waverly (Evalyn Knapp) in tow. Jasper is ready to fork over his millions when another Doris Waverly (Mary Carlisle) shows up. Her partner Joe Luvalle (Wallace Ford), the magician known as “The Great Luvalle”, is not far behind.
The mystery begins when someone kills the fake Doris Waverly. Sheriff Jenks (Fred Kelsey) and his deputy Abner (Adrian Morris) begin their investigation. Sort of. Most of the time they are either tripping over themselves or the butt of jokes. In the meantime the real Doris Waverly is still in danger. Someone doesn’t want any Doris Waverlys to inherit. It’s up to Jasper, with the bumbling assistance from The Great Luvalle to gather the clues and solve the crime.
“One Frightened Night” AKA “Skeleton in the Closet” was released in 1935 and was directed by “Christy Cabanne”. It was based on a story by Stuart Palmer (The Smiling Ghost). The movie is a typical “Old Dark House” comedy/mystery. It’s a fast passed 65 minutes of everyone blaming everyone else, everyone framing everyone else and clues pointing to everyone. It is complete with secret passages, a thunderstorm, a damsel in distress and an evil villain wearing a mask.
The humor is good with most of it coming from both Wallace Ford and Charley Grapewin. (You’ll remember him as Uncle Henry in “The Wizard of Oz” 1939.) The dialogue was snappy and the acting good. For the most part, even the characters are charming. There were a few that I wished actually got their million dollars.
If you’re a fan of old time murder mysteries or spooky Old Dark House thrillers this is right up your alley.