Gregory Sloane (Hugh Trevor) is engaged to Sally Wayne (Betty Compson), the author of several dime novel murder mysteries. Greg wants Sally to stop writing and just become a housewife. Sally has no intension of stopping. Sally refuses to marry Greg until he is willing to support her decision to be a novelist. Greg and Sally are entertaining a small group of people who are members of what they jokingly refer to as “The Hawk Island Crime Club”. For atmosphere they hold their meetings at Greg’s castle on Hawk Island, off the coast of Cuba.
Of the other members of the ‘club’, Tom Austen (Lowell Sherman), is a criminal lawyer and helps Sally with legal questions concerning her storylines. Tom is in love with Sally but is married to Madeline (Rita La Roy). Madeline is in love with another member of the gang, Mischa Kawelin (Ivan Lebedeff). Adding atmosphere to the event is a storm that is beginning to brew outside.
Later that evening, Greg and Mischa have a fight on the balcony. Greg kills Mischa and throws him over the balcony into the raging waters below. When the shot is heard, everyone runs to the railing and sees Mischa’s body on the rocks and pummeled by the raging seas. Madeline is distraught and Sally breaks up with Greg.
After everyone has gone to bed, Mischa shows up hale and hearty. Greg and Mischa had planned the scene. Greg’s plan had been to show Sally that her detective reasoning was silly, and she should be happy being a housewife. When Sally decides that she must save Greg, she tells him to run. Greg comes clean and tells Sally that the scene was staged to prove to her that she can’t solve crimes. Sally gets mad for Greg making a fool of her and considering her life’s work ridiculous.
During the night Mischa returns to the house and is really murdered. Greg is in trouble because now there really is a body and he ended up being nicely framed. It’s up to Sally to find out the truth and reveal a killer.
“Midnight Mystery” was released in 1930 and was directed by George B. Seitz. It is an American Pre-Code mystery with a couple old dark house influences. The film was based on the play “Hawk Island” by Howard Irving Young. The movie itself plays very much like a stage play.
This is not so much a mystery as it is a light thriller. The audience knows what is actually going on, but the other players do not. There is a bit of a twist to it, but nothing you couldn’t see coming. It is light and fun early thirties entertainment. There’s nothing really heavy here. Lowell Sherman’s performance as the jealous yet womanizing Tom Austen is the highlight of the film.
I’ve seen several sources stating that the story takes place on a rocky island off the coast of Maine. An intertitle after the beginning credits says that the location of the island is off of Cuba.