MURDERS IN THE ZOO-1933-The always great Lionel Atwill is a millionaire who collects animals for a zoo. The movie opens with him sewing a man's mouth shut for trying to kiss his wife! Kathleen Burke (Lota The Panther Woman in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS the same year) is Atwill's philandering wife, plotting to runaway with John Lodge. Randolph Scott (who had an un-billed "beast man" role in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS) is a zoo lab technican working with snakes. The sinister story however suffers from the comical antics of Charles Ruggles as a fast talking press agent. Like after fainting from fright he says "Is there a good laundry in town?" Atwill gives a party at the zoo where the guests are surrounded by wild animals but it's ruined when Lodge is bitten by a snake and dies (how convenient!).
Atwill gives a terrific performance as the high class but obsessed husband who eventually throws Burke in an alligator pit and pins two murders on Scott's character. His demise is pretty memorable too. Gail Patrick plays Scott's love interest/assistant.
Atwill made the classic MYSTERY IN THE WAX MUSEUM and THE VAMPIRE BAT the same year. John Lodge ended his career playing Luther The Bersek in the low budget horror film THE WITCHMAKER in 1969.
Strangely director A. Edward Sutherland later directed WC Fields in POPPY (1936), Laurel & Hardy in THE FLYING DEUCES (1939) and Abbott & Costello's film debut ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS in 1940!
Thanks for reading!
1 comment:
Absolutely loved this one; one of my favorites of the 1930s. Witty (darkly so) and very grisly for its time with an always-great Atwill.
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