During a séance at an elderly millionaire's house, the millionaire is murdered. The detectives investigating the crime discover that everyone who was at the séance had a motive for killing t... Read allDuring a séance at an elderly millionaire's house, the millionaire is murdered. The detectives investigating the crime discover that everyone who was at the séance had a motive for killing the man.During a séance at an elderly millionaire's house, the millionaire is murdered. The detectives investigating the crime discover that everyone who was at the séance had a motive for killing the man.
Photos
- Betty Lang
- (as Gertie Messinger)
- Detective Watkins
- (as Jimmy Burtis)
- Tommy Lang
- (as Russell Collar)
- Coroner
- (uncredited)
- Police Officer Kennedy
- (uncredited)
- Chief of Police
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film is one of over 200 titles in the list of independent feature films made available for television presentation by Advance Television Pictures announced in Motion Picture Herald 4 April 1942. At this time, television broadcasting was in its infancy, almost totally curtailed by the advent of World War II, and would not continue to develop until 1945-1946. Because of poor documentation (feature films were often not identified by title in conventional sources) no record has yet been found of its initial television broadcast. Its earliest documented telecasts took place in Albuquerque Thursday 7 July 1949 on KOB (Channel 4), in Cincinnati Friday 26 August 1949 on WKRC (Channel 11), and in the New York City area Tuesday 26 September 1950 on WATV (Channel 13).
- Quotes
[first lines]
Mrs. Lang: No, I couldn't get it Swami.
Swami Yomurda: He would not give it to you?
Mrs. Lang: Not only that, he was cruel in his refusal, abusive.
Swami Yomurda: The present is filled with evil foreboding Mrs. Lang.
Mrs. Lang: What do you see Swami?
Swami Yomurda: I see great trouble, disaster, I see the cause of your present unhappiness. I see great crowds, confusion and excitement, I see a tall dark man, who will have great influence in your life.
Mrs. Lang: Can you tell me who this man is Swami?
Swami Yomurda: The magic ball is still, the face is shadowy, the name eludes me. Prehaps it will come to me presently. I see tragic events that will alter your entire future. I see sorrow, despair, and again I see vaguely this tall dark man, he's about to speak. Ah, he fades from view, another man, I see the cause of your present unhapiness removed.
The almost constant array of cliches and corny elements (most notably attempted comic relief of the cop detective's sidekick insisting over and over and over "Don't call me Watson!" burlesque routine) are fun over 90 years after they were recorded. And what's wrong with having fun at the movies?
For me, the barrage of clues, a gimmick still very much in vogue (see: Daniel Craig in that new and popular series of "Knives Out" films, which by the way is the weapon of choice in "Sinister Hands") is fun, and I was able to use them to guess the killer correctly quite early on. And the lengthy list of suspects, played by nonenties (with the exception of the sinister swami played by the great Mischa Auer) was quite easy to follow via adequate stereotyping. Nothing could be cornier than the arrogant behavior of the police captain/detective (Jack Mulhall) and his gathering everyone in a room to confront them and explain everything leading up to fingering the killer!
- lor_
- Dec 24, 2023
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Case of the Sinister Swami
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 5 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1