Frances Hyland

This fun to watch “B” mystery is another old oil great for a stormy night. Frances Hyland’s screenplay based on a story by Kurt Kempler is typical of minor formula mysteries of the early 1930s, but a young Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot give this Allied Pictures offering just enough zip and nostalgia to make it a nice one for fans. They made a cute couple around this time, filming another “B” mystery together called The Thirteenth Guest, also directed by Albert Ray.

A Shriek in the Night starts off with a bang as a man named Harker falls to his death from his own apartment complex. Reporter Lyle Talbot is on the scene trying to get a scoop on the hot news story but Ginger, cute as can be, may have the inside track. She had been posing as Harker’s secretary for a rival paper in order to explore his ties to an underworld boss. The cops question everyone but the most fun for the viewer is derived from watching Ginger and Talbot as they try to get the scoop first. There is some fun byplay between the two when they inevitably, of course, fall for each other.

A serpent card given the victim and a second murder add some mild spice to the mystery. Someone may have to save Ginger from the murderer near the end, and who does so will come as a surprise. While certainly no masterpiece, as these little early “B” mysteries go, this one is very entertaining for buffs. Ginger’s fans will love this look at her just as she was getting on her way.… (meer)