Murder at Midnight (1931) PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD

[Music] uh [Music] food [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh you shouldn't have come here tonight doesn't it too dangerous i had to come i couldn't sleep i've walked the streets for hours surprise this is not your wife's fault kennedy i can explain you try to explain this you've got to listen to me jim i've been in love with duncan for months what are you going to do mr channing is not going to destroy the happiness of another man's home well there he lies that's the clever charade i've ever seen and isn't kennedy the old barrel though i wonder how much of this is on the level hey can anybody guess this word [Music] my late isn't it well i'll i'll concede you a trick in hearts what's the use of playing with a criminologist he knows everything uh uh montrose uh some professional advice ah a client uh walter's sister and her husband are playing gerard jim just caught channing chiseling with esme and and shot him well uh what did esme say uh she said dunk as her is her ideal what about gunk well uh he's still lying on the floor ideal lies well that's pretty obvious idealize my hat for the brain idealize i guess thank you so much i'll win the prize anthony should have gone on the stage she's a good actress yes she is hey do you dumbbells want us to do the whole thing again we're doing the best we can [Music] wait wait wait wait wait wait i figured the whole thing out by myself the word the word is ideal lies allow me to be the last to congratulate you thank you [Music] thank you come on down get up now it's all over him he's dead get up to tell us where you belong well you don't think that i loaded the gun myself you were there colton you saw me load the gun with blanks yes that's there but these are lovely chills but things impossible come upstairs jim what could not come off come on see i'm in the dummy yes there we are what is it laurence big thousand miss julia mr kennedy just shot his secretary yes we know that they were playing a charade game but mr channing is dead what lauren are you quite sure fight yourself now jim this is serious it's homicide let me tell them colton somebody put real bullets in this gun no i'm your lawyer and i don't want you to talk to anyone until i find out what this is all about he died instantly i'll take mrs kennedy to her room that's right don't let anyone touch the body until the police arrive it's lucky montrose is here isn't it what do you mean well he sold the brown murder murder you don't think that this is this whole thing looks very fishy to me now folks i'm going to call the police this is just uh just a regrettable accident must be considered only as such you weren't the same yes we understand mr colton no that's right just a minute just a bit milly get some smelling sauce some in miss julie's room [Music] i'm inspector taylor yes sir where's the body over this [Music] hi i'm mr kennedy's lawyer he he accidentally shot mr duncan channing he said where's mr kennedy now upstairs these rooms waiting to give you a statement well a bullseye chief right to the pump huh yeah how did this happen it was an accident mr policeman inspector well anyway i am junior kennedy mr kennedy's aunt i am they were acting a charade you know you guessed the word i guess the word yes no i mean everyone has to guess a word was it uh accident certainly it was an accident no that's not what i mean it was idealized idealized that's the word are you trying to make me confused you're confused already where were you when this uh game was being played i was upstairs playing bridge then how did you know what the word was they told me beforehand oh you knew this thing was going to happen before it happened there and who is they mr channing and mr and mrs kennedy oh mrs kennedy's endless too is she where is she she fainted mr montrose helped her upstairs to her room oh is philip montrose here yes he is thank heaven thank heaven is right he'll at least be able to give us a sensible account of what happened where's the other body oh the other body isn't one body enough there isn't any other body at 11 30 tonight someone phoned headquarters at a murder been committed in this house and the two people were dead it's 10 minutes past 12 and it just happened you're crazy it's 11 40 and you're crazy and your clock is cuckoo my debt club was corrected 11 30 to find out who changed the clock we'll find out what this is all about exhausted i changed the cluster you changed the clock london yes miss julia mr kennedy wanted the little playlist to begin right on the stroke of 12. then you phoned for the police no sir i did not well who did i don't know sir who used the phone in the last half hour we're getting no place fast who was here when the shot was fired i was sitting within 20 feet of them inspector you go ahead well uh uh we were all sitting in the darkness when suddenly we saw the shadow of a man outside the door what door the front door of course that door right did you see how where was i you were at the front door oh yeah yeah as i was saying uh uh we were all sitting in the darkness when suddenly we saw the shadow of a man outside the door i might have known it was you one bullet was for channing and you thought i'd use the other on myself but you're not going to get away with it i've left a letter telling of the previous attempt on my life and pointing to you as the one who seeks my death and then mr kennedy saw his wife with mr channing and he pointed his gun at him and were so sorry and he fired there's the other body keep the crowd down here this is my house if i want to i guess well guess again sister this time the word is no keep her down here why you this looks like it please who fired that shot i don't know i didn't hear any shots i been out of this room all evening i'm not asking you for an alibi yeah i i don't know a thing you haven't got anything on me and you've got no right to talk to me that way inspector taylor hello girls did you hear that shot yes i i thought it came from this end of the hall it did not hey listen you're not going to pin this on me now walter no one's trying to put him anything on you we're all unnerved by this terrible action i was with mrs kennedy in her room aunt julie's room is at the end of the hall that is walter grayson's this is mr kennedy's room kennedy i want to see him but kennedy's downstairs oh no lawyer told me he was waiting in his room to see me then maybe that shot dad looks like an open and shut case to me murder and suicide it's all very puzzling but i tell you there's no reason for it inspector channing and mr kennedy were the best of friends is so far as i know oh come in launch mr kennedy is dead sir yes that's terrible for mrs kennedy lost as a matter of fact channing and mr kennedy were on the best of terms weren't they no so they were not they were sore at each other they had a violent quarrel in the library this morning sir and mr channing told me at lunchtime that he'd handed in his resignation to mr kennedy what did they quarrel about i don't know sir does mrs kennedy know about this i doubt it well that's all you can go what did i tell you murder and suicide now here's the case in a nutshell quarrel doesn't impose the murder has the revulsion of feelings can't face the consequences and takes the easiest way out but a suicide generally needs a note well this one didn't probably didn't have time downtown mystery read all about technicians read all about it see all about the big murders read all about it read all about it folks read all about it all of you might have been in south america for all you seem to know about this murder i haven't been able to get a single bit of information out of any of you i don't think you're fooling me the murderer is in this room right now mrs kennedy will see you nelson well she will we'll see mr montrose shall we go up you stay where you are grayson you better do it the policeman says walter we can get along without you too sister i don't want anyone to leave this room unlike him back i think this is an absolute imposition i think it's quite thrilling don't you realize that one of us is a murderer inspector taylor madame i'm sorry to trouble you esme but there are some questions which must be answered i understand mrs kennedy who do you think killed your husband i don't know he didn't have an enemy in the world as far as i know did you see your husband when you went upstairs no i didn't you see anything out of the ordinary as you went up the hall will i uh inspector i'm afraid mrs kennedy wasn't in a position to see anything she collapsed and i have to send her made to and julia's room to get the smelling sauce release script did you see anyone in the hallway no one sir and you went direct to miss julia's room and returned immediately yes sir she's lying inspector i saw her standing outside the card room door at the other end of the hall how do you explain that well i forgot about that sir i i went down to talk to mr grayson did you talk to him no sir he wasn't there how did you know he wasn't there because i rap three times mr grayson has testified that he didn't leave the card room all evening did you go in no sir i didn't i left on the door and called mr grayson mr grayson and uh got no answer millie you came into this room after the shot was fired where were you when you heard the report i heard it while i was standing in front of the card room door sir you said you didn't hear the report there was no report while she was a cardroom dorsa i want to talk to you later uh we'll go down now and talk to grayson you'll excuse us won't you ask me [Music] for heaven's sake walter pull yourself together your actions are absolutely ridiculous keep quiet will you grayson you testified that you never left the card room all evening yes millie scripts has just told me that she could get no answer when she wrapped on the door yes that's right i heard her but well i didn't want to talk to her how many times did she wrap three times well that's a good guess what are you trying to do make me the goat now walter but why doesn't he leave me alone i never crawled with him you know that why doesn't he question colton colton crawled with him all that afternoon all right mr colton [Music] and nobody knew anything about this murderer i wouldn't be surprised to find another body you've all forgotten about oh now uh what did you and kennedy call about i i didn't approve of the new will he had drawn up why because because mrs kennedy was disinherited in a new way my nephew made a will disinheriting his wife and i didn't know anything about it preposterous yeah did uh kennedy sign that well yes he gave it me on the evening of the party together with earth with a sealed letter what was in that letter kennedy gave you a letter and you don't know what was in it it was to be opened only in case of he's dead well have you opened it no you stole my coat in this house on the night in the mirror you forgot to tell us mr colton did mr kennedy change the executor in the new will yes i i was the executor in the old will miss julia is the executrix of the greatest one i can quite understand why you should object to the changing of the will mr gordon is there anything else you've uh forgotten mr colton no it's everything i've been important engagement if i may go all right thank you thank you all of you can go now there are several angles i'd like to talk over with you mr montrose well come over to my house it's just a short distance yes he's sending everybody away now don't you worry and julia inspector taylor is stationing a policeman on guard on every floor day and night until he makes an arrest well isn't somebody going to be arrested now well uh whom do you suggest quite colton of course that lawyer knows what's in the letter and where the will is everybody knows that except that policemen so have some peanut speak no thank you thanks hey you've been out of the house no i've been downstairs yeah sure a lot of mud down in that collar but what of it what are you doing in my room the police left instructions that all windows were to be locked for night i've had to cook prepare a little midnight lunch in the kitchen thanks steve i'm sure hungry hey the deacon says there's some chow in the kitchen for it come on yeah but taylor told us not to leave this spot i'll wait until you come back thanks steve well well well this certainly is a break [Music] [Music] why didn't you come in the back way what to tell you i have a good mind you wouldn't dare say them salami and eggs were great they sure were say is that cook married i don't know but i'll make inquiry get a cigar there's a whole humor dorfal over here what a box oh [Music] please headquarters please hello hello inspector taylor he's not oh this is millie scribs the name of the kennedy home tell inspector taylor if you'll be here tomorrow morning at nine i may have something important to tell you [Music] no i tell you mr montrose everything points to young grace he had every motive his sister who supported him suddenly disinherited and i know inspector but we have just as much reason to suspect the lawyer or the butler or millie scripts nelly script yeah there is a dame hasn't told everything she knows by a long shot i'm gonna haul her down to headquarters in the morning and sweat it out of it excuse me hello just a minute sergeant brush wants to talk to you thank you hello sarge yeah she did where yeah nine o'clock okay sergeant there you are milly scripps is going to tell us something in the kennedy home tomorrow morning at nine o'clock gosh it's getting late i've got to be going [Music] good morning inspector all right let me scripts down here this is her day off i don't think she is well bring her down here lauren come in here what do they want millie scripts for i don't know sir oh yes you do you stick them onto her you always have disliked her you even dismissed her because she was here on the false pretenses her references were forged well my sister hired her back didn't he and for a very good reason i imagine mr walter listen lauren if you're insinuating that millie has anything on my sister you're all wrong it's me she threatened understand that me so millie scripps threatened you huh what were you afraid she'd tell i don't know what do you mean you don't know that's what i said i don't know she told me if i didn't marry her she'd go to you with information that would wreck this house from top to bottom in other words she knows who committed the murder well that's what she intimated who did it i don't know well milly scripps knows and we'll soon find out get milly script why didn't you come through with this before why should i this is my own private affair murder isn't anyone's private affair when i get through with this girl i'm going to know plenty about you you weren't thinking about going away anywhere were you no of course not well why not there's no reason why i should stay here is there i'll tell you better after i've talked with millie scripts big pardon sir crips is dead milly dead grayson you come with us she's been dead for hours chief yes you never knew what hit her say it looks like a struggle no somebody's searching for the letter someone who knew she had it or thought she had it get the medical examiner and post a man here [Music] good morning inspector good morning have you uh talked to millie scripps we're a little late milly scripps is dead yeah yeah he was killed during the night i'm arresting young grayson for the murder walter congratulations inspector i'm glad you solved the mystery i'll just bet you are colton all right grayson oh it's my toes too bad yes too bad [Music] so i thought you'd gone why i was just going lauren ain't you afraid to stay here all by yourself i'm afraid of nothing well i am not so brave what you have to eat those things all the time stop it will you stop it i've told you before he'll stop when you get ready to talk i tell you i don't know anything what did you do with the will and the letter grayson i don't know anything about any will or letter i didn't even know they existed till that old fool colton mentioned him to you you're lying grayson you killed millie scripts to get that letter i tell you i don't know anything about a letter but you did kill millie scripts you murdered your sweetie because you thought she was going to tell her i didn't touch her i tell you i didn't touch it you have the letter how should i know don't lie to me grayson i know you've got it i you don't i know anything of the source you're just flopping me [Music] so what's that sound like to you grayson high voltage what electricity oh no you don't you can't scram me i'm not trying to scare your wallet i can make it lots easier for you if you come through you think it over hello yes lawrence inspector i've got it i found the letter and the will you did wait a minute laurence says he found the letter in the will where you hit him oh it's a lot of bunk i don't even believe it's lawrence on the wire all right lawrence let's have it i'm alone in the house but i've hidden it hello hello mike get that kennedy house back again why you can't get them something's happened with the kennedy house come on keep racing here like it's bad [Music] i don't want to force it if you have to hey chief you've forgotten your bag mrs kennedy thank you good afternoon mr specter how do you do mrs kennedy you're not surprised to see me here i saw your car in the driveway uh doesn't seem to be anybody at home no [Applause] thank you anything wrong no i just thought i'd make another try for that letter in that case i'm afraid i can't be of any help to you so if you want me i'll be in my room thank you they got him where is he is he dead no it's his day off well peanuts are you the new butler no but they need one but what do you mean well somebody just handed the butler is ticket there's the latest development how'd it happen i don't know i was talking to the butler on the phone he told me he found the will and the letter he was just going to tell me where he'd put them when we were cut off oh carter will you trace those telephone wires down that's heavy too heavy inspector when you were cut off what did you do i took a look precisely that's what lawrence did that's what killed me how do you mean this is the same device that was used in the ferguson case when launched first jiggled the hook it broke the contact the second jiggle released a spring which drove a needle into the base of the brain death was instantaneous right through the air that's why we couldn't find any mark on it the wires have been cut right outside that window someone in this house loaded that phone who's in the house nobody mrs kennedy drove up right after we got here let's have mrs kennedy down here right get mrs kennedy carter get to a phone report this to headquarters let's get the body out of the way well who got it this time the butler take me to the nearest home mrs kennedy chief [Music] hello philip inspector taylor is anxious to know where all the members of the family were this afternoon certainly we all know where my brother is i've been to the dressmaker and julia though with the cart lights would you mind pulling to see if she's still there wait a minute that's funny i i've forgotten the card right number the number is hillside 5606. oh yes of course hello hello yes [Music] you've got to release my brother he couldn't possibly have done it oh this should definitely eliminate him from the case even you must be there i arrested your brother for the murder of millie's scripps and he killed her don't forget that but this does eliminate young grace it does not he could have loaded that phone before he was arrested he knew the bucker always used it but inspector who cut the telephone wires while you were phoning huh young grayson was in jail you know of course this isn't a murder case it's an epidemic where julie what's the trouble it's my gun somebody took these bullets out and loaded it with blanks don't you see what it means i'm going to be the next one now don't you tell a soul about this when you go back to your bedroom reload it with real ones come in sorry mrs kennedy your room is nice that's probably all right go right ahead any luck inspector no but i tell you that letter's right here in this house it's got to be you're crazy that letter isn't in this house everybody knows that somebody's got it i think you're right somebody has got it who you [Laughter] [Music] yeah ella why did lauren stay in yesterday afternoon he said he was going to stay home and vacuumed the hallway that peanuts nibbler was here the day before the speculum yeah [Music] hello ella [Music] yeah ella these flowers are all wilted i want you to change them ah but miss julia i should cut them fresh this very morning that doesn't make any difference i want them changed i don't like them esme i've got them i found the will and the letter well what are you going to do what am i going to do with them i'm going to turn them over to the police please don't julian destroy the letter at any rate has there been enough tragedy around here already as make kennedy have you gone clear out of your mind do you mean to say that you don't want to see the murderer of your own husband punished you seem to forget one thing whoever has touched those papers has died you're not safe not for a minute i'm not afraid i'm going to take these right down to the police oh roses ella you know how i lose roses please get me something else maybe i'd better fully infect her have you forgotten what happened alone that's right i will take him to the police i'll take him to phillips philippe montrose yes don't tell a soul i'll run through the back lanes [Music] did you want the car miss julie no no i was i was just going for a walk moaning side four four one two hello darling did you get the passport yes it happened aunt julia she found them in the vacuum system where lawrence hid them no she just left here [Music] [Music] oh tony i'll never mind the telephone you can leave for today but my day i'll just use this side i know but i'm going out hold on thank you sir thank you and julia i came the back way is anybody here with you i know good what on earth has happened i've got it got it got one i've got the will and the letter have you opened it no not yet good give it to me i'll i'll turn it over to the police if we give it to that bungling inspector unopened he'll probably make a mess of this as usual i'll do nothing of the kind julia remember that everyone who's known the contents of that letter has died that's why i hurried over here i know i'm in no danger when i'm with you look here phillip i'm going to open this letter myself after all who found it i'd like to know i did oh give it to me i'll i'll give it to inspector taylor i warn you i've had enough of this nonsense i'm going to open the letter [Applause] hello just a minute did anyone know you were coming here no one that is except esme strange inspector taylor wants to talk to you on the phone yes and i've got something to say to him too well inspector we've certainly got a surprise for you after you spent the entire day tearing our house to pieces i found the will and the letter hello hello father rachel go ahead sister i'm listening inspector i don't understand the funniest telephone call mr moncho said you were on the line i have been on the line i was sure i wasn't mistaken inspector let me have that letter i'll answer that montrose i'm afraid this call is for you thanks inspector hello hello oh inspector what he's dead montrose was the murder his death is a confession he took the same route he sent lawrence oh and if you'd clicked the hook you'd have been dead are you well i can't say he didn't warn police department could have used a brain like that the police department could use any brain well out [Music]

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Views: 267,109

Keywords: classic movie, FREE, crime, #classicmovies, Hale Hamilton, Murder at Midnight (1931), CLASSIC, Alice White, FILM, MOVIES, Aileen Pringle, MYSTERY, classic movies, filmstruck, PUBLIC DOMAIN, PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD, Movie

Id: 88hirTZBn0c

Length: 66min 25sec (3985 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 25 2013