''Double Danger'' is a 1938 American crime

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

directed by Lew Landers, using a screenplay by

Arthur T. Horman Arthur T. Horman (September 2, 1905 – November 2, 1964) was an American screenwriter whose career spanned from the 1930s to the end of the 1950s. During that time he wrote the stories or screenplays for over 60 films, as well as writing several ...

and J. Robert Bren based on Horman's story. The film stars

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

and

Whitney Bourne Whitney Bourne (May 6, 1914 – December 24, 1988) was an American stage and film actress. She was a leading lady in several B films of the 1930s, with occasional appearances in more prestigious films such as the British musical '' Head over Heel ...

, with supporting roles by Donald Meek and Samuel S. Hinds. Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on January 28, 1938.

Plot

Robert Crane is a novelist who is writing a series of novels about "The Gentleman", a jewel thief. The novels are based on a real-life thief who goes by the same name. Crane's good friend, David Theron, is the police commissioner. Theron suspects two people of being The Gentlemen: his friend Crane, and Carolyn Morgan. Theron sets a trap by inviting them both to his house for the weekend, letting it be known that he will be keeping a set of famous jewels, the Konjer diamonds, in his safe. It is Theron's plan to have a duplicate set of false diamonds in their place. The week prior to the event, Morgan and her accomplice, Taylor, steal the authentic Konjer diamonds from the jeweler, Gordon Ainsley. Learning about the theft, Crane and his partner, Fentriss, steal the stones from Morgan. Since both thieves have already accepted Theron's invitation, if they do not show up for the weekend, they will confirm his suspicions. Theron lets it be known that the diamonds stolen from Ainsley were fakes, and that he is in possession of the real Konjer collection. When the two teams of crooks arrive at Theron's house, Morgan falls for his deception, while Crane does not. That night, she steals the fake diamonds. Crane, meanwhile has fallen in love with her, and in order to protect her, he returns the originals to Theron. Theron suggests to Crane that the two leave the country, and that Crane write the final book in his "The Gentleman" series. Crane and Morgan take him up on his offer.

Cast list

as Robert Crane aka "The Gentleman" *

as Carolyn Morgan * Donald Meek as Gordon Ainsley * Samuel S. Hinds as Commissioner David Theron *

Paul Guilfoyle Paul Vincent Guilfoyle () (born April 28, 1949) is an American television and film actor. He was a regular cast member of the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', on which he played Captain Jim Brass from 2000 to 2014. He retu ...

as Taylor *

Cecil Kellaway Cecil Lauriston Kellaway (22 August 1890 – 28 February 1973) was a South African character actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for '' The Luck of the Irish'' (1948) and '' Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ...

as Fentriss *

June Johnson June Rozelle Johnson (May 28, 1918 – July 14, 1987) was an American film actress from 1936 to 1941 who appeared in Western films and serials. She made 14 films including three in which she was the female lead alongside The Three Mesquiteers. ...

as Babs Theron * Arthur Lake as Roy West *

Edythe Elliott Edythe Elliott (born Edythe Fletcher; July 14, 1886 – April 9, 1978) was an American character actress active primarily during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Biography Edythe Elliott was born in San Francisco, California where her parents were ...

as Edith Theron *

Alec Craig Alexander Younger Craig (30 March 1884 – 25 June 1945) was a Scottish-born American character actor, particularly known for his roles in ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935) and ''National Velvet'' (1944). He was particularly known for portraying ...

as Gardener *

Harry Hayden Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

as Dr. Hilliard *

Vivian Oakland Vivien Oakland (born Vivian Ruth Andersen; May 20, 1895 – August 1, 1958), was an American actress best known for her work in comedies in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, most notably with the Hal Roach Studios. Oakland appeared in 157 film ...

as Mrs. Cortlandt * Richard Bond as Footman (cast list as per

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

database)

Production

The original title of this film was ''The Shadow Speaks'', which led some media outlets to incorrectly link the picture with the popular magazine (and later radio) series featuring a character named, "The Shadow". That same year Grand National Films was beginning production on the second of their Shadow film series, starring Rod LaRocque, the working title of which was also ''The Shadow Speaks'' (although the final title was '' International Crime''). Later that month, RKO announced that they were changing the title of their film to ''The Perfect Alibi''. The movie went into production on December 2, 1937. By the end of the month the film was in the editing room. At the beginning of January 1938, the title of the picture was changed from ''The Perfect Alibi'' to ''Double Danger''. The film was released on January 28, 1938. The

National Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictur ...

gave the film an A-2 classification, calling it suitable for adult audiences. Maury Cohen, former founder and president of Invincible Films, had joined RKO in 1936 with great fanfare. This was his sixth and final film for his new studio.

Reception

"A mild crook melodrama..." was how '' Harrison's Reports'' described the picture, saying it lacked excitement and suspense, and called the story "far-fetched." '' Photoplay'' was more kind to the film, finding it "fascinating", and they particularly enjoyed the performances of Preston Foster and Whitney Bourne. The ''

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Heral ...

'' gave the film a good review, feeling the satirical edge to the piece gave an unusual and pleasing angle to a crime a drama. They applauded Lew Landers' restraint as a director, which kept the film's comedy from becoming to broad, and they also gave credit to the screenplay of Arthur Horman and J. Robert Bren, which they felt had a nice balance of suspense, humor, romance and satire. '' Motion Picture Daily'' also gave ''Double Danger'' a favorable review, enjoying its mixture of comedy, suspense, and romance. They highlighted Landers' direction, and complimented the acting corps, especially Cecil Kellaway and Samuel Hinds. While they found the storyline weak, ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' thought the film was enjoyable, with good comedic and action sequences. They credited Landers with a good directorial stint, and singled out the performances of Foster, Bourne, Hinds as laudable, and also complimented the work of Paul Guilfoyle, Donald Meek, and Arthur Lake.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Double Danger 1938 films 1938 crime drama films American crime drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Lew Landers 1930s English-language films 1930s American films