''In The Next Room'' is a 1930 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

released by

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

, a subsidiary of

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

and directed by Edward F. Cline. The movie stars

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

and

Alice Day Jacqueline Alice Irene Newlin (November 7, 1906 – May 25, 1995), professionally known as Alice Day, was an American film actress who began her career as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties. Early years Day was born in Colorado Springs, Co ...

. The film was based on the play of the same title by Eleanor Belmont and Harriet Ford, which itself was derived from the book ''The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet'' by

Burton E. Stevenson Burton Egbert Stevenson (1872–1962) was an American author, anthologist, and librarian. He was born in Chillicothe, Ohio on 9 November 1872, and attended Princeton University 1890–1893. Biography He married Elizabeth Shepard Butler (1869– ...

Cast

as James Godfrey *

as Lorna *

Robert Emmett O'Connor Robert Emmett O'Connor (March 18, 1885 – September 4, 1962) was an Irish-American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1919 and 1950. He is probably best remembered as the warmhearted bootlegger Paddy Ryan in '' The Public En ...

as Tim Morel *

John St. Polis John M. St. Polis (born John Marie Sainpolis; November 24, 1873 – October 8, 1946) was an American actor. Biography St. Polis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before starting his film career, he made a name for himself on the Broadway ...

as Philip Vantine *

Claud Allister Claud Allister (born William Claud Michael Palmer, 3 October 1888 – 26 July 1970) was an English actor with an extensive film career in both Britain and Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 70 films between 1929 and 1955. Life and ...

as Parks (the butler) * Aggie Herring as Mrs. O'Connor *

DeWitt Jennings DeWitt Clarke Jennings (June 21, 1871 – March 1, 1937) was an American film and stage actor. He appeared in 17 Broadway theatre, Broadway plays between 1906 and 1920, and in more than 150 films between 1915 and 1937. Biography He was born ...

as Inspector Grady *

Webster Campbell Webster Campbell (January 25, 1893 – August 28, 1972) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He began screenwriting in 1913 and became an actor in 1915. He became primarily a director in 1921. By 1936, he retired and ...

as Snitzer *

Lucien Prival Lucien Prival (July 14, 1901 – June 3, 1994) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1926 and 1953. Born in New York City, Prival was the son of a French mother and a Russian father. From 1912-1919 he lived w ...

as French Exporter

Synopsis

The story starts with a prologue set in 1889 in which we see an angry husband murdering his wife's lover. The setting then moves to 1929, just as an antiques dealer Philip Vantine (John St. Polis) has finished moving into the same house where the 1889 murder occurred. For years the house had one occupant: the butler (Alister). Vantine moves in with his daughter Lorna (Day) and maid and retains the elderly butler to help take care of the house. One night, the police arrive at the house after receiving a telephone call that a murder has just been committed on the premises. When they arrive, the police are surprised to find that no one in the house knows what they are talking about. That same day a valuable antique cabinet arrived at the house, and this has attracted several strangers to come to examine it. A young reporter, James Godfrey (Mulhall), who has come to see Lorna, also arrives at the house. As the police are investigating the mysterious telephone call, a series of strange events occur. As Godfrey is helping Lorna to open the antique cabinet, they find a hypnotized woman inside. The police are then notified. When everyone returns to the cabinet they find the woman has disappeared. One of the detectives, Tim Morel (O'Connor), is knocked unconscious. Vantine is also hit on the head, but stays conscious. The son of the former owner of the cabinet is soon found murdered. As Godfrey attempts to call his newspaper, Lorna is abducted and taken to the wine cellar. She is rescued by a one-legged man who suddenly disappears. Meanwhile, the hypnotized girl appears in a revived state and reveals that her partner, a diamond smuggler, has been murdered with poison. Eventually, Godfrey, assuming the role of an amateur detective, clears up the mystery.

Preservation status

No film elements are known to survive. The soundtrack, which was recorded on

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one th ...

disks, may survive in private hands.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:In The Next Room American black-and-white films American mystery films Films directed by Edward F. Cline First National Pictures films Lost American films Warner Bros. films 1930 mystery films 1930 lost films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films

Cast

Synopsis

Preservation status

See also

References

External links