''Secret of the Chateau'' is a 1934 American

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 sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by Richard Thorpe. The film stars

Claire Dodd Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress. Life and work Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...

, Alice White,

Osgood Perkins James Ridley Osgood Perkins (May 16, 1892 – September 21, 1937) was an American actor. Life and career Perkins was born in West Newton, Massachusetts, son of Henry Phelps Perkins Jr., and his wife, Helen Virginia (née Anthony). His maternal g ...

Jack La Rue Jack La Rue (born Gaspare Biondolillo; May 3, 1902 – January 11, 1984) was an American film and stage actor. Early years The son of Sicilian immigrants Pasquale and Concetta Biondolillo, La Rue was born in New York City. His father sailed to ...

George E. Stone George E. Stone (born Gerschon Lichtenstein; May 18, 1903 – May 26, 1967) was a Polish-born American character actor in films, radio, and television. Life and career Stone was born Gerschon Lichtenstein in Łódź, Congress Poland, into ...

and Clark Williams. On its release, reviews from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 Herald ...

'' all commented that the film was a typical mystery film. On retrospective reviews, the book ''Universal Horrors'' stated the film had little to distinguish itself from others mystery films of the 1930s and 1940s and has justly been forgotten.

Plot

Cast

Production

Prior to the film's release, it had the title ''Rendezvous at Midnight'' which the studio would use the next year for a different film entirely. The film went into production in late August 1934. Universal Pictures back lot European set was redressed to resemble a cafe and shop set based on

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

section of Paris. Production finished in September 1934.

Release

''Secret of the Chateau'' was distributed by Universal Pictures on December 3, 1934.

Reception

Michael R. Pitts in ''Thrills Untapped'' described the film as being "nixed" by critics on its release. From contemporary reviews "Chic." of ''

'' stated the film was "pretty flat" and had a "Thin, creaky plot" and that its "slow movement almost negates the value of some good acting here." ''

'' stated the film "just another of those spooky murder mysteries." and that "all the well known ingredients of the spook melodrama have been thrown into this one, but the affair doesn't quite jell." "McCarthy" in ''

'' stated that the film "makes no attempts at pretentiousness" and told readers to "See it for what it is, building a campaign that dares audiences to identify the criminal until the very end and accenting its amusing entertainment." From retrospective reviews, In their book ''Universal Horrors'', the authors described the film as a "dime-store whodunnit" and stated it had "little to distinguish it from the dozens of bottom-of-the-bill program mysteries that Hollywood studios cranked out with regularity in the '30s and '40s." Their review concluded that the film was "brief, somewhat lively, and totally predictable. Seldom revived, it richly deserves its status as a forgotten Universal picture."

References

Footnotes

Sources

* *

External links

*
Secret of the Chateau
available for free download fro
Internet Archive
1934 films 1930s English-language films American mystery films 1934 mystery films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Richard Thorpe American black-and-white films Films with screenplays by Harry Behn 1930s American films {{mystery-film-stub