THE LITTLE PICTURE HOUSE
1933 · Mystery · USA · English · Black and white · Originally 70 minutes; shorter versions circulate
About the film
A leading actor is shot during a farewell party on a theatre stage. Detective Jim Hanvey investigates a company full of jealousies and secrets, while an overeager policeman and a wisecracking reporter pursue their own ideas about the crime.
The theatre setting makes appearances especially unreliable: a performance can conceal motives as easily as it reveals character. Hanvey’s patient approach provides a counterpoint to the bustle around him, giving this backstage mystery room for both suspicion and comedy.
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Meet the cast
Cast
C. Aubrey Smith — Jim Hanvey
Dorothy Mackaill — Lola Cresmer
Paul Cavanagh — Wylie Thornton
Sam Hardy — Marty Gallagher
Marion Shilling — Anice Cresmer
Russell Hopton — Terry Mooney
Natalie Moorhead — Alma Jenkins
Hale Hamilton — Major Manning
Ruthelma Stevens — Doris Manning
Jack Mulhall — Carey Weldon
Production credits
Director — E. Mason Hopper
Executive producer — Phil Goldstone
Screenplay — Edward T. Lowe
Based on — The Backstage Mystery by Octavus Roy Cohen
Photography — Ira Morgan
Editing — Otis Garrett
Art direction — Ralph Oberg
Sound — Earl Crain
Production and distribution — Majestic Pictures Corp.
Behind the scenes
For its New York engagements, the film was retitled Backstage Mystery to avoid confusion with Dinner at Eight. AFI records an original length of 70 minutes and notes that later reissue or television prints were shortened to around 60 minutes.
Film details and historical reference: AFI Catalog.
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