Murder on a Bridle Path (1936)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I'm not overly familiar with the Hildegarde Withers mysteries, having only seen one other. In this one, "Murder on a Bridal Path," Miss Withers is played by Helen Broderick. Apparently there were three Withers: Edna May Oliver, Broderick, and Zasu Pitts. James Gleason remains as Oscar, the police detective who acts like he doesn't need or want Withers' help but she always steers him down the right path.When the body of Violet Feverel is discovered on the Central Park bridle path, it looks as if she was thrown from her horse. Hildegarde is walking her dog and, having found the horse, sees that he has blood on him. It's ultimately found to be murder.Nobody like this woman, particularly her ex-husband Don whom she's thrown in jail for back alimony. And he was released by a forged court order. Also, the manager of her stables fought with her that morning. And then there's Eddie Fry who is seeing Violet's sister to the disapproval of Violet.Oscar and Hildegarde head out to Don's home on Long Island. There they meet the cast of a horror film: the sick father, Patrick, the caretaker Chris, and his crippled son Joey.When Don's father is murdered, it brings Hildegarde closer to figuring out the identity of the killer.Mildly entertaining - even though it's short, it seems longer. It's very dark-looking, with the Long Island house looking like Bleak House. I liked Helen Broderick. She has a fun way with dialogue and nice chemistry with Gleason, though Oliver's was better.I think the Penguin Pool Murder was better. This is okay.

I was reading the review by Calvinnme and agree heartily. If the viewer never saw the previous Hildegard Withers films that starred Edna May Oliver, you might enjoy "Murder on a Bridle Path" even more. While Helen Broderick is very good in this role, Oliver was just better as Hildegard. Apparently, Oliver and the studio had a 'parting of the ways' and they unsuccessfully tried Broderick and later Zasu Pitts in Oliver's place. But, no matter how they tried, no one could match the charming crankiness of the original! The film starts with a blonde lady being disagreeable with several folks--a clear giveaway that she'll soon be murdered (it's a standard cliché in mystery films of the time). VERY soon after, she's killed while out riding her horse. Again, Calvinnme was right--this character wasn't developed enough and her death came too quickly. The police assume she died by accident but soon they notice a few clues that indicate she was NOT killed by being kicked by a horse. Around this time, Hildegarde shows up and immediately begins digging for clues. Like any murder mystery of the era, there are lots of dead ends and twists--along with a VERY florid ending involving the murderer--and it's by far the best part of the movie.This is a pretty good mystery film. Unfortunately, the snappy dialog from Withers isn't as obvious--not just due to Broderick but because the writing is a bit less snappy. Enjoyable but that's really about all.

Murder on a Bridle Path (1936) ** (out of 4) The fourth film in RKO's Hildegarde Withers series was the first after Edna May Oliver stepped away from the part and was replaced by Helen Broderick for the first and only time. In the film a society woman is out riding her horse when she's thrown from it and then murdered. Detective Piper (James Gleason) thinks it's a simple case of her being killed by the fall but Withers comes across the scene and notices that the woman was murdered after the fall. The two team up to track down the usual suspects. MURDER ON A BRIDLE PATH isn't as bad as its reputation but at the same time there's no question that it's a major fall from the previous three movies. There's no doubt that Broderick isn't nearly as good as Edna May Oliver but she isn't too bad here. I thought she was decent for what was being asked as she has no problem playing the smart woman and she at least makes us believe she's a lot smarter than Piper for what that's worth. As usual Gleason is very good in his part as the rather slow Detective who is always one step behind the lady. While both actors do a fine job, the same can't be said with their comic timing and chemistry. I think what really hurts the movie is the fact that the two don't share the same spark as in the previous three films. The screenplay isn't the greatest thing either because there's never any clear case of who the killer is and when he's revealed it really seems like a stretch. As is the case in most weaker written mysteries, the police and Withers would have never found out had the killer not given himself away and of course breaking to the point where he tells everything. In the end this film is pretty much on par with the majority of "B" mysteries that were released throughout the decade but at the same time it also makes you appreciate the first three films for how special they were.

This fourth movie in the Hildegarde Withers-Oscar Piper series has Helen Broderick replacing Edna May Oliver in the Withers role. She's the most sophisticated of the three who played the role (the other was ZaSu Pitts) but I still enjoyed the banter she has with James Gleason, who played Piper in the entire series. The plot is a bit hard to follow (I watched it twice to clear up some points) and it is impossible to determine or even guess who the killer is. That didn't bother me, since I had fun with lots of comedy in the film. Willie Best has his usual steroetyped negro role and James Donlan plays the more-or-less inept detective. I particularly enjoyed the red herring of the pipe, which eventually reveals how to tell if a person has false teeth.