The Circus Queen Murder (1933)

People are voting emotionally.

One of my all time favorites.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

1933's "The Circus Queen Murder" was Columbia's second adaptation of an Anthony Abbot Thatcher Colt novel, in this case 1932's "About the Murder of the Circus Queen," a followup to the previous year's "The Night Club Lady." Back as the lip reading Colt is Adolphe Menjou, happily teamed again with gorgeous Ruthelma Stevens as faithful secretary Miss Kelly, as savvy and sassy as ever. This time around, there's precious little mystery, with Colt taken out of his native New York City milieu, watching over suspicious activities in a traveling circus far from home. It does evoke Tod Browning's "Freaks," with such pre-code details as cannibalism adding to the doom laden atmosphere, not really a mystery as defined in the title, the circus queen only meeting her fate in the final reel. Fortunately, we have Dwight Frye's Flandrin commanding attention, and in a larger role than usual he's definitely in rare form, better in dangerous mode than his bland hero from 1935's "The Crime of Doctor Crespi." Both Thatcher Colt features have remained stubbornly elusive over the years, while one of Columbia's four picture Steve Trent series has suffered the indignity of actually disappearing without any trace. There would be one revival for Colt, in 1942's "The Panther's Claw," casting dependable Sidney Blackmer as Colt, his fate on screen ending just like his inspiration Philo Vance, at Poverty Row's PRC.

Now here's a fun thriller with something for everyone. Adolphe Menjou plays the alpha male, a DA on vacation who is engulfed in the intrigue of a circus and gets to order everyone around and appear invulnerable. With a name like Colt what else could one expect. His assistant played by Ruthelma Stevens is sharp as a tack and every bit as resourceful. A real take charge lady unafraid to take chances. Then there's Harry Holman and his fat man act, wiping his brow and nervous as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, as the circus' publicity agent. Dwight Frye is perfect as the spurned lover with another great performance two years after his Renfield in Dracula. And last but not least we have the pretty people, handsome Donald Cook and the delectable Greta Nissen, the acrobats and pivot of the film. Stock characters one might say but in this film they add up to a fun thriller. And let's not forget a hint of horror with the suggestion a disappeared body may have been eaten by lions or cannibals. How gruesome! It's snappy, it moves right along, and it'll keep you watching even though you might have guessed the outcome. My only criticism has to do with the utter disregard for the fate of the circus queen who is about to be murdered and the total lack of sensitivity toward the victim. That part was handled very poorly and in fact the movie would have been much better had the murder been prevented as it appeared it could have been. It would have led to some very dramatic action and a much better resolution.

**SPOILERS** Not your standard whodunit since the killer is known right from the start even when he's disguised as a Belgian Congo man eating cannibal after faking his death at the beginning of the film.The story has to do with NYC Police Commissioner Thatcher Colt, Adolphe Menjou, who on his first vacation in six years decides to go upstate with his faithful secretary Kelly, Ruthelma Stevens, in the out of the way town of Gilead New York. It's in Gilead that Colt plans to get away from the hustle and bustle as well as crime of the big city. As you would expect Colt ends up getting far more then he bargained for when the circus comes to town with one of it's entertainers determined to wipe out all the acts under the big top. By murdering all those who preform them!Were not kept in the dark to who this person is in him being trapeze artist Flandrin, Dwight Frye, in that he's extremely jealous and mad at the second male member of the circus' flying trapeze act The Great Sabastian, Donald Cook. It's The Great Sabastian who's fooling around with Flandrin's wife Josie La Tour, Greta Nissen, who also happens to be his high flying partner! Flandrin not really wanting to live anymore with his wife Josie leaving him is now determined to murder both her and her lover The Great Sabastian before he ends up killing himself with his last bullet!Colt now realizing that his vacation is a thing of the past decides to trap Flandrin by convincing him that he succeeded in killing himself which is part of his plan, by no one suspecting him, in convincing both Josie and The Great Sabastian that he's no longer a threat to either one of them. Thus having both of them let their guard down! There's also this squad of cannibals who Flandrin is using as cover in his mad plan to murder Josie and the Great Sabastian by him using one of their poison dart blow guns as the murder weapon.***SPOILERS*** Colt does everything he possibly can to keep the certifiably insane and dangerous Flandrin at bay until the police arrive. But in Flandrin being so determined to kill himself, as well as Josie & The Great Sabastian, there's very little that Colt and the police can do to stop him. Like a wild eyed kamikaze pilot guiding his explosive laden plane into a US Navy aircraft carrier Flandrin's determination, as well as insanity, overcomes whatever fear he has of death! Dwight Frye in one of his rare, if you can call it that, normal roles makes the best out of a mediocre film with its actual star Adolphe Menjou, as Thatcher Colt, more or less reduced to a secondary role as being Frye's advocate in the movie. A part that Menjou seemed very happy to have in that the less he's seen in the film the easier those watching it will not remember him being in it!

Circus Queen Murder, The (1933) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Rare Columbia mystery was the second film in a two-film series. Police Chief Thatcher Colt (Adolphe Menjou) gets tired of the gangster in NYC so he takes a vacation with his secretary (Ruthelma Stevens) on a vacation. He runs across a friend who owns a circus and decides to stick around when an abusive husband (Dwight Frye) turns up dead. The suspects could be his wife, her lover or perhaps African cannibals. This is a fairly entertaining mystery that works best with its pre-code nature, which at times is fairly ghoulish considering the era that this was made. There's talk of bodies being cut up and fed to lions and there's even a theory that the African cannibals have eaten a victim. Some might be offended by the black folks being called cannibals with their voodoo dolls and skull lying around so be warned there. Menjou and Nissen work well together but it's Frye and Greta Nissen that really steal the show. Donald Cook, best known for his role in The Public Enemy is also good in his supporting role. The actual mystery isn't too hard to solve, which is the film's biggest problem but the 63-minute running time goes by fast. This isn't one of the best of the genre but it's a good time killer.