By Glenn Erickson
Muss 'Em Up
Brief Synopsis
A tough detective investigates organized crime's ties to the murder of a millionaire's dog.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Charles Vidor
Director
Preston Foster
Tippecanoe "Tip" O'Neil
Margaret Callahan
Amy Hutchins
Alan Mowbray
Paul Harding
Ralph Morgan
Jim Glenray
Big Boy Williams
"Red" Cable
Film Details
Also Known As
The Green Shadow
Genre
Crime
Release Date
Feb
14,
1936
Premiere Information
New York opening: week of 1 Feb 1936
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Green Shadow by James Edward Grant (New York, 1935).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 10m
Sound
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8 reels
Synopsis
In response to a telegram, New York private detective Tippecanoe "Tip" O'Neil travels to see Paul Harding, an old friend and employer, at his Lakeside estate. Although Paul, a gun enthusiast, protests that he did not send the telegram, he confides in Tip that his dog was shot and that someone has sent him letters demanding $200,000. After concluding that the dog killer had used one of Paul's rifles, Tip questions Amy Hutchins, Paul's attractive, gun-toting secretary, who confesses that she sent the telegram. That night, after Tip observes Paul's brother-in-law, Jim Glenray, slip out of the house, Corinne, Paul's ward, is kidnapped by two thugs. Paul insists that Tip, who enjoys a reputation as a tough, "no-holds-barred" detective, handle the kidnapping, but when the son of William, the black chauffeur, is found dead near the estate, Inspector Brock drops by for questioning. The next morning, the kidnappers contact Paul and demand a ransom of $200,000. While Paul delivers the money, "Red" Cable, a bodyguard whom Paul had hired to watch his daughter Nancy, finds thug Maratti on the grounds. With Amy behind the wheel, Red and Tip push Maratti into a car at gunpoint and force him to admit that he was after Jim because he was having an affair with his sister Cleo. After Paul returns from his rendezvous without Corinne, however, Gene Leland, her anxious fiancé, informs Tip that another gangster, Tony Spivali, once had contacted Paul. Armed with this clue, Tip finds Tony at his gambling house and demands information. When Tony refuses to divulge his secret for less than $5,000, Tip seeks the help of Luigi Tersiniani, a Mafia godfather, who intimidates Tony into revealing that Jim had gambling debts with him and was using William, his chauffeur, as a go-between. Tony then states that William had approached him with a proposition involving two hired thugs. Before Tip is able to extract a confession out of William, however, the chauffeur is shot in Harding's study with Amy's gun. Now a suspect, Amy takes Tip to her apartment, where she is attacked by an unseen assailant. After knocking out an over-zealous Gene, Tip then delivers an additional $50,000 to the thugs, unaware that Corinne is an accomplice in her own kidnapping. Corinne, who is then double-crossed by her co-conspirators, returns home and is observed by Tip in an intimate embrace with Paul. When Tony then identifies Paul, not Jim, as the gambler, Tip deduces that Paul and Corinne planned the kidnapping in order to get $200,000, which Nancy had donated from her trust fund. Tip also learns that the thugs accidentally killed William's son, that Paul killed William, and that Paul had attacked Amy because she had a carbon of a list of phony currency serial numbers that Paul had given the police. Thus cornered, Paul attempts to escape with Corinne, but crashes in his automobile and dies.
Director
Charles Vidor
Director
Cast
Preston Foster
Tippecanoe "Tip" O'Neil
Margaret Callahan
Amy Hutchins
Alan Mowbray
Paul Harding
Ralph Morgan
Jim Glenray
Big Boy Williams
"Red" Cable
Maxie Rosenbloom
"Snake"
Molly Lamont
Nancy Harding
John Carroll
Gene Leland
Florine Mckinney
Corinne
Robert Middlemass
Inspector Brock
Noel Madison
Tony Spivali
Maxine Jennings
Cleo
Harold Huber
Maratti
Clarence Muse
William
Paul Porcasi
Luigi Tersiniani
Ward Bond
Gangster
John Adair
Gangster
Willie Best
Janitor
Crew
Film Details
Also Known As
The Green Shadow
Genre
Crime
Release Date
Feb
14,
1936
Premiere Information
New York opening: week of 1 Feb 1936
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Green Shadow by James Edward Grant (New York, 1935).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 10m
Sound
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8 reels
Articles
Muss 'em Up -
What can you say about a murder mystery that begins with a detective summoned across the country, only to discover he's to solve the killing of a pet dog? The highly entertaining Muss 'Em Up (1936) then reveals secret affairs, a fake kidnapping and a real murder in a millionaire's mansion. Working from the James Edward Grant novel The Green Shadow, director Charles Vidor brings in rough-edged detective Tippecanoe 'Tip' O'Neil (Preston Foster) to solve a case that has no end of schemes, reverses and double-crosses. Character actors Alan Mowbray and Ralph Morgan play potential suspects, while Florine McKinney is a wealthy kidnap victim, Clarence Muse an unlucky chauffeur and Paul Porcasi an angry Mafia chieftain. A funny party scene sees the guests using live ammo to fire at balls bouncing atop a water fountain. Our impetuous detective Tip knocks big-time boxer Maxie Rosenbloom out cold, but the sleuth normally lets his sidekick Red (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams) handle the frequent physical interrogations. Critic Frank Nugent opined that Tip O'Neil's method boils down to two words: bribery and intimidation. Confessions obtained through beatings are treated as good fun, and the shifty suspects include a mincing male secretary who does embroidery. Reviewers praised this breezy thriller despite its low-wattage cast (Margaret Callahan, John Carroll) and odd title. 'Muss 'em up' was a much-printed quote from the NYC police commissioner Lewis J. Valentine, a phrase he used when instructing his cops how to treat the city's gangsters.
By Glenn Erickson
By Glenn Erickson
Muss 'em Up -
What can you say about a murder mystery that begins with a detective summoned across the country, only to discover he's to solve the killing of a pet dog? The highly entertaining Muss 'Em Up (1936) then reveals secret affairs, a fake kidnapping and a real murder in a millionaire's mansion. Working from the James Edward Grant novel The Green Shadow, director Charles Vidor brings in rough-edged detective Tippecanoe 'Tip' O'Neil (Preston Foster) to solve a case that has no end of schemes, reverses and double-crosses. Character actors Alan Mowbray and Ralph Morgan play potential suspects, while Florine McKinney is a wealthy kidnap victim, Clarence Muse an unlucky chauffeur and Paul Porcasi an angry Mafia chieftain. A funny party scene sees the guests using live ammo to fire at balls bouncing atop a water fountain. Our impetuous detective Tip knocks big-time boxer Maxie Rosenbloom out cold, but the sleuth normally lets his sidekick Red (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams) handle the frequent physical interrogations. Critic Frank Nugent opined that Tip O'Neil's method boils down to two words: bribery and intimidation. Confessions obtained through beatings are treated as good fun, and the shifty suspects include a mincing male secretary who does embroidery. Reviewers praised this breezy thriller despite its low-wattage cast (Margaret Callahan, John Carroll) and odd title. 'Muss 'em up' was a much-printed quote from the NYC police commissioner Lewis J. Valentine, a phrase he used when instructing his cops how to treat the city's gangsters.
By Glenn Erickson
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was The Green Shadow. Hollywood Reporter production charts add Nicholas Soussanin, Pat Flaherty and Jerry Larkin to the cast list, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed. One Hollywood Reporter production charts lists Clem Portman, not Denzil A. Cutler, as the sound recorder. According to modern sources, New York police commissioner Lewis J. Valentine used a slang expression similar to "muss 'em up" when describing how his officers should handle criminals during police roundups, and from thus the film's title was born.
