The Crime of the Century
Cast & Crew
William Beaudine
Jean Hersholt
Wynne Gibson
Stuart Erwin
Frances Dee
Gordon Westcott
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Dr. Emil Brandt uses hypnosis to treat criminal minds, and is currently working with a bank official who is plotting to rob $100,000 from his bank. Brandt considers ordering his patient to commit the robbery and deliver the money to him but, finding this temptation too great, informs police Captain Tim Riley and Lieutenant Frank Martin of his plan to murder the patient. Riley agrees to attend Brandt's session with his client. After ensuring that the patient survives his treatment and Brandt returns the money to him, Riley leaves Brandt's home. Meanwhile, Brandt's estranged son James lurks outside, as does Mrs. Freda Brandt's lover, Gilbert Reid. When the lights go out suddenly, Brandt's patient is murdered, Freda is attacked, and Brandt is chloroformed until he is unconscious. Freda's search for help brings Dan McKee, a reporter who immediately begins assessing the situation. He retrieves Doris, Brandt's daughter, from college and tricks Gilbert into confessing that he and Freda had originally intended to run off together with the $100,000. Riley returns and interrogates everyone, but no conclusions are drawn. When Freda has a revelation about her attacker, the lights go out suddenly and she is murdered. Theorizing that the missing $100,000 is not a clue, Riley concludes that Brandt killed Freda out of jealousy of her affair. After Brandt's arrest, Dan and Doris return to the house to search for clues. Gilbert sneaks into the house to take the hidden money, but is caught by Dan and Doris. Then James enters and takes the money from them at gunpoint. The police catch him and Doris identifies him as her brother. Gilbert proves he could not have committed the murder because he has a false hand. Doris accidentally hurts her hand on a policeman's badge when she bumps into him, and they realize that that was the same injury Freda had on her hand. Dan reveals evidence that Riley is the murderer, and after locking himself in a closet, Riley commits suicide. Brandt is released from jail, and Dan and Doris are revealed to be romantically involved.
Director
William Beaudine
Cast
Jean Hersholt
Wynne Gibson
Stuart Erwin
Frances Dee
Gordon Westcott
Robert Elliott
David Landau
William Janney
Bodil Rosing
Torben Meyer
Samuel S. Hinds
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Toward the end of this film, the story is interrupted by the appearance of a narrator, who states that mysteries move too swiftly for the audience to determine the villain, and provides the audience with a one-minute "intermission" to solve the mystery before returning to the story.
