''Whistling in the Dark'' (U.S. television title: ''Scared!'') is a 1933 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

comedy-mystery film directed by

Elliott Nugent Elliott Nugent (September 20, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American actor, playwright, writer, and film director. Biography Nugent was born in Dover, Ohio, the son of actor J.C. Nugent. He successfully made the transition from silent fil ...

and starring

Ernest Truex Ernest Truex (September 19, 1889 – June 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Career Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Truex learned acting at an early age after his father, a doctor, treated actor Edwin Melvin, who ...

and

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular film ...

. The plot concerns a mystery writer whose scheme for a perfect murder comes to the attention of a gangster ( Edward Arnold), who plans to use it. The film is based on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play of the same name by Laurence Gross and Edward Childs Carpenter, which played for 265 performances in 1932-33.''Whistling in the Dark''
IBDb.com; accessed August 4, 2015. Edward Arnold played the same role in the Broadway stage production. In 1941, the film was remade starring

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program '' The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

and

Ann Rutherford Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the And ...

. Skelton then played the role of "Wallace Porter" in two sequels.

Plot

Otto Barfuss refuses to pay for protection and won't bow down to the syndicate. When they come for him, he puts the sting on them. Jake Dillon thinks its time to end Barfuss for good, but he knows it has to be done properly so that they don't get caught. Wallace Porter and his girl Toby Van Buren are eloping when their car breaks down near Dillon's house. He's a mystery writer who brags about his abilities to write the perfect murder. He is forced to give Dillon the perfect way to kill Barfuss while he and Toby are held as prisoners. Porter manages to connect the radio to contact the phone operator. He and Toby get a message out to save Barfuss. Dillon comes back and is caught by the police.

Cast

as Wallace Porter *

as Toby Van Buren * Edward Arnold as Jake Dillon *

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

as Charlie Shaw * C. Henry Gordon as Ricco Lombardo *

Johnny Hines John F. Hines (July 25, 1895 – October 24, 1970) was an American actor who had numerous film roles during the silent era, including many starring ones. He appeared in more than 50 films and numerous film shorts. But he did not succeed in tran ...

as Slim Scanlon *

Joseph Cawthorn Joseph Bridger Cawthorn (March 29, 1868 – January 21, 1949) was an American stage and film comic actor. Biography Born on March 29, 1868, in New York City to a minstrel-show family, Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debu ...

as Otto Barfuss *

Nat Pendleton Nathaniel Greene Pendleton (August 9, 1895 – October 12, 1967) was an American Olympic wrestler, film actor, and stage performer. His younger brother, Edmund J. Pendleton (1899-1987), was a well-known music composer and choir master ...

as Joe Salvatore *

Tenen Holtz Tenen Holtz (born Alex Elihu Tenenholtz; February 17, 1887 – July 1, 1971) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 60 films between 1926 and 1961. Biography Holtz was born in Imperial Russia, and came to the United States when he wa ...

as Herman Lefkowitz

References

Notes

External links

* * * * 1933 films American comedy mystery films American crime comedy films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Elliott Nugent Films directed by Charles Reisner Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s crime comedy films 1930s comedy mystery films 1933 comedy films 1930s American films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub