''Grand Exit'' is a 1935 American

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

with comedy elements, directed for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

by Erle C. Kenton, with screenplay by

Bruce Manning Bruce Manning (July 15, 1902 – August 3, 1965) was a Cuddebackville, New York-born Hollywood filmmaker/screenwriter who entered the movie business following the publication of several novels that he co-wrote with wife, Gwen Bristow. Their fir ...

and Lionel Houser, based on a story by

Gene Towne Gene Towne (March 27, 1904 – March 17, 1979) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 47 films between 1921 and 1958. He was born in New York, New York, and died in Woodland Hills, California from a heart attack. Partial filmography * ...

and Graham Baker. The leads, in their second film together, are

Edmund Lowe Edmund Sherbourne Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. Biography Lowe's childhood home was at 314 North 1st Street, San Jose. He attended Santa Clara Coll ...

and

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s ...

, with supporting players

Onslow Stevens Onslow Stevens (born Onslow Ford Stevenson; March 29, 1902 – January 5, 1977) was an American stage, television and film actor. Early years Born in Los Angeles, California, Stevens was the son of British-born character actor Houseley St ...

Robert Middlemass Robert Middlemass (September 3, 1883 – September 10, 1949) was an American playwright and stage actor, and later character actor with over 100 film appearances, usually playing detectives or policemen.(13 Feb 1937)Mrs. Susan C. Middlemass ...

and Wyrley Birch."'Grand Exit' Continues Popular Flippant Detective Trend; Edmund Lowe Carries Along in Usual Style; But He Sure Gets All the 'Breaks' in Solving of Mysterious Fires That Pervade Proctor Movie" (''Schenectady Gazette'', October 18, 1935, page 24)
/ref>

Plot

The story revolves around a series of suspicious fires that have been plaguing the Interoceanic Fire Insurance Company. The main character, Tom Fletcher, is a former investigator for the company who was fired under questionable circumstances. However, due to the escalating fire incidents, the company's board of directors is forced to bring Fletcher back to solve the case. Fletcher sets his demands high, requesting various perks and a hefty bonus for catching the arsonist. He begins his investigation by assembling a team of trusted individuals, including his new secretary, Miss Appleby. Fletcher meets a mysterious woman named Adrienne Martin, who has been present at several fire scenes. He becomes suspicious of her and starts to suspect her involvement in the fires. As Fletcher delves deeper into the case, he discovers that Adrienne's father, Fred Maxwell, was the owner of the Maxwell Glass Company, which went out of business after the insurance company refused to pay his daughter Adeline. Fletcher learns that Fred Maxwell had a life insurance policy with Interoceanic and believes that Adrienne is seeking revenge for her father's mistreatment. Fletcher confronts Adrienne with his suspicions and tricks her into revealing her true identity as Adeline Maxwell. He finds evidence in her possessions that seem to confirm her involvement in the fires. However, when Grayson, Fletcher's co-investigator, uncovers the truth that Adeline Maxwell had died several months ago, Fletcher realizes that he has framed an innocent person. Feeling remorseful, Fletcher goes to the authorities and confesses his mistake. He explains that he was driven by his determination to solve the case and bring the real arsonist to justice. Grayson, disappointed with Fletcher's actions, leaves him, believing that Fletcher would sacrifice anyone to solve a case. Fletcher, determined to make amends, starts investigating the case anew. He discovers that Adeline's father is alive and has been orchestrating the fires to seek revenge on the insurance company. Fletcher confronts Adeline's father, who confesses to his crimes. With the truth exposed, Fletcher is able to clear Adeline's name. In the end, Fletcher brings Adeline's father to justice and repairs his relationship with Grayson.

Cast

as Tom Fletcher *

as Adrienne Martin *

as John Grayson *

as Fire Chief Mulligan *Wyrley Birch as Warden *

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa ...

as District Attorney Cope *

Guy Usher James Guy Usher (May 9, 1883 – June 16, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1932 and 1943. Born in Mason City, Iowa, Usher acted on stage before venturing into films. Billed as James Guy Usher, h ...

as Police Chief Roberts *

Miki Morita Mitsugi "Miki" Morita (sometimes credited as Mike Morita) was a Japanese character actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1920s through around 1940. He had worked as a stage actor before beginning his career onscreen. Partial filmography *'' Sou ...

as Noah

Casting notes

This was the second of two features which paired 45-year-old veteran leading man

, whose film career dates back to 1915, with 26-year-old newcomer

.
''

Let's Fall in Love "Let's Fall in Love" is a song written by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyrics) for the film ''Let's Fall in Love (film), Let's Fall in Love'' and published in 1933. In the film, it is heard during the opening credits and later sung by ...

'', their initial film, also at

, was released nearly two years earlier, in December 1933, and was the leading lady's first co-starring role as well as the first film featuring her new

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

"Ann Sothern".

Tagline

"HE'S BURNING UP… and so is the town!
when a blonde baby out of nowhere starts going to blazes with him!"

''Grand Exit'' on Turner Classic Movies

''Grand Exit'' was shown March 4, 2015 on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

as part of its "Star of the Month salute" to

Introductory comments

"Hi, I'm

Robert Osborne Robert Jolin Osborne (; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American film historian, author, actor and the primary television host for the premium cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for over twenty years. Prior to hosting at TCM, Os ...

. Thanks so much for joining us. This week we begin our star of the month festival for March — a thirty-six-film salute to one of the most underrated actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the delightful Ann Sothern. Over the course of her sixty-year career, Ann Sothern found success on the stage, on radio, on film and, certainly, on television, becoming one of those faces which would, invariably, make an audience, en masse, kind of give it a happy sigh of relief, knowing well, now we're in good hands, I know I'm gonna have a good time. And with Ann Sothern, they always did. Still, I don't think the film industry ever really fully appreciated her abilities and rarely gave her a chance to stretch as an actress, something Ann lamented about later in her life. Early on, she spent time working all over Hollywood — at Warner Brothers, RKO, Twentieth Century Fox and things got particularly promising for her when she signed with the mighty MGM in 1939. But that didn't really pan out much either. She was so charming in whatever she was given to do, MGM put her in one film after another and never really upping the stakes by teaming with any of the big male stars on the MGM contract list, people like Tracy or

Gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

, Bob Taylor,

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise," Pidgeon earned two Academy ...

. But all that was still in the future when she made our next film, as a contract player at colo... Columbia Studios. Our film is called ''Grand Exit'' — it was done in nineteen thirty-five and teams Ann with Edmund Lowe. Now Edmund Lowe, in this movie, plays a ladies man who makes a living as an arson investigator. It's while investigating a whole string of arson fires, that he crosses paths with Ann Sothern who somehow always seems to be around when a building goes up in flames. It's all very lively and fast-paced — a movie that clocks in at just a little over an hour long. So have a look... from nineteen thirty-five, here's our star of the month, Ann Sothern doing what she always did so well — making an average script look very entertaining to watch. From nineteen thirty-five, here's ''Grand Exit''."

Robert Osborne's closing comments

"When this film was in development in nineteen thirty-four, there was trouble with it and the

Hollywood Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as th ...

. Columbia Pictures submitted the script to the Code office for review and was rejected for filming because of fears that the film would actually teach people how to set arson fires. So the studio went to experts for some help — an insurance company and the LA Fire Department. Both reviewed the script and wrote letters to the Production Code office, challenging that decision — and the Code backed down… for once, which, in those days, it didn't often do. Up next, another breezy film from early in the film career of Ann Sothern. It's one of the many movies she made in which she was teamed with actor

Gene Raymond Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a singer, composer, screenwriter, director, producer, and decorat ...

References

External links

* * * * {{TV Guide film, 2000047345 1935 films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Erle C. Kenton 1935 mystery films American mystery films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language mystery films