''The Secret Witness'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

, directed by

Thornton Freeland Thornton Freeland (February 10, 1898 – May 22, 1987) was an American film director who directed 26 British and American films in a career that lasted from 1924 to 1949. Early success He was born in Hope, North Dakota in 1898 and originally ...

and starring

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 fil ...

, William Collier Jr. and

Zasu Pitts ZaSu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, starred in many silent film drama film, dramas, such as Erich von Stroheim's 1924 epic ''Greed (1924 film), Greed'', along wi ...

.Goble p. 946 It is an adaptation of the novel ''Murder in the Gilded Cage'' by Sam Spewack.

Plot

A man is found murdered in his luxury apartment. His neighbors believe that the wrong man has been arrested and set out to solve the crime.

Cast

as Lois Martin * William Collier Jr. as Arthur Jones aka Casey *

as Bella *

Purnell Pratt Purnell Pratt (October 20, 1885 – July 25, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1941. He was born in Bethel, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California. Pratt spent more than a year in Fra ...

as Capt. McGowan *

Ralf Harolde Ralf Harolde (born Ralph Harold Wigger, May 17, 1899 – November 11, 1974) was an American character actor who often played gangsters. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including ''Smart Money (1931 film), Smart Money'' with ...

as Lewis Leroy * Clyde Cook as Larson - Building Engineer *

June Clyde June Clyde (born Ina Parton, December 2, 1909 – October 1, 1987) was an American actress, singer and dancer known for roles in such pre-Code films as '' A Strange Adventure'' (1932) and ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1933). Early years June Cly ...

as Tess Jones *

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 ...

as Gunner - Bodyguard *

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a major studio film, 1929's '' Hearts in Dixie''. ...

as Jeff - Building Janitor *

Hooper Atchley Lemuel Hooper Atchley (April 30, 1887 – November 17, 1943) was an American film actor. Atchley was the son of Mr. and Mrs. P. S. Atchley. He was a 1908 graduate of the Knoxville, Tennessee, school system. Atchley's first professional ac ...

as Herbert 'Bert' Folsom *

Billy Bletcher William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's ''Mickey Mouse'' short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Di ...

as Radio Announcer's Voice *

Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American professional baseball outfielder and actor. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National League for seven te ...

as Mike - Speakeasy Proprietor * James Durkin as Detective * Greta Granstedt as Moll * Henry Hall as Police Commissioner Martin *

Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he was a left back from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, bar a brief loan spell with Burton Albion i ...

as Officer Brannigan *

Rita La Roy Rita La Roy (born Ina La Roi Stuart; October 2, 1901 – February 18, 1993) was an American actress and dancer, beginning her career in 1929, and having her last significant role in 1940. Career La Roy appeared in over 50 films, the best k ...

as Sylvia Folsom *

Maston Williams Maston Williams (April 23, 1879 – July 15, 1978) was an American actor who appeared in films during the 1930s. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1931 and 1939. Selected filmography * '' Clearing the Range'' (1931) * '' Without Hon ...

as Contact Detective

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* 1931 films 1931 drama films American drama films Films directed by Thornton Freeland Columbia Pictures films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-drama-film-stub