''The Witching Hour'' is a 1934 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

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Western (genre), Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven f ...

and starring

Sir Guy Standing Sir Guy Standing (1 September 187324 February 1937) was an English actor. Biography Standing served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve throughout the First World War, reaching the rank of commander. He was seconded to MI6, but transferred ...

, John Halliday,

Judith Allen Judith Allen (born Marie Elliott, February 8, 1911 – October 5, 1996) was an American actress. Early years Allen was born Marie Elliot in New York City, and she grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts. She attended Leland Powers School in Bos ...

and

Tom Brown Tom Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Brown (satirist) (1662–1704), English satirical writer *Tom Brown (trombonist) (1888–1958), American jazz trombonist and bandleader *Tom Brown (actor) (1913–1990), American film and televi ...

Plot

While Jack Brookfield runs a gambling gathering at night in his Kentucky house, his daughter Nancy is frequently visited by and becomes engaged to young Northern architect Clay Thorne. His mother, an old friend of Brookfield's, arrives from Baltimore to save her son from the vice of gambling, but when Brookfield shows her her son and his daughter in the garden, she is delighted. Brookfield announces to the gentlemen that for that evening the gambling is over early, due to a feeling he has. After everybody has left, Brookfield's old friend (and customer) Lew Ellinger proposes playing poker. Brookfield answers he is not a gambler, but Ellinger deals the cards anyway. To his astonishment, Brookfield tells him exactly what he has in his hand. When it is repeated a second time, Brookfield tells him that he cannot tell what cards he has if Ellinger does not look at them. When this second time he tells again the cards Ellinger has, Ellinger asks Brookfield how he does it. Brookfield does not know, but he does not gamble because of this gift, which saddens Ellinger. Meantime, the police chief gathers his men to raid Brookfield's house. When they arrive, but they can find no trace of gambling activity. After Nancy turns in for the night, Clay becomes terrified when he sees a cats-eye ring (collateral put up by Lew) on Brookfield's finger. This causes Brookfield to question Clay's manhood. Afterward, Brookfield receives a visit from Frank Hardmuth. Hardmuth has a grudge against him and is determined to show that he is the boss of the town. When Hardmuth states he is good enough for Nancy, Brookfield punches him and tells him that one day a man will come in his office and shoot him. Clay overhears him. Brookfield tells him, after Hardmuth leaves, that his fear is absurd. He hypnotizes the young man without realizing it. Judge Martin Prentice is Brookfield's last visitor that night. Brookfield finds in him an understanding person concerning his gift. Prentice warns him to be more careful about hypnotizing people. Clay goes to Hardmuth's office and shoots him dead without knowing what he is doing. His loved ones search for a defense attorney, but nobody takes hypnotism seriously or believes it is grounds for a defense. Finally, they think of Judge Prentice, who is retired, but would certainly understand how to manage the case. Prentice does not want to take the case, but the ghost of Margaret Price, Mrs. Thorne's mother and Prentice's love, persuades him to change his mind. The trial goes badly for the defense; even the testimony of Dr. von Strohn, an eminent expert on hypnosis, cannot turn the tide. Finally, in desperation, Prentice has Brookfield hypnotize the openly skeptical jury foreman into shooting the district attorney (the gun has

blank Blank or Blanks may refer to: *Blank (archaeology), a thick, shaped stone biface for refining into a stone tool *Blank (cartridge), a type of gun cartridge *Blank (Scrabble), a playing piece in the board game Scrabble *Blank (solution), a solutio ...

s). The jury reaches the verdict "not guilty", and Clay is a free man.

Cast

as udgeMartin Prentice * John Halliday as Jack Brookfield *

as Nancy Brookfield *

as Clay Thorne *

Olive Tell Olive Tell (September 27, 1894 – June 8, 1951) was a stage and screen actress from New York City. Biography Tell was educated in several cities in Europe. She and her younger actress sister Alma Tell, Alma graduated from the American Academy ...

as Mrs. elenThorne *

Richard Carle Richard Carle (born Charles Nicholas Carleton, July 7, 1871 – June 28, 1941) was an American stage and film actor as well as a playwright and stage director. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1915 and 1941. Carle was born in Some ...

as Lew Ellinger *

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 Frank Hardmuth *

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 District Attorney obinson* Frank Sheridan as Police Chief *

Gertrude Michael Lillian Gertrude Michael (June 1, 1911 – December 31, 1964), sometimes nicknamed Beck Michael, was an American film, stage and television actress. Biography Lillian Gertrude Michael was born in Talladega, Alabama to Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Mich ...

as Margaret Price *

Ferdinand Gottschalk Ferdinand Gottschalk (28 February 1858 – 10 November 1944) was an English theatre and film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1917 and 1938. He was born and died in London, England. He made his first appearance on the stage in Toronto ...

as Dr. von Strohn *

William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...

as Foreman of Jury

Reception

Author and film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

awarded the film two and a half out of four stars, calling it " Minor but well-made chiller with eerie atmosphere."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witching Hour (1934 film), The 1934 films 1934 drama films 1930s American films 1930s English-language films 1930s legal films American black-and-white films American drama films American courtroom films American films about gambling American films based on plays Films directed by Henry Hathaway Films about hypnosis Paramount Pictures films