''Their Big Moment'' is a 1934 American

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, ...

directed by

James Cruze James Cruze (born Jens Cruz Bosen;Sadoul, Georges (1972). Dictionary of Films'. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 53. . See also: * Parish, James Robert; Pitts, Michael R. (1974). Film Directors: A Guide to Their American Fi ...

, from a screenplay by Arthur Caesar and

Marion Dix Marion E. Dix (June 5, 1904 – February 7, 1992) was an American screenwriter, filmmaker, and foreign correspondent. Biography Early life Born to Oscar Dix and Jane Edgerton in Milwaukee, Marion Dix and her sister Ruth were raised primarily ...

. The film starred

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 ...

and

Slim Summerville Slim Summerville (born George Joseph Somerville; July 10, 1892 – January 5, 1946) was an American film actor and director best known for his work in comedies. Early life Summerville was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother died w ...

. It is based on the 1933 West End play '' Afterwards'' by

Walter Hackett Walter Laurence Hackett (usually referred to as Walter Hackett, sometimes given as Walter L. Hackett or Walter Lawrence Hackett, and erroneously given as Walter C. Hackett) (November 10, 1876 – January 20, 1944) was an American playwright an ...

which had run for more than two hundred performances in London. While most of the Pitts-Summerville teamings were comedies, this was a serious drama in which they merely played comic-relief characters; their star billing was thus misleading.

Plot

Tillie Whim, a timid stage assistant to The Great La Salle in a small mentalist act playing a Vaudeville theater, is harassed, bullied, and undermined by the act's co-star, primadonna Lottie. When Lottie finally attempts to fire Tillie after a performance, La Salle fires Lottie instead. The remaining troupe are then hired backstage by an audience member to debunk another mentalist, whom he accuses of exploiting his friend, a grief-stricken woman who has recently lost her husband in a plane crash. Tillie is promoted to Lottie's old role as medium, but unexpectedly deviates from the script when the spirit of the departed tells her that the plane crash was murder.

Cast

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 ...

as Tillie Whim *

as Bill Ambrose *

William Gaxton William Gaxton (né Arthur Anthony Gaxiola; December 2, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American actor of vaudeville, film, and theatre. For many years Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club, a theatrical organization in New York City. He ...

as The Great La Salle *

Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot (born Étienne de Pelissier Bujac Jr.; April 20, 1904 – May 3, 1972) was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll (character), Jack Driscoll in ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'' (1933) and for his roles in films s ...

as Lane Franklyn *

Kay Johnson Catherine Townsend Johnson (November 29, 1904 – November 17, 1975) was an American stage and film actress. Family Johnson’s father was architect Thomas R. Johnson, the architect of several noteworthy buildings in New York City, inclu ...

as Eve Farrington *

Julie Haydon Julie Haydon (born Donella Donaldson, June 10, 1910 – December 24, 1994) was an American Broadway, film, and television actress who received second billing as the female lead in the Ben Hecht–Charles MacArthur 1935 film vehicle for Noë ...

as Fay Harley *

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and union activist. He was a brother of actor Frank Morgan as well as the father of actress ...

as Dr. Portman *

Huntley Gordon Huntley Ashworth Gordon (October 8, 1879 – December 7, 1956) was a Canadian actor who began his career in the Silent Film era. Profile Gordon was born in Montreal, Quebec, and educated in both Canada and England. He had various jobs includi ...

as John Farrington *

Tamara Geva Tamara Geva (, born Tamara Levkievna Zheverzheeva, ; 17 March 1906 – 9 December 1997) was a Soviet and later an American actress, ballet dancer, and choreographer. She was the daughter of art patron and collector and she was the first wife of ...

as Lottie

References

External links

* * * Films produced by Cliff Reid Films directed by James Cruze RKO Pictures films American films based on plays 1934 mystery films American black-and-white films American mystery films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language mystery films Films based on works by Walter Hackett {{mystery-film-stub