An early, inexpensive programmer involving death threats against the leader of a club that devotes itself to solving crimes. That's all it does. It solves crimes. The death threats come from a hooded gang of ritualists who commit evil acts. That's all they do. Commit evil acts.I imagine that in 1932 this was an entertaining hour spent at the local Biograph but more than eighty years later it seems pointless. It's presented as a comic mystery -- secret identities, hidden passages, a haunted mansion on Long Island -- but the mystery isn't really gripping and the comedy seems stale.James Gleason, playing James Gleason, is a police officer who sees something suspicious and blows his police whistle. Another officer runs up and asks if there's something going on. "Naw -- I was just tunin' up the cement," replies Gleason with incandescent sarcasm.Really, if you miss it, you won't be missing much.

This is one of those multiple personality films that could be classified as crime, horror, or spoof. It all starts off with a sinister overhead shot of a table with a hooded group of men (and one women) making a mysterious pact that will be attempted over the next hour with lots of confusion for everybody inside this Macadamia Manor. It is a field day for the hand-wringing of Zasu Pitts, already nervous, and made even more jittery by the sudden presence of a spooky old man (Raymond Hatton) who taunts her with the pending doom until she's ready to wring her own neck just to avoid what she fears awaits her. There are tons of mysterious events which take place over the film's short hour long running time, which includes a mysterious Indian (C. Henry Gordon) making seemingly sinister comments, people mysteriously disappearing, and typically dumb police offers (lead by James Gleason) trying to figure out what's going on. It really doesn't matter what's going on, because it is still all non-sensical, yet so entertainingly presented.

The Crooked Circle is a film that has a lot more potential than it fully realizes. It starts with an intriguing scene with a group of black hooded individuals in an underground room. These shady characters are the Crooked Circle and they are planning revenge on a group of amateur sleuths called the Sphinx Club. Now this set-up makes it sound like the movie could go in an interesting direction with both these groups fighting against each other. Unfortunately, the focus is subsequently too often on comedy, rather than suspense.The film takes the form of the old dark house format which was hugely popular in the 1930's. The house itself is full of the usual array of secret passageways, trap-doors and hidden rooms that was part and parcel in these movies. The mystery isn't ultimately too compelling, although there is a reasonable twist near the end. It's as creaky as you would expect but not without some charm.

The "old dark house" sub-genre that dominated the early talkies rarely fails to disappoint when we re-view the oldies to-day. Here is one that provides so very many suspicious characters you have to wonder how they will be able to tie up all the loose ends in the 6 reel running time.The Crooked Circle is a gang of counterfeiters and thieves who have decided to take revenge on Col. Walters (Berton Churchill) who has sent one of their ranks to prison. They decide he must die that very night. Meanwhile the Colonel's own group, The Sphinx Club, is determined to protect him at all costs. This does not sit well with Thelma (Irene Purcell) fiancée of club member Brand Osborne (Ben Lyon, late of the mega-budgeted HELL'S ANGELS (1930)) who wants him to quit the club and stop endangering his own life. Brand promises to resign after saving the colonel's life. Everyone heads off to Walters newly purchased mansion on Long Island to await the assassin.The Colonel might be the new owner of Melody Manor but it's an old dark house complete with eccentric neighbours (like Raymond Hatton as a local hermit) and maybe even a ghost. Top billed Zasu Pitts is Nora, the housekeeper who expects to see a spirit around every corner. Throw in a cop (James Gleason) who is certain Brand is a criminal and we have a picture which is packed with action and surprises.You will notice right away that the script writer was at a loss to come up with too much dialog because a lot of characters repeat the same lines over and over. Yoganda (C. Henry Gordon) a Hindu mystic (which movies of that time were loaded with) says "Evil is on the way." many times and I lost count of how often Ms. Pitts says "Something always happens to somebody!". There are many suspects and two characters (Mr. Gleason as the stereotype dumb cop and Roscoe Karns as Mr. Lyon's pal) who serve as comedy relief. The house itself is appropriately spooky looking (in fact I think the same set was used in THE PHANTOM (1931)) with lots of secret passages and violin music coming out of empty rooms but somehow you never really get a feeling of danger. Maybe it's because no one in the movie, and I do mean no one!, is entirely what they seem to be. It all comes out right in the end though; but to go into any more detail would spoil it for you.Watch carefully for Robert Frazer (from WHITE ZOMBIE) and Frank Reicher (best remembered as Capt. Engelhorn from KING KONG) to pop up among the suspects.THE CROOKED CIRCLE is a fun film. Some aspects of the plot are predictable and then again several others are not. I suspect you will enjoy it.