Copyright 17 October 1934 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. No recorded New York opening. Australian release: 20 February 1935. 7 reels. 67 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A publisher's wastrel brother commits suicide. Why? Are the publisher's wife and his associates involved?NOTES: The highly acclaimed Priestley play opened in the West End at the Lyric on 17 May 1932, running a most satisfactory 151 performances. Not unexpectedly, the play did even better on Broadway - at this time, British shows were all the rage on the New York stage, often to the exclusion of native talent - opening at the Empire on 27 October 1932 for a set engagement of 210 performances. When the lease on the Empire expired, the play was still drawing such huge crowds, it was moved to the Waldorf, where it ran a further 93 performances. Naturally, such a huge success was eagerly snapped up by Hollywood, but by the time the film appeared, interest in the play had lapsed to such an extent that RKO was unable to secure a New York showcase, despite the film's top-drawer cast of popular players. COMMENT: I've always thought J.B. Priestley an over-rated writer. Mind you, he was admired - adulated even - by press and public in his day. Early in his career, he hit upon the device of playing around with Time. Everyone praised this little stratagem as a masterstroke of genius. What do you think?In Dangerous Corner, the action hinges on a valve. One of those gadgets like an elongated electric light globe that formerly powered radios. When one of these valves "blew", it was necessary to replace it, or the wireless wouldn't work. So what Priestley presents is two stories. In the first, he tells what happened to our merry group of partying characters when the radio was silenced and they were forced to sit around and tell a few home truths to each other concerning their relationship and dealings with a former partner of their publishing firm who committed suicide. In the second version of the same story, a replacement valve is available, the radio sparks back into life and the actors are silenced. The party continues...I'm afraid that, despite this novelty, it's all rather dull stuff of the talky, talky, talky kind. Your turn, Melvyn. Now it's your turn, Virginia. And now it's your cue, Betty, for your big dramatic revelation of the evening. Ho-hum.Beyond two prologue scenes, the adapters have done nothing to open out the play. Worse, Poverty Row director Phil Rosen, here making his first of three pictures for RKO, has handled the wearisome proceedings in a thoroughly pedestrian manner.True, the players do try their hardest to overcome both the heaviness of their dialogue and the disinterest of their director. Doris Lloyd succeeds best. But then she has by far the most colorful role. Melvyn Douglas is charmingly gallant, while Virginia Bruce - despite odd make-up, presumably designed to make her look older - and Betty Furness furnish "soul".

Watch this movie from 1934 (from a 1932 English play by J.B. Priestley)to see how early the English-speaking elite began to smash up their values, with a direct path to the mayhem and anomie of the 1960s/70s, and now the politically correct straightjackets of the early 21st century. I don't give it a 10 because of the excisions made to satisfy the censors - too bad for that, as it would have made the movie even more delicious.For delicious it is, watching people throw up on their values as they wear magnificent gowns, even if we are living with the consequences now. Watch it to see what we need to recover...Priestley is of the GB Shaw school - tradition and the wisdom of our ancestors is out the window, with no one knowing at the time what great new world awaits us. Unfortunately, we know now, and owe it all to these misguided geniuses for dramatic dialogue.

That's the start of a song from HMS Pinafore, and this picture goes on to prove just that. "Dangerous Corner" is a filmed stage play and is a fascinating character study of a group of people with skeletons cascading out of their respective closets. On the surface, it seems one of their number has committed suicide over some embezzled funds. Please note that 'on the surface' is the operative term in this engrossing film.All concerned turn in good performances and the dialogue ranges from clichéd to the profound to the philosophic, and you can't leave the room or else you'll lose the thread of the story - remember, it's only 65 minutes long and with a lot of plot squeezed in.This is a timeless parable about human frailty and appetites and layered relationships. Nevertheless, it becomes all the more interesting to consider that it was made in 1934. They think like us, exhibit our own doubts and weaknesses but all are in evening clothes and smoke and drink at all hours, all of which gives the proceedings a surreal feel, that we are eavesdropping on a living museum scene. You think of how alien such a lifestyle seems today."Dangerous Corner" turned up on TCM the other morning and is not available in any format. If it comes on again, you should do yourself a favor and watch it.

A very young Melvyn Douglas gives quite a solid performance in this screen drama adapted from a successful stage play. The film's origins are not at all disguised, and even the nice trick ending looks like the type of thing one would expect in theatre. There are a number of curious ideas that are spread throughout the film, especially in terms of distorting the truth, however there's relatively little action, with events told through dialogue, which makes it a bit overly talkative and a tad confusing. It is also inappropriately slow to build up and melodramatic, although never poorly done. It is hard to know what to make of the film, but by the end I did not feel like much had happened, and therefore I can only half-heartedly recommend it, although Douglas fans are sure to delight at seeing him here so young.