THE MYSTERY MAN

US, 1935, 65 minutes, Black-and-white.

Robert Armstrong, Maxine Doyle, Henry Kolker, James Burke.

Directed by Raymond McCarey.

No particular reason for seeing this short be-budget supporting feature. The focus is on Robert Armstrong who appeared in the number of dramas like King Kong and was a regular at Warner Brothers. Older (45 at the time of production), with a quick line in repartee, he was popular in those decades but probably will not charm or attract a contemporary audience.

He plays a reporter, with his buddies at the office, clashing with the editor, receiving an award, a drinker, something of a conman, but always wanting the big story. Most of the film involves his encountering a young woman who is broke, helping her, saving her by pretending that they were married, conning his way into the honeymoon suite at a hotel. And then disowned by his editor, and his trying to get a story in St Louis.

In fact, the action takes place in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film, the journalist selling the gun he received as an award, the gun given  by the pawnbroker to a famous thief in the city, the reporter setting the thief up, posing as the driver, taking the money, explaining everything to the police, but then charged with the murder of a policeman and the theft.

Lots of to-ing and fro-ing, phone calls, jokes, serious situations, all resolved at the end, of course, and the couple marrying. (James Burke appears as an editor, rather more serious than some of his comic roles, especially as the assistant to the Commissioner in the Ellery Queen thrillers.)