(Some Spoilers) A gorgeously young, and at the same time sweet and innocent looking, Lilli Pamler is June Lasdowne the damsel in distress in this overly complicated mystery. The movie is about seven keys that open the secret to what's been happening over the last ten years regarding the heir to he Selford fortune and who's really been getting it.
Before Lord Charles Selford died in 1928 he left his estate to his young and lame eleven year-old son John, Ross Landon, and had his guardian Silva, J.H Roberts, take care of all the arrangements. Now some ten years later Silva is in a state of mental degeneration and stuck in a nursing home. Desprate to get the secret out about John Silva writes a letter and, together with a mysterious key wrapped in it, throws it out the window addressed to June Lansdowne.
Increably the letter and key find their way to June when two boys find it and hand deliver it to her. June going to see Silva at the nursing home, about the letter he sent her, never gets the entire story from him as he's shot and killed, from behind a painting on the wall. June immediately goes to see the home attendant Ann Cody,Cathleen Nesbitt, about her patient's death only to find out that the place is closed down! Later when she and Mrs. Cody go to Silva's room find it empty.
Running to the police June gets police inspector Dick Martin, Romilly Lunge, to check on Silva's murder only to get the same answers when he goes to see Mrs. Cody;the placed has been closed for some time and there's no, or ever was any, Mr. Silva there as a patient. Martin slowly pieces together this strange and complicated plot concocted by Lord Selford's doctor Manetta, Leslie Banks, Silva Mrs. Cody and a number of other trusted Selford aids in order to steal his fortune. Doc. Manetta tried to make it look like Lord Selford's son John was receiving it in a monthly allowance over the last ten years. The question is just were is John Selford and is he still alive to collect his inheritance in the first place?
June turns out to be the second in line to Lord Selford's money and fortune and by her being alive she's a threat to those who have been embezzling it over the years. Now knowing that she was informed by Silva, to what's been going on, June has to be eliminated to keep the scam ongoing.
Like in all these type of films about a bunch of criminals getting together to pull off a crime they eventually turn on each other when the going starts to get too hot for them . In the end they all fall by the wayside. The most interesting of theses conspirators is the creepy and sophisticated Dr. Manetta who's, what you would call, the leader of the pack. Manetta who's also a distant relative of the infamous 15th century Grand Inquisitor Fray Thomas De Torqemada of the Spanish Inqusition and like they used to say about him back then, behind his back of course, "You can't talk him out ha anything" when ever he made up his mind.
Menatta took up his descendant's strange attraction to torture and torture devices and built and exact replica of a chamber of horror in his home. Having it out with police inspector Martin at the conclusion of the movie one of Manetta devices that he prized so highly was what ended up doing him in.
Before Lord Charles Selford died in 1928 he left his estate to his young and lame eleven year-old son John, Ross Landon, and had his guardian Silva, J.H Roberts, take care of all the arrangements. Now some ten years later Silva is in a state of mental degeneration and stuck in a nursing home. Desprate to get the secret out about John Silva writes a letter and, together with a mysterious key wrapped in it, throws it out the window addressed to June Lansdowne.
Increably the letter and key find their way to June when two boys find it and hand deliver it to her. June going to see Silva at the nursing home, about the letter he sent her, never gets the entire story from him as he's shot and killed, from behind a painting on the wall. June immediately goes to see the home attendant Ann Cody,Cathleen Nesbitt, about her patient's death only to find out that the place is closed down! Later when she and Mrs. Cody go to Silva's room find it empty.
Running to the police June gets police inspector Dick Martin, Romilly Lunge, to check on Silva's murder only to get the same answers when he goes to see Mrs. Cody;the placed has been closed for some time and there's no, or ever was any, Mr. Silva there as a patient. Martin slowly pieces together this strange and complicated plot concocted by Lord Selford's doctor Manetta, Leslie Banks, Silva Mrs. Cody and a number of other trusted Selford aids in order to steal his fortune. Doc. Manetta tried to make it look like Lord Selford's son John was receiving it in a monthly allowance over the last ten years. The question is just were is John Selford and is he still alive to collect his inheritance in the first place?
June turns out to be the second in line to Lord Selford's money and fortune and by her being alive she's a threat to those who have been embezzling it over the years. Now knowing that she was informed by Silva, to what's been going on, June has to be eliminated to keep the scam ongoing.
Like in all these type of films about a bunch of criminals getting together to pull off a crime they eventually turn on each other when the going starts to get too hot for them . In the end they all fall by the wayside. The most interesting of theses conspirators is the creepy and sophisticated Dr. Manetta who's, what you would call, the leader of the pack. Manetta who's also a distant relative of the infamous 15th century Grand Inquisitor Fray Thomas De Torqemada of the Spanish Inqusition and like they used to say about him back then, behind his back of course, "You can't talk him out ha anything" when ever he made up his mind.
Menatta took up his descendant's strange attraction to torture and torture devices and built and exact replica of a chamber of horror in his home. Having it out with police inspector Martin at the conclusion of the movie one of Manetta devices that he prized so highly was what ended up doing him in.