"The Black Abbot" (1934) is a minor British quota quickie made by Real Art Productions (54 quota quickies made between 1931-1935), and this one was released through Radio Pictures (RKO in Britain at that time) in Britain. I watched this several years ago, remembered that it was something I liked somewhat because Judy Kelly was in it, but I'd forgotten its premise. Well, this is - as I said - a minor "Locked-Door Mystery" (as called by another reviewer), a take-off of the Old Dark House style mystery, where a man in black (supposedly the ghost of an old abbot who was in the monastery that's being restored for living quarters) traipses about doing...well...it's a mystery, isn't it? And, in mysteries, there's usually either a murder or an attempted one.
This one stars John Stuart, Richard Cooper, Judy Kelly, Ben Welden, Edgar Norfolk, and others whose names are basically unknown today. It's rather simple, rather straightforward, and is interrupted often with dribble between two of the liveried servant people who are in love. I'd say 'madly-in-love', but the one, the male, is more interested in his rare species of flower that looks on screen like a cactus plant, while the female has an unchanging cold which makes her talk, not only through her nose, but through her sniffles.
Fun for 56 minutes if you're a fan of the early 30s stuff of this ilk. If you've never encountered it, be aware of English silly-asses and humor where suspense probably should be and suspense that can be figured out from behind the corner a mile away. You may not be able to guess whodunit, but you'll do it fine just sittingthroughit. If you don't think you can make it all the way - don't watch it.
This one stars John Stuart, Richard Cooper, Judy Kelly, Ben Welden, Edgar Norfolk, and others whose names are basically unknown today. It's rather simple, rather straightforward, and is interrupted often with dribble between two of the liveried servant people who are in love. I'd say 'madly-in-love', but the one, the male, is more interested in his rare species of flower that looks on screen like a cactus plant, while the female has an unchanging cold which makes her talk, not only through her nose, but through her sniffles.
Fun for 56 minutes if you're a fan of the early 30s stuff of this ilk. If you've never encountered it, be aware of English silly-asses and humor where suspense probably should be and suspense that can be figured out from behind the corner a mile away. You may not be able to guess whodunit, but you'll do it fine just sittingthroughit. If you don't think you can make it all the way - don't watch it.